Gabby Petito’s brother has shared an emotional tribute to his sister on Instagram.
TJ Schmidt shared an image on the photo-sharing platform of people paying their respects to his sister, by releasing floating sky lanterns in memory of Gabby.
He captioned the post: “Lighting up the sky for you Gabs! Love you forever!” followed by a series of heart emojis.
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The moving tribute comes just days after human remains found at a Florida nature reserve were confirmed to be that of Brian Laundrie, Petito’s former fiancé that she had previously gone travelling with.
Laundrie, who returned to his home in Florida from a cross-country road trip on August 31 without Petito, had been cited as a 'person of interest' in the case.
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The FBI had also lodged an arrest warrant against him, claiming he used someone else's credit card to buy goods while Petito was missing.
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Laundrie previously failed to co-operate with police about Petito’s disappearance shortly before going missing himself.
Having previously been reported missing by her concerned parents, Petito’s remains were found in a national park in Wyoming last month.
Preliminary examinations have pointed towards Petito's cause of death being homicide.
The full autopsy revealed that the cause of Petito’s death was strangulation. The Teton county coroner, Brent Blue, also estimated that Petito had died three to four weeks before her body was found, on 19 September.
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The case of Petito's disappearance and subsequently Laundrie's disappearance, has captured attention worldwide, with people across the globe following the case on social media. Petito had been sharing tales of her travels with Laundrie on Instagram and YouTube, with many scouring her content for clues about her whereabouts.
The Moab City police force has been highly criticised, after two officers stopped Laundrie and Petito after witnesses reported an ‘altercation’ between the two. While Petito was visibly distressed, no charges were filed.
A statement issued by Moab City reads: “The Moab City Police Department has clear standards for officer conduct during a possible domestic dispute and our officers are trained to follow those standards and protocol.
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“At this time, the City of Moab is unaware of any breach of Police Department policy during this incident. However, the City will conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate.”
Featured Image Credit: Instagram - gabbypetitoTopics: News