Madison Meeks – Opinion Editor 

mvm7037@psu.edu

Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old American woman, went missing in late August 2021. Going on a cross-country trip with her then fiancé Brain Laundrie, Petito started to vlog their trip on YouTube. The first video of the pair was posted on August 19, 2021. A few days later, August 27, was the last day any of her family heard from her.

After weeks of silence, Petito was officially declared missing on September 11. Days after search parties and police began looking for the woman, Petito’s body was found strangled to death near Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. Immediately Laundrie was declared a suspect in the case as he was similarly missing. Eventually, he was found to have committed suicide, admitting to murdering Petito in a notebook that was found with him.

At the present, Petito’s parents are suing the Moab Police Department in Utah for 50 million dollars. They are suing the police department due to an interaction between the police and their daughter on August 12, 2021, before she was reported missing.

According to People Magazine, a man called the police in Moab, Utah stating he saw a man hitting a female outside of a grocery store. Petito and Laundrie were soon pulled over by Moab police, being the reported couple. 

Petito had admitted to hitting Laundrie while Laundrie admitted to pushing Petito. Moab police reported the event as a “domestic dispute” and did nothing else.

Petito’s parents have stated that they believe the Moab Police Department could have stopped their daughter’s death. According to People Magazine and a press conference held on November 3, “In their lawsuit, […] Nichole Schmidt and Joe Petito argue that their daughter would still be alive today had the Moab Police Department not mishandled their August 21, 2021, interaction with her and fiance Brian Laundrie, who killed her weeks later.”

The lawsuit allegedly states that the Moab Police Department had failed Gabby Petito by not taking her away from the situation. During a conference with Petito’s attorney James W. McConkie stated that “The family would like me to emphasize that the purpose of this lawsuit is to honor Gabby’s legacy by demanding accountability and working through change in the system to protect victims of domestic abuse and violence and prevent such tragedies in the future.” 

The lawsuit was made to change the system to protect victims of domestic abuse and violence. 

The family’s lawsuit against Moab Police Department also states that they are suing the Moab police because they misidentified Laundrie as a victim and not the main suspect. The City of Moab, Utah, denies any wrongdoing and stated that its police officers could have not stopped the tragic events from happening.