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How Gabby Petito’s Mom Feels About Moab Incident Bodycam Footage

We are now entering week five of the ongoing Gabby Petito investigation.

The 22-year-old was found dead by strangulation near a campsite at Grand Teton National Park. She was on a road trip in her camper van with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie.

As of now, Laundrie is the primary suspect in the ongoing investigation. He returned home with her camper and Gabby was nowhere to be seen. He is also likely the last person who saw Petito alive.

Since then, Laundrie has been on the run from authorities. The search has mostly gravitated around the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve in Florida.

Moab Footage and Mother’s Reaction

One of the biggest advancements in the case was the release of the bodycam footage from police in Moab. Someone reported a domestic disturbance situation between Petito and Laundrie while they were at a store together. Police ended up pulling them over to speak with them.

Gabby Petito looked extremely emotionally distraught and it was clear some kind of physical argument took place as well. Police decided to separate the two of them. Laundrie reportedly went to stay in a hotel and she remained in her camper van.

This is likely the last footage of Petito alive that the public, as well as Gabby’s family, will ever see. Now, Gabby’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, is speaking out about what it was like to see that footage.

“It’s just hard to watch. I wanted to jump through the screen and rescue her. I saw a young girl that needed someone to just hug her and keep her safe. I just felt so bad for her. I wish that she reached out to me,” her mother said to NBC News.

After this, Laundrie returned to his home in Florida on September 1. Petito was then reported missing officially on September 11.

Gabby Petito and Conversation Regarding Domestic Abuse

The relationship between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie has since been examined closely. Experts weighed in and have shared that there are many signs of a toxic and abusive relationship between the two. Both of them were heavily present on social media. Petito’s father, Joseph Petito, weighed in on their unhealthy relationship during an interview with “60 Minutes Australia.”

“Outside looking in, she did look happy. But as we look more and more into this, it might not have been as been as great as people online perceived,” he said.

Her father has also spoken out regarding Laundrie’s parents. He believes that they are withholding information and “know most of the information.” In addition, he wants people to not say that Laundrie is missing. Rather, he is “hiding.”

Since Gabby Petito’s case has been ongoing, it has provided some with the strength to speak on their own instances of domestic abuse.

One woman, Lauren Wellbank, shared her story of domestic abuse on HuffPost and outlined how important it is that we talk about Petito’s cause in the right way.

“One woman in four will become a victim of domestic violence at some point in her life. If you’ve never experienced it, chances are high that you know someone who has. It’s easy to forget this, when we talk about these public cases that feel so far removed from our own lives. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” she wrote.