Topics: Domestic Abuse, Sex and Relationships, Crime, US News
The parents of Gabby Petito, who was killed by her fiancé, are warning others about relationship red flags that could be a sign of abuse.
Gabby, 22, was strangled to death by her fiancé whilst on a cross-country holiday.
Three years after her death, her parents are now sharing the red flags that might not be so obviously leading to an abusive relationship.
The budding YouTuber was killed by Brian Laundrie in the summer of 2021, and her body was found near a Wyoming campsite.
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Laundrie’s body was found shortly after he took his own life, with a note admitting responsibility for strangling Gabby.
Gabby’s stepmother Tara Petito, her father Joe Petito, mother Nichole Schmidt and her husband Jim, created the Gabby Petito Foundation shortly after the death.
They are emphasising how important prevention is, pointing out that teens start dating in high school with little knowledge of what an abusive relationship can look like.
Speaking to People magazine, Tara said: “They start dating in middle school, so they need to know where they can go to get resources.
“They need to also know the signs.
“They also need to know how not to be an abuser."
An important red flag she noted was that abusive behaviour can be presented as overly loving, which can be appealing to younger daters.
She added: “A lot of times they could just say, ‘Oh, I love you so much, let's have a joint Snapchat'.
“But that starts with the controlling and, ‘I want to view everything that you're doing'.
“So, they might not even realise that's the start of an abusive type of relationship.
“We would like to get into the schools and teach them to know what the signs are.”
The foundation aims to focus on raising awareness about domestic violence, while also creating tougher laws and policies which govern how the police respond to reports of intimate partner abuse and missing persons.
Nichole, who along with Joe, Jim and Tara spoke on a panel at CrimeCon 2024 Nashville and said: “We get emails all the time from people saying, ‘Gabby saved my life. She gave me the power to get out of my abusive relationship'. “Survivors are coming out and telling their stories.
“Laws are changing and we’re going to keep fighting. We have to prevent this from happening to other people. Gabby works through us, we have to move forward and change the world together.”
