Gabby Petito’s Parents Release Unseen Photo Of Her Bruised Face As Part Of Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Gabby Petito’s Parents Release Unseen Photo Of Her Bruised Face As Part Of Wrongful Death Lawsuit Moab City Police Department/Parker & McConkie

Gabby Petito‘s parents have released a previously unseen photo of their daughter crying with a bruised face as part of a wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department. Petito was murdered by her fiance, Brian Laundrie, during a cross-country road trip in August 2021. A month later, he took his own life and left behind a notebook in which he confessed to Gabby’s murder. However, he claimed it was “merciful” because Gabby had been injured and was in pain. Her parents know the story was “nonsense” and has been fighting for justice for their daughter ever since.

Gabby’s parents, represented by attorney Patrick Reilly, believe that she was intentionally murdered in cold blood. To prove their point, they’ve released a photo sharing Gabby’s bruised face that was taken on August 12 at 4:37 p.m. It was only a few minutes later that a witness called 911 to say they’d seen Brian slapping her. Officers from the Moab City PD showed up at 4:45 p.m.

Gabby Petito’s family filed a lawsuit against Moab City Police Department for failing to save their daughter’s life

gabby petito selfieParker & McConkie

Initial bodycam footage released by the force painted Gabby out to be the instigator. However, a second hour-long video shows Gabby admitting that Brian had slapped and grabbed her, leaving a mark on her face. It was clear to Gabby’s parents that this second video had been kept out of the public eye to save face for the force.

“Every news agency in the United States has requested it and they have not been turned over,” said former attorney Happy Morgan. “It became obvious to me watching the news that information had been withheld from the media.”

The selfie of a clearly injured Gabby Petito, which was found on her phone, was entered into evidence as part of the family’s lawsuit against Moab PD. The Petitos believe that officers should have done more when they stopped and spoke with the pair. If they had, Gabby might still be alive.

“Moab police failed to listen to Gabby, failed to investigate her injuries and the seriousness of her assault, and failed to follow their own training, policies, and Utah law,” aid Parker & McConkie attorney Brian Stewart.

An independent investigation into the incident by Moab City Police Department said there should be “improvements to both the policies and training” of the force as well as “additional training in domestic violence investigation.

Jennifer has been the managing editor of Bolde since its launch in 2014. Before that, she was the founding editor of HelloGiggles and also worked as an entertainment writer for Bustle and Digital Spy. Her work has been published in Bon Appetit, Decider, Vanity Fair, The New York TImes, and many more.