Petito’s family make plea for same attention for all missing people
The family of slain traveller Gabby Petito implored the public and news media to put the same energy into helping find other missing people as they did Petito, a 22-year-old woman who vanished on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend.
Petito’s parents and stepparents spoke to reporters at a news conference in New York – showing off fresh tattoos based on her designs and mantra ‘‘Let it be’’ – as authorities in Florida continued searching for her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, who is a person of interest in her disappearance and remains unaccounted for.
A lawyer for Petito’s family, Richard Stafford, renewed calls for Laundrie to turn himself in and criticised his parents for what he said was a lack of cooperation.
The Laundries released a statement Monday saying they weren’t helping him flee.
‘‘The Laundries did not help us find Gabby, they sure are not going to help us find Brian,’’ Stafford said. ‘‘For Brian, we’re asking you to turn yourself in to the FBI or the nearest law enforcement agency.’’
Petito’s body was discovered September 18 in a remote area in northwestern Wyoming. A memorial service was held Sunday on Long Island, where Laundrie and Petito grew up before moving to Florida in recent years. Her family announced it was starting a foundation to support people searching for missing loved ones.
Petito’s case has led to renewed calls for people to pay greater attention to cases involving missing indigenous women and other people of colour, with some commentators describing the intense coverage of her disappearance as ‘‘missing white woman syndrome.’’
Joseph Petito thanked the news media and social media for spotlighting his daughter’s disappearance, but he said all missing persons deserved the same attention.
‘‘I want to ask everyone to help all the people that are missing and need help. It’s on all of you, everyone that’s in this room to do that,’’ he said, pointing to reporters and cameras in front of him. ‘‘And if you don’t do that for other people that are missing, that’s a shame, because it’s not just Gabby that deserves it.’’
The search for Laundrie is also generating a frenzy, with television personalities like Duane Chapman – known as Dog the Bounty Hunter – and longtime America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh working to track him down.
Petito was reported missing September 11 by her parents after she didn’t respond to calls and texts for several days while she and Laundrie visited parks in the West.
Her death has been ruled a homicide, but authorities in Wyoming haven’t disclosed how she died. Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, said Wyoming authorities still had possession of her remains.
Joseph Petito said the Gabby Petito Foundation was in the formative stages and would seek to fill in any gaps that existed in the work of finding missing people.
He said they would work with organisations that helped them, like the AWARE Foundation and We Help The Missing. ‘‘We need positive stuff to come from the tragedy that happened. We can’t let her name be taken in vain.’’ – AP