Gabby Petito parents release bruised selfie of daughter in $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Moab Police Dept who they now blame should have intervened following physical abuse at the hands of boyfriend, Brian Laundrie.
Gabby Petito‘s parents on Tuesday released a photo that they say backs their wrongful death suit following their daughter’s ultimate murder at the hands of her then boyfriend — depicting a selfie taken minutes before cops stopped her in a beaten and bruised state — and proof officers should’ve taken action against Brian Laundrie.
Gabby, 22, was ultimately strangled by Laundrie, 23, in Wyoming during a road trip in the summer of 2021, some days after the fateful photo.
Attorneys for Gabby’s parents — who filed suit against the Moab Police Dept. in Utah for not intervening to protect their daughter following the attack on her at the hands of Laundrie and Gabby’s ultimate strangling death at the hands of her boyfriend –distributed a picture they claim was taken on her phone minutes before she and Laundrie, 23, encountered MPD officers on the road … following a call from a concerned citizen.
The photo appears to show Gabby, 22, with a bruised eye and red marks on her face … something that didn’t look nearly as visible in body cam footage taken during the actual traffic stop.
Of note, the cop talking to Gabby did point out something on her face … asking if she’d been hit. He also pointed out what he seemed to think was an injury on her shoulder.
Could cops have prevented Gabby Petito’s ultimate murder?
The Petito family says a timestamp from Gabby’s selfie shows it was taken at 4:37 PM on August 12. Moab PD’s body cam footage started rolling shortly after at around 4:53 PM.
Gabby’s parents feel this shows she was obviously injured at the hands of Brian … and that law enforcement had a duty to step in and shield her. The two officers on the scene made a decision not to arrest anyone at the time … a course of action that may have ultimately diverted Gabby from being later murdered at the hands of Laundrie. A course of action or failed action that the grieving Petitos feel warrants at least $50 million in damages.
In their wrongful death suit, Gabby’s family allege officers with the Moab Police Dept failing to properly handle a 911 call made by a witness after claiming they saw Laundrie hitting Gabby and trying to steal her phone just weeks before her death.
Laundrie shot himself in the head a month after Gabby’s body was discovered in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Florida, close to his parent’s residence, to which he had returned to without Gabby early fall of 2021.
A murder case that captivated America
It would be later discovered, Brian Laundrie in a notebook diary retrieved close to his body, confessing to killing his girlfriend. Laundrie left his parents’ home on September 13, and his remains were found in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in October – after weeks of futile searches in a temporarily flooded park.
Police found the wanted fugitive after water levels receded, along with a handwritten confession and a revolver.
The 22 year old woman’s disappearance sparked a nationwide search and subsequent investigation that captured the country’s interest for months, with themes of domestic violence, young love’s innocence and intrigue and betrayal being center piece themes.
