Crime

Gabby Petito's Dad Thanks Supporters a Year After Her Body Was Found: 'Today Is Particularly Hard'

Gabby Petito's remains were located in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park last September after a nationwide search

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Published on September 19, 2022 08:43 PM

Gabby Petito's father marked the 1-year anniversary of her body being found with a special message to supporters and a nod to the New York Jets.

In September 2021, the FBI confirmed that Gabby's body was found near Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. Authorities later determined she died by strangulation and named her fiancé Brian Laundrie as a person of interest. His remains were later found and he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Laundrie was named Gabby's killer in January after a notebook found near his remains included a written confession taking responsibility for her death.

One year after her body was recovered, Gabby's father Joseph Petito is reflecting on the loss and thanking supporters for standing by their family.

Sharing a sweet throwback of a young Gabby proudly wearing a New York Jets jersey, Joseph expressed gratitude to their supporters.

"I want to thank everyone for the love and support you have shown our families," he wrote alongside the sentimental snap. "It's because of all of you we were able to bring #Gabbypetito home."

Joseph continued, "Today is particularly hard for us but if you can, please take a moment and share a #missingpersons story to help bring them home safe."

He added that "Every story deserves the same attention," as his daughter's.

Ending with a salute to the New York Jets, Joseph wrote, "And yes I shared this picture because the @nyjets won yesterday. #togetherwecan"

On Aug. 19, 2021, Gabby and Laundrie posted a YouTube video to document their cross-country journey together. A couple of days before they posted their video, a man called police to report that he saw the couple arguing outside a food cooperative called Moonflower in Moab, Utah. He told the dispatcher that he saw a man hitting a female, according to audio of the call obtained by PEOPLE.

RELATED VIDEO: Gabby Petito's Mom Calls Brian Laundrie's Notebook Confession 'Ridiculous': 'Wanted to Look Like the Good Guy'

In body cam footage that was later publicly released, Gabby admits to striking Laundrie, while Laundrie admits to pushing his fiancée. In the end, the incident was classified as "disorderly conduct."

Nicole Schmidt, Gabby's mother, later received an "odd text" from her daughter's phone on Aug. 27, 2021, according to an unsealed search warrant filed by police. This was the last communication that Gabby had with her family. After Aug. 27, her phone wasn't operational, and she did not post anything on social media, authorities said in the search warrant.

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Gabby was officially reported missing on Sept. 11, 2021, sparking a nationwide search.

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.