BRIDGER-TETON NATIONAL FOREST, Wyo. — A new true crime documentary covering the final days of aspiring content creator, Gabby Petito, has sparked conversation on social media about the importance of domestic violence awareness.
In 2021, the story of Gabby Petito took the world by storm. Petito — a New York native – had left home to travel across the country in van that was transformed into a fully functional home with her boyfriend Brain Laundrie. Petito was an aspiring “van life” creator and captured moments in many US National Parks. Things took a turn for the worse, when Petito stopped posting and her family ceased to hear from her.
Following a domestic dispute between Petito and Laundrie, Petito went missing and never returned home. Her body was found later on Sept. 19, 2021. It was revealed that Laundrie was abusive and controlling over Petito.
Social media was a huge factor in the case, as many people who were investigating what could have happened in real time on TikTok and Instagram.
Netflix released, American Murder: Gabby Petito, a three-episode special which covered the life of Petito and her tragic death.
Tudum, a Netflix Publication reported an overview of what the documentary set out to cover.
“American Murder: Gabby Petito, a new three-part documentary series, goes beyond the media frenzy to let Petito’s family and friends share her story,” Tudum reported.
“Illustrated with real text messages, video footage, and excerpts from Petito’s personal journals, the series captures the reality of a young woman enmeshed in an abusive relationship behind closed doors — even as she put on a happy, “Insta-perfect” face for social media,” Tudum wrote.
Netflix has gotten a lot of criticism in the past for the exploitation of cases that have taken place in people’s real lives, but this new documentary features friends, family and personal acquaintances of the victim. This ensured that only factual information was used in the documentary.
With the tragedy of their daughter’s death, Petito’s parents now devote themselves to raising awareness and helping to stop domestic violence.
In an interview with Tudum, Joe Petito, Gabby’s father spoke of what he wants the impact of the documentary to be.
“I’d like to see countries around the world use her story as a learning tool to get better resources and information out to everyone that needs help,” Joe Petito detailed, “there are so many — 10 million people in the US are affected by domestic violence every year.”
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmit, also detailed to Tudum what she wants people to keep in mind while watching the series.
“When you’re watching a documentary like this, remember that it’s not just a story,” Schmit said, “It’s not just entertainment for you; it’s not just ‘true crime,’ Remember that there are always real lives involved and that these things can happen to anyone.”
Gabby’s story has impacted many people who are currently in domestic abuse relationships with many people voicing online that the new documentary has given them the strength to leave their partner.
One Tiktoker by the name of lizzie made a post saying these words: “Use this as your example that if they are capable of hitting and hurting you, they are capable of KILLING YOU. At the first sign of abuse run, you could save your life.”
More information on domestic violence please visit: https://www.dvawareness.org/
You can also learn more about Gabby’s story at: https://gabbypetitofoundation.org/
