Gabby Petito's mother has urged viewers of a new three-part Netflix docuseries into her daughter's death to remember it is "not just entertainment for you; it's not just 'true crime'," as her parents spoke out ahead of the scheduled release later this month.
In the series, the family and friends of 22-year-old Gabby Petito tell her story following her murder by fiancé Brian Laundrie in 2021 during a fourth-month cross-country trip of America.
The case gained national attention following her mysterious disappearance and the couple's documenting of their travels across social media platforms, including YouTube and Instagram.
Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, stepfather Jim Schmidt, father Joe Petito and stepmother Tara Petito spoke to the series' maker Tudum ahead of its release.
"When you're watching a documentary like this, remember that it's not just a story. It's not just entertainment for you; it's not just "true crime."" Schmidt told the outlet. "Remember that there are always real lives involved and that these things can happen to anyone."
"Choose empathy and kindness every day," Schmidt said, "Because everybody's going through something. That's how Gabby lived her life."
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2021, an estimated 4,970 women were victims of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in the U.S. Data from law enforcement agencies found that 34 percent of these women were killed by an intimate partner, and 76 percent of female murder victims were killed by someone they knew.
What To Know
The Netflix documentary series American Murder: Gabby Petito will include text messages, video footage and excerpts from Petito's personal journals.
The docuseries chronicles the search for Petito, and the tragedy that unfolded.
Witnesses reported a domestic violence incident between Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie to police in Moab, Utah. Two weeks later, Petito disappeared and her family launched a frantic search effort to find her.
Her remains were found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area in Wyoming on September 19.
The Teton County coroner determined that Petito's cause of death was strangulation and the manner was homicide. He estimated that she was killed around three to four weeks before her body was found.
Laundrie's remains were later found in Florida after he died by suicide in October of 2021. The FBI later revealed that a notebook found near his remains contained an entry in which he admitted to killing Petito.
Jim Schmidt, Petito's stepfather told Tudum that they had "reluctantly," settled with the Laundrie family. "A tremendous weight was lifted off of our shoulders," he said.
Tara Petito, Gabby Petito's stepmother said "Going through that was so emotionally triggering and exhausting. Once we were able to settle, that weight just came right off, and we were able to focus more on the foundation and getting those resources."
The family has since launched the Gabby Petito Foundation, which aims to "Address the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons and to provide aid to organizations that assist victims of domestic violence situations, through education, awareness, and prevention strategies," according to the charities website.
What People Are Saying
Joe Petito, Gabby's father, told Tudum: "Even in public, people will come up to you and just hug you.... You know where it's coming from. I'm a product of domestic violence. Tara experienced domestic violence in a previous relationship. When you don't understand or know where to go when those situations arise, hearing something like Gabby's story is eye-opening. The reason we're doing this is to get that information out there for as many people as possible, because a lot of people don't know where to go when they're in that situation."
Nichole Schmidt, Gabby's mother, told Tudum: "Take Gabby's light — the Gabby that you see laughing and dancing and fearless — and take that as inspiration on how to live your life. There's a quote I love that says, "Be the things you loved most about the people who are gone."
Tara Petito, Gabby's stepmother, told Tudum: "Gabby gave us this platform, and we want others to be able to use it. If the light is shining on us, we want to shine it on other victims and other families that deserve it just as much as she did."
What's Next
The documentary series will be available to stream on Netflix starting Monday, February 17.
Anyone seeking help should call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a free and confidential hotline available 24/7. It can be reached on 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224. The hotline also provides information on local resources. For more information visit thehotline.org.
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About the writer
Marni Rose McFall is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics, social affairs and ... Read more