Five years after Gabby Petito’s remains were discovered in Wyoming, her mother is asking people to slow down before scrolling past missing-person flyers on social media, saying a single thoughtful share can set off what she calls a “ripple effect” that helps bring someone home.
“What I would say with missing cases is, if you see missing flyers pass by your feed, stop and take a look,” Nichole Schmidt, Petito’s mother, told Fox News Digital on Friday. “Don’t just share it quickly.”
Schmidt suggested people look closely at a flyer before reposting it, check the comments for updates, and verify that the source is legitimate.
“If it seems legitimate, maybe give it a share,” she said. “Because you never know who might see that with your share, and it causes a ripple effect — and missing people have been found by regular people just sharing flyers.”
Petito’s remains were found on Sept. 19, 2021, in a remote campground north of Jackson, Wyoming. She is believed to have been killed three weeks earlier by her former fiance, Brian Laundrie.
Laundrie drove her Ford Transit van back to his parents’ house in Blue Point, New York, before taking his own life at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida ahead of heavy rains. His remains went unfound for a month during a nationwide search, until floodwater receded and his own parents led detectives to a clearing in the preserve he had frequented.
In the years since, Petito’s parents and stepparents have started a foundation in her name aimed at combating domestic violence and raising awareness of other missing-person cases. The family has lobbied for new laws in several states, including Florida, Utah and New York, as well as at the federal level.
Schmidt said another priority for the family is drawing attention to missing people whose cases haven’t received the level of media coverage her daughter’s did.
Anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse, or knows someone who is, can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
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