A new true crime docuseries has been added to Netflix, following the tragic disappearance and death of 22-year-old vlogger, Gabby Petito. Officials say she was killed by her fiance on what she thought would be a fun cross country road trip.
Gabby was born in 1999. Her friends would describe her as fun and artistic, you never saw her without a big smile. She had big dreams, one of those was to vlog her cross country trip across the western part of the U.S.
“She wanted to cross the country in the camper van and live the van life and live free. This was her dream,” shared her mother, Nichole Schmidt.
The three part documentary series “American Murder: Gabby Petito,” highlights Petito’s friends and family sharing their thoughts and depiction of what truly happened. But this was not the case for the family of Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito’s fiance. The Brian’s family shared a very different experience.
The Laundrie family’s lawyer spoke out about the docuseries, “The documentary was what we expected. One perspective depicted as the ‘truth’ as seen through their lens. Each side believes their perspective is correct. Hard to see through the lens of the other with all the noise and distrust.The documentary contained many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact — perhaps deliberate to capture their ‘truth’, perhaps due to simple error.”
In an interview, Julia Willoughby Nason, one of the documentary’s directors, shared that her team reached out to the Laundrie family.
Nason explained, “They did not want to participate, and we respect that. This is a very difficult story.”
Gabby’s Story
On August 12, 2021, police responded to a physical altercation between Gabby Petito and Brian Laudrie. A witness told 911 they saw Brian slap Gabby in their white van. This call led the Moab police department to pull the van over. Shortly after this incident, on September 11, 2021, Petitos family reported her missing to the Suffolk County Police Department. And on September 19, 2021, the body of Gabby Petito was discovered in a Wyoming camping area.
Reported missing on September 14, 2021, Brian Laundries remains were found in the Carlton Reserve along with a backpack and writings showing his “responsibility for Petitos death. He died by suicide from a gunshot wound.
Gabby Petito Foundation
The Petito family will never get the justice they deserve, as they will never be able to confront their daughter’s killer. But this family wants to “turn their tragedy into a purpose,” which is the Gabby Petito Foundation’s mission. The Gabby Petito Foundation raises awareness, reunites families with missing loved ones and strives to prevent tragedies like Gabby’s situation from happening again.
Picture Credit:Google
