MOAB, Utah, Nov. 3, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — The parents of murder victim Gabby Petito have filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department.
James McConkie, of the Utah law firm Parker and McConkie, said the lawsuit alleges that “if the Moab police had followed the law, the requirements of the Utah law, the Utah statutes on domestic violence, Gabby would still be alive today,” he said.
“The family would like me to emphasize that the purpose of this lawsuit is to honor Gabby’s legacy by demanding accountability and working for change in the system to protect victims of domestic abuse and violence, and prevent such tragedies in the future.”
Petito’s death
Petito, 22, and fiance Brian Laundrie were stopped on Aug. 17, 2021, after a witness reported seeing Laundrie strike Petito. The Florida couple had been traveling around the west in a van, with Petito documenting the trip on social media.
Moab police interviewed the two separately, then made arrangements for Laundrie to sleep elsewhere for the night. The pair reunited the next day to continue their trip. Petito’s mother said she talked to Gabby on Aug. 25, in what would turn out to be their last conversation.
Petito’s body was found on Sept. 19 in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area in Grand Teton National Park. Her death was ruled to be a homicide by “blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation,” the coroner’s report said, and was estimated to have occurred three to four weeks before her remains were found.
Laundrie had returned to his family’s Florida home, alone, on Sept. 1. By the time police tried to contact him, he had disappeared.
Laundrie’s skeletal remains were found on Oct. 20, 2021, and official’s ruled his death to be from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In a journal found near him, he wrote he had killed Petito, officials said.
Moab police
Moab City spokeswoman Lisa Church issued the following statement to Gephardt Daily:
“The death of Gabrielle Petito in Wyoming is a terrible tragedy, and we feel profound sympathy for the Petito and Schmidt families and the painful loss they have endured. At the same time, it is clear that Moab City Police Department officers are not responsible for Gabrielle Petito’s eventual murder.
“Ms. Petito is believed to have died in Wyoming in late August 2021, more than two weeks after she and Brian Laundrie visited Moab and interacted with Moab City Police. At that time, our officers acted with kindness, respect, and empathy toward Ms. Petito.
“The attorneys for the Petito family seem to suggest that somehow our officers could see into the future based on this single interaction. In truth, on Aug. 12, no one could have
predicted the tragedy that would occur weeks later and hundreds of miles away, and the City of Moab will ardently defend against this lawsuit.”
