Gabby Petito’s father shares heartbreaking message on anniversary of murder

Gabby Petito’s grieving father shared a heartbreaking message Tuesday to commemorate the third anniversary of her murder.

“3 years ago tonight you were taken from us. We can’t stop crying when we think of you. We’re not waking up from this nightmare,” Joseph Petito wrote on Instagram

“We are moving forward for you and all those you have inspired and nothing can stop us. I ask everyone reading this to share a #missing flyer today.”

The heartbreaking message was posted alongside a photo of the father-daughter duo sharing a hearty laugh.

Sitting side by side, Gabby and Joseph dipped their toes into a pool of fish, allowing the tiny creatures to nibble on their dead skin, tickling the couple in the process.

The moment photographed in this happy memory is familiar: Joseph Petitio had shared it five months earlier to celebrate what would have been Gabby’s 25th birthday.

“We love you and miss you,” he wrote at the time.

Hundreds of heartwarming comments poured in under the father’s social media post, with many commenters crediting Gabby Pepito’s story with inspiring them to leave their own toxic relationships.

“Gabby saved my life 3 years ago. I didn’t even know her and I wish she was still here to thank her in person… I left my abusive ex of 6 years after I followed this case and learned how she was taken. I will always be grateful to her. I still think of her. I love you Gabby!” one woman wrote.

“Your daughter’s story is what made me wake up to my toxic reality. She gave me the courage to fight for myself and my son. This is our third year of leaving home and starting fresh. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but we’re still here to live another day and we’re safe because of Gabby,” another person wrote.

The anniversary comes as Gabby Petito’s family continues to fight for her legacy. Last month, Joseph Petito blasted the Utah Police Department for trying to dismiss the $50 million lawsuit he filed against them for their alleged failure to save his daughter.

The Moab Police Department, which let Gabby Petito go with her would-be killer Brian Laundrie after intervening in a domestic dispute, described the lawsuit as “a substitute for a GoFundMe campaign.”

Laundrie would strangle Gabby Petito to death days later and dump her body at a remote Wyoming campsite.

The couple had been traveling across the United States in a camper van, a trip she documented on social media.

Laundrie reported him missing during the trip and suddenly returned to his parents’ home in Florida without Petito in late August 2021, sparking a nationwide search that captured national attention.

Laundrie then committed suicide in a nearby national park and wrote a handwritten note admitting to the murder.

IIf you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.