Why is Gabby Petito Important?
In late 2021, it was nearly impossible to turn to any social media or news network without seeing the young, smiling face of Gabby Petito at least once. The free spirited presence was eclipsed by her abrupt disappearance and later announcement of her tragic homicide. But her story is like many others. What made it so high profile and why was the tragedy so important to domestic violence?
What made Gabby Petito’s Case So Famous?
At the time of her disappearance, Gabby was an aspiring influencer and vlogger. She had only just started vlogging and had a small following of a few thousands. Petito’s fame was that of an average girl, so what made her case so famous when so many stories like her’s go cold?
Here are a few reasons why Gabby’s case was treated differently.
- The timeline of the case provoked mass speculation, giving more questions than answers.
- The heartfelt, public outcry of the Petito family to return their young, innocent looking daughter provoked mass interest and empathy
- Missing white girl syndrome – or the tendency to overemphasize certain news based on the subject’s ethnicity, age, gender, or appearance – could be a contributing factor.
- The outlandish actions of the Laundrie family and compliance through a family lawyer
- The case evidence was easily accessible on public social media
- The speculation and rapid public updates on social media and major news outlets made following the case addictive
No One Saw the Events Coming
The story itself is captivating. Although both had modest followings at the time of her disappearance, the young, nonminority, picturesque life of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie were highly accessible on Instagram and Youtube, of which Petito was frequently active on. No one, not even close friends and family, predicted that Petito would suddenly go missing and be ultimately murdered by the hands of her partner. Likewise, while the FBI searched for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve for over a month, many, including major bounty hunters such as Duane “Dog” Chapman speculated he was not there. An international manhunt for Laundrie made thousands, if not millions, more invested in the case.
And — in another unexpected turn of events — Laundrie was found dead in the reserve not far from where they discovered his parent’s Mustang. The area had been flooded and unrecoverable initially.
Additional Homicides Were Being Discovered
During the grid searches in Grand Teton for Petito, the remains of several other homicides were discovered. One which included Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner. Initial speculation was that Laundrie had been involved, especially due to allegations that the couple had been to the same bars in the area. Physical evidence ruled Laundrie out as a possibility but the public remained invested as the killer remained at large.
Public Release of Body Cam Footage
The public release of the Moab police department responding to the domestic dispute between the couple revisited many discussions and coverage over the way law enforcement handles domestic abuse incidents.
Social Media Made Evidence and Updates Easily Accessible
The investigation of Gabby Petito was the first of its kind to allow case evidence to be so accessible on social media. Not only was there the beginnings of a vlog, witnesses published their findings and speculations to Tiktok while the story developed.
The Family’s Public Outcries Provoked Mass Empathy
The Laundries’ callously remained quiet while the Petito’s were extremely active in the press and on social media about their distress. They pleaded with the Laundries to give them some idea of what was going on. Her biological father posted photos of his daughter growing up and photos of them together prior to the trip. His heartfelt pleas for her to return home made her “America’s daughter.”
Why Gabby Petito’s Legacy is Important For Domestic Violence
The Petito family have been extremely active in bringing awareness and preventing future domestic homicides. Gabby’s biological mother and father, alongside several other family members and close family friends, founded The Gabby Petito Foundation in October 2021, a non profit organization to donate and bring awareness to domestic violence.
“We wish to turn our personal tragedy into a positive one. It is our hope that Gabby’s foundation will bring these important issues into the forefront of the public eye to the benefit of all our communities.”
–Gabby Petito Foundation, Mission Statement
The over exposure of the case and the founding of the Gabby Petito Foundation has certainly brought significant attention to domestic violence resources. About half (46%) of all women murdered have died at the hands of their partner in the past decade.
The volume of calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (“The Hotline”) have also increased by a third compared to the same period last year. A negative consequence of this is the wait time over the phone has risen from seven minutes to 17 minutes.
“That is a substantial increase really overwhelming our services. We need to increase the number of advocates.”
-Katie Ray-Jones, The National Domestic Violence Hotline CEO (The Associated Press)
The Gabby Petito Foundation has responded by donating $100,000 to The Hotline for future initiatives.
“I think Gabby’s story touched a lot of people and she’s saving lives. I get people messaging me all the time that they were inspired by her to get out of a relationship. I know that I can use this tragedy to help save so many. It’s her legacy.”
–Nichole Schmidt, Gabby Petito’s Mom (The Associated Press)
References
https://apnews.com/article/violence-philanthropy-missing-persons-domestic-8d7dc3b68a55e7704e44f8659327edec
https://gabbypetitofoundation.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Gabby_Petito
