Last summer, Gabby Petito’s loved ones filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Moab police.
She disappeared and the tragic murder attracted the attention of the whole world in 2021. However, a few weeks earlier, the police confronted Gabby and her killer.
The moment of shame is no secret. But it could be worse than we realize.
Gabby’s face looked scarred from the abuse that night. And there’s a selfie, taken around that time, to show for it.
On August 12, 2021, someone called 911 for help for a young woman who was clearly being abused.
The young woman is Gabby Petito. A person who contacted emergency services witnessed a man hitting her.
That man is Brian Laundrie. Through escalating physical violence, he took his own life before the end of the month.
Infamously, the police showed up…but failed Gabby completely. In fact, officers are filing domestic violence incidents as “mental health crises” rather than abuse.
Even the city of Moab has agreed that “inadvertent mistakes” by police left Gabby vulnerable to further abuse. In the end, it was Brian’s abuse that led him to kill the people he loved.
Now, her family’s lawsuit against Moab police has given details of Gabby’s injuries that were too obvious for the police.
Gabby took this photo on her cell phone, in the back of her van, on August 12, 2021. She was in Moab at the time.
Attorney Brian C. Stewart said people about photos and how to not only highlight the tragedy of death, but how people can and should prevent it.
“I’m sure he knew he was in trouble and this crossed the line and he took that picture in the back of the van,” Stewart said.
“According to available data, the image was taken at 4:37 p.m., at or before approximately the time of the initial 911 call,” the attorney detailed about the photo of her injuries.
In the picture, we can see a cut visible in Gabby’s eye. There was also some blood on his cheeks and forehead.
Domestic abuse tends to escalate over time, whether the target is a child or a spouse or other. It seems that Gabby felt that this escalation was scary enough to document.
According to the lawsuit, Gabby showed her injuries to one of the officers.
The filing states that “he ignored her and did nothing further to investigate or document the injury.”
Her parents believe Gabby would be alive today if the Moab police had acted properly in responding to the 911 call and acted to protect the victim from an apparent incident of domestic violence.
“It’s really sad to see them hurt and scared and in need, and their concerns are ignored,” Stewart said. people.
“We believe they are following up and investigating the injuries and asking questions,” he said.
Stewart continued: “he would have known the dangers involved and they would have been more aware of his danger. We believe he would be alive today if handled properly.