How Gabby Petito's death sparked change in law enforcement's protocols
Gabby Petito’s death sent shockwaves through America back in 2021, and it eventually lead to changes in how police dealt with domestic abuse.
A Netflix documentary recounting Gabby Petito’s murder has brought her story back into the spotlight.
The American blogger set off on a cross-country trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie in what should have been a trip of a lifetime. However, Petito’s trip ended in tragic circumstances when police later learned that Laundrie had killed her.
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Petito went missing a few weeks into her trip and her parents noted that they had stopped receiving text messages from her.
She was later found on September 19 in Spread Creek camping area in Wyoming. An autopsy revealed she died from blunt force injuries to her head and neck as well as ‘manual strangulation’.
As police began investigating her murder, Brian disappeared and was later found by authorities after killing himself. He left a note confessing to her murder.
The Netflix documentary, American Murder: Gabby Petito, goes into detail about the incident as well as the work Gabby’s parents have done since.
Most notably, a new bill, passed by the House and Senate last year, was advocated by Petito’s father Joe, and created a set of 12 mandatory questions law enforcement will have to ask a potential victim when responding to a domestic violence call.
Prior to her death, Gabby was believed to have been a victim of domestic abuse from her fiancé Brian.
The mandatory set of 12 questions includes:
- Did the aggressor ever use a weapon against you or threaten you with a weapon?
- Did the aggressor ever threaten to kill you or your children?
- Do you believe the aggressor will try to kill you?
- Has the aggressor ever choked you or attempted to choke you?
- Does the aggressor have a gun or could the aggressor easily obtain a gun?
- Is the aggressor violently or constantly jealous, or does the aggressor control most of your daily activities?
- Did you leave or separate from the aggressor after you were living together or married?
- Is the aggressor unemployed?
- To the best of your knowledge, has the aggressor ever attempted suicide?
- Do you have a child whom the aggressor believes is not the aggressor’s biological child?
- Has the aggressor ever followed, spied on, or left threatening messages for you?
- Is there anything else that worries you about your safety and, if so, what worries you?
In the Netflix documentary, Gabby’s family reflect on how they channelled their grief into positive change to prevent similar crimes and domestic violence cases in the future.
The documentary is now available on Netflix.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.
Topics: Gabby Petito, Netflix, Domestic Abuse, Police, Crime
Gerrard Kaonga