Where Are Gabby Petito’s Parents Now? All About Their Lives Nearly 4 Years After the YouTuber’s Death — and Why They Think They’ll Never Get ‘Justice’
Gabby Petito’s parents launched The Gabby Petito Foundation in late 2021 to honor her memory and advocate for survivors of domestic violence
JOE PETITO/ INSTAGRAM ; GABBY PETITO/ INSTAGRAM
Gabby Petito’s memory lives on through her loving parents.
In the summer of 2021, Gabby had been documenting life with her fiancé Brian Laundrie on her YouTube channel as the pair traveled cross-country in a van. But that September, Brian returned home without her — and the missing person search for Gabby began. On Sept. 19, her body was found at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and it was later revealed that she was strangled to death by Brian.
In Netflix’s American Murder: Gabby Petito, which began streaming on Feb. 17, her parents opened up further about Gabby’s final days. The heartache continues for her family, including her mom Nichole Schmidt, dad Joseph “Joe” Petito, stepmom Tara Petito and stepdad Jim Schmidt.
“I don’t like the word ‘closure,’ ” Joe told PEOPLE in June 2024. “You’re never going to get closure over the loss of a child. There will always be a hole in your heart that’s never going away.”
A few months later, Nichole echoed Joe’s remarks: “We’re never going to feel like we have justice.”
“I think what hits me is it’s been three years now since the last time I heard her voice or seen her, and that’s really hard,” she told PEOPLE in October 2024. “There’s just nothing we can do to make us feel better, but what we can do is continue on with her legacy.”
So, where are Gabby Petito’s parents now? Here’s everything to know about the slain YouTuber’s mom, dad and stepparents — including their fight to keep her memory alive.
DIANA KING
Joe and Nichole welcomed their daughter Gabby in 1999 in New York and split when she was young. Nichole later married her husband Jim in April 2005, while Joe married his wife Tara soon after in July.
When Gabby went missing in September 2021, her parents and stepparents started a nationwide search for their daughter. At the time, Joe told Newsday that his daughter’s disappearance felt like “drowning with your hands tied behind you.”
“You can’t describe it,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do. You can’t control anything.”
DIANA KING
As the search continued for days, Gabby’s family addressed Brian’s parents via a letter to the media, pleading for their help in the search of their daughter.
“We believe you know the location where Brian left Gabby,” the letter read. “We beg you to tell us. As a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us? As a parent, how could you put Gabby’s younger brothers and sisters through this.”
OCTAVIO JONES/GETTY
After their daughter’s tragic murder, Gabby’s parents filed two lawsuits — one against the police and the other against Brian’s parents.
In November 2022, Nichole and Joe filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Moab because of August 2021 body camera footage that showed Gabby sobbing to police after being pulled over in the van that she and Brian were traveling in.
Gabby’s parents gave PEOPLE a statement via email at the time, writing, “We saw the police officers intentionally ignoring the facts to intentionally stop them from protecting Gabby from a dangerous man.”
According to the complaint, officers allegedly overlooked key warning signs of domestic violence that put Gabby at greater risk. The complaint further alleged that police failed to take a 911 caller’s report they received about the couple — in which the witness claimed to have seen Brian striking Gabby outside a market — more seriously.
“We firmly believe if the cops did their job correctly, protected Gabby, and offered her the necessary domestic violence resources, she would be alive today,” her parents wrote in their statement.
In November 2024, Nichole and Joe’s lawsuit was dismissed by a judge, something they expected to happen. “We never anticipated that this would be an easy process and look forward to the Utah Supreme Court upholding the Utah Constitution’s original intent to preserve the right to recover for wrongful death claims under these circumstances,” they said in a statement, per the Associated Press.
Gabby’s parents also filed an emotional distress civil lawsuit against Brian’s dad, Christopher, and mom, Roberta, claiming that the Laundries knew that Gabby had died and the location of her deceased body.
In February 2024, both families reached a settlement a few months before the trial. Gabby’s family attorney released a statement on their behalf, saying, “Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives to allow us to move on and continue to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter, Gabby,” per WFLA.
JOE PETITO/ INSTAGRAM
More than three years after their daughter’s death, Gabby’s parents and stepparents have discussed how their grief has brought them closer together. In June 2024, Joe opened up to PEOPLE about their newfound bond, saying, “We lean on each other one day at a time.”
He added that now that a few years have passed, “it’s much easier to get through the day,” but each of them still has their “hard days.”
“Then we’ll call up, and talk to one another, and get grounded, and then go back,” Joe said. “We all are in it together. And the more we help, the more it makes us feel better.”
Tara added that they’ve all become close friends, which was “something Gabby always wanted.”
“She always wanted us, all four parents, to live together under one roof,” Tara said, adding that she talks to Nichole almost every day.
Nichole also remembered Gabby’s desire for the four of her parents to be closer, saying, “I think her spirit shines down now and is so happy that we’re working together and we’re together all the time because that’s what she wanted.”
Although Gabby is no longer here, Nichole, Joe, Tara and Jim have said they still feel her spirit.
“She sends us butterflies and rainbows,” Tara told PEOPLE in June 2024. “We’ll see her initials. She’ll send me signs, and I start texting them. As I’m texting them to Nichole, Nichole is getting the same signs.”
Tara added, “She’s always with us.”
JOE PETITO/ INSTAGRAM ; GABBY PETITO FOUNDATION/ INSTAGRAM
In an effort to keep Gabby’s memory alive and honor her legacy, Gabby’s parents created The Gabby Petito Foundation — a nonprofit focused on raising awareness about domestic violence while also lobbying for tougher laws and policies regarding how police respond to reports of intimate partner abuse and missing persons.
“We have to prevent this from happening to other people,” Nichole told PEOPLE in June 2024. “It keeps us strong. Gabby works through us. We can’t not do it. We have to move forward and change the world together.”
Additionally, in 2022, Gabby’s parents donated $100,000 to the National Domestic Violence Hotline in an effort to support the group’s work.
Each of the foursome has a role in the foundation. Nichole, who was formerly a teacher’s assistant, has since become a full-time volunteer and president of the organization created in her daughter’s memory.
Joe, a warehouse store chain manager, also works closely with the foundation specializing in their policy and legislation efforts.
Jim, a fire and rescue administrator, focuses on domestic violence awareness training for first responders. Meanwhile, Tara, who formerly worked in real estate, now spends her time as the foundation’s administrator.
“We can only use Gabby’s story to continue to help others, and hopefully save the lives of those impacted by the epidemic of domestic violence that plagues our society,” her parents wrote a statement. “If we can save even one life, that’s one more person saved because of Gabby.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
