Gabby Petito's Family Admits They 'Didn't See Any Red Flags' In Brian Laundrie Relationship Before Their Daughter's Tragic Death
Gabby Petito's family is speaking out almost two months after their daughter’s disappearance — and death — made headlines.
During an interview with Dr. Oz that will air on Tuesday, November 16, Gabby’s parents Joe Petito and Nicole Schmidt, and their respective partners, sit down to discuss how they are dealing with their daughter’s heartbreaking case.
Gabby — who was 22 years old at the time of her tragic passing — was found dead in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming after she never returned home from a cross-country trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. The nature of her death was later ruled as homicide by means of strangulation.
Laundrie, 23, was named as a person of interest in Gabby’s death after he returned home to Florida in the couple’s van nearly two weeks before his fiancée was reported missing.
As Gabby’s case began captivating the nation, many started to speculate that the YouTuber may have been a victim of domestic abuse after police body camera footage of the couple surfaced online.
“I don’t know why Gabby didn’t open up to me about certain things,” the grieving mom said in a teaser for the interview, admitting, “We just didn’t see any red flags.”
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However, at the time of the incident with police, Gabby — who was visibly distraught in the footage — appeared to take most of the blame for the fight getting physical, claiming that she was the one who started it.
“The way that the abuser works is to shame the victim,” Gabby’s dad said in the new clip, claiming that abusers often “continually shame the victim to where they start believing that shame is theirs to hold.”
Joe added that when an abuse victim accepts shame, they’re unlikely to “go out and tell you what’s going on.”
Gabby and Laundrie were ultimately separated for the night following the dispute, before continuing on with their trip that would later come to a tragic end.
As speculation of Laundrie’s involvement in Gabby’s death was mounting after her remains were discovered, her fiancé was nowhere to be found after he left his parents home in North Port, Fl., and never returned.
Laundrie’s remains were later found in the Carlton Reserve, although no details about the nature of his death have yet been revealed.
