Gabby Petito’s parents are planning to sue the Moab Police Department in Utah and two police officers for $50 million over their daughter’s tragic death last year.
The family contends that police botched their handling of a 911 call by a witness who claimed to have seen Petito’s fiance, Brian Laundrie, assault their daughter shortly before her death. She was found dead at the age of 22 at Bridger-Teton National Forest campground in Wyoming about two weeks later on Sept. 19, 2021, in what a medical examiner determined to be death by strangulation.
FBI SAYS BRIAN LAUNDRIE CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR GABBY PETITO’S DEATH IN NOTEBOOK
“Had the officers involved had training to implement proper lethality assessment and to recognize the obvious indicators of abuse, it would have been clear to them that Gabby was a victim of intimate partner violence and needed immediate protection,” said Brian Stewart, a lawyer for the family.
Petito’s parents held a press conference on Monday to announce the lawsuit, according to Fox News. Their notice of claim, which is needed to sue government agencies, was sent to the Moab Police Department and two police officers Friday and unveiled publicly Monday.
Earlier this year, the FBI said Laundrie had claimed responsibility for Petito’s death in a notebook found near his body. The pair had been on a cross-country trip, crisscrossing western states in a van. The trip had allegedly been mired by fighting and abuse.
On Aug. 12, 2021, two Moab police officers, Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins, stopped Laundrie and Petito for speeding. At the time, Moab police had received a call from a witness who claimed to have seen Laundrie “slapping” Petito. The two officers interviewed the pair separately.
One of the officers noted that Petito had cuts on her cheeks, but when pressed about the fighting with Laundrie, she sought to take the blame, NBC News reported. Petito had claimed she hit Laundrie before he grasped her face, according to a police report.
In the notice of claim, lawyers for Petito’s parents argued that she “displayed the classic hallmarks of an abused partner” during her interview with police, in which she sought to deflect blame from Laundrie. Lawyers also claim to possess a photo that the public has not seen showing Petito’s face smeared with blood on her cheek and left eye from around the time.
“The photo shows that Gabby’s face was grabbed across her nose and mouth, potentially restricting her airway,” the notice of claim for the suit said.
A review of Moab police officers’ response to the encounter concluded that a number of mistakes were made and said it was possible her death could have been averted if the officers had not bungled their response, per the notice of claim filing.
“Officer Pratt called Assistant Chief Palmer to seek assistance on how to handle the situation,” the notice of claim said. “Chief Palmer instructed Officer Pratt to carefully read the assault statute and decide whether the situation satisfied the statute. Officer Pratt Googled the statute. After reading only the first half of the statute, Officer Pratt decided — incorrectly — that Utah law only recognizes assault if the perpetrator intended to cause bodily injury.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Moab Police Department for comment.
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Laundrie had returned to his home in Florida on Sept. 1, 2021, without Petito, and she was reported missing about 10 days later, prompting an FBI inquiry into the matter. Petito was found dead about a week later at a Wyoming national park.
Early on in the investigation, Laundrie was dubbed a person of interest before going missing himself. He was eventually found dead at the age of 23 in Sarasota County, Florida, on Oct. 20, 2021, with the notebook in which he allegedly confessed to the murder of Petito, per the FBI. A medical examiner determined he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
