Gabby Petito was reported missing on September 11. Residents gathered to support her family and those searching for the missing 22-year old North Port woman. © Photo by SAMANTHA GHOLAR WEIRES via Imagn Content Services, LLC
(Moab, UT) – A judge in Utah is tossing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Long Island native, Gabby Petito. Petito was only 22-years old when she was murdered by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie in 2021. The two were on a cross-country road trip. Petito’s body was found by the Grand Tetons in Wyoming after a nationwide search and capturing the attention of people all across the country. The medical examiner determined she had been strangled. Laundrie’s body was found a month later in Florida with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In a notebook recovered from the scene, he confessed to killing Petito.
While on the road, the couple was stopped by Moab Police in Utah who had received reports of domestic violence. They made the couple separate for a night and let them re-unite the next day. An independent investigation found several mistakes made by police in their handling of the dispute. This prompted the parents of Petito to sue the Moab Police for gross negligence. Attorneys for the police say Moab cannot be found liable for a death that happened in another state. The Petito family say they plan on appealing that ruling
