Gabby Petito was 22 years old when she was killed by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, during a cross-country road trip in August 2021. Her family has since turned their grief into one of the most active missing-persons and domestic violence advocacy organizations in the country.
On August 12, 2021, Moab, Utah police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance involving Gabby and Brian. Officers separated the couple and documented the encounter, but the interaction has since been widely criticized for failing to identify clear signs of domestic violence. About a month later, Gabby's family reported her missing. Her body was found in September 2021 in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming; the cause of death was determined to be strangulation. Laundrie disappeared shortly after and was found dead by suicide in October 2021, having left behind a notebook in which he admitted to killing Gabby. The FBI confirmed no other individuals were involved in her death.
Gabby's family has pursued multiple legal actions since her death: a wrongful death suit against Laundrie's estate, which resulted in a $3 million judgment; a civil suit against Laundrie's parents alleging they knew of Gabby's death and worked to protect their son, settled for an undisclosed amount in 2024; and an ongoing suit against the Moab Police Department, arguing that if officers had followed Utah's domestic violence laws during the August 12 stop, Gabby would still be alive. That case reached the Utah Supreme Court in early 2026.
Gabby's parents and stepparents founded the Gabby Petito Foundation shortly after her death to fight domestic violence and support the search for missing persons. The foundation partners with law enforcement agencies and nonprofits, funds search efforts for other missing people, and educates communities on recognizing signs of dating and domestic violence. It has also spoken publicly about how differently the media and public treated Gabby's case compared to missing persons cases involving people of color and Indigenous people — a disparity often called "missing white woman syndrome" — and has used that platform to push for more equal attention across all missing persons cases.
Gabby's mother, Nichole Schmidt, has become an active presence in the missing-persons advocacy community, showing up in person to support other families navigating their own searches. The foundation continues to speak at conferences and task forces around the country on domestic violence and missing persons response.
Gabby's story reshaped public conversation about how police respond to domestic violence calls and about which missing persons cases receive attention. Her family's continued advocacy — through litigation, the foundation, and direct support for other families — remains one of the most visible examples of turning personal tragedy into sustained, structural change.