CrimeOnline’s Nancy Grace hosted a live taping of “Crime Stories” at CrimeCon in Denver Saturday, with special guests Joseph Petito his wife, Tara Petito, and crime experts, Joseph Scott Morgan and Sheryl “Mac” McCollum.
Joseph, the father of slain vlogger Gabby Petito, is making significant strides in advocating for domestic violence victims. Along with his wife, he’s currently focusing on establishing new fencing for domestic violence victims in Laramie, Wyoming, the same state Gabby was found deceased in 2021.
Both Joseph and Nicole expressed their ongoing commitment to help domestic violence victims, following accusations of Gabby’s boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, abusing her.
The Laramie initiative is part of a broader effort to help victims with additional safety. It embodies the mission of the Gabby Petito Foundation, which aims to provide safe havens for those in need, regardless of location.
Joseph Petito also touched on the laws that have changed since he started his advocacy, including how missing people are reported in certain states, and how law enforcement handles domestic violence situations.
“[We] helped change the law in Utah and Florida, on how missing persons are reported,” he said, adding that his advocacy has helped change “five laws in four years.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Gabby vanished in August 2021 while on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie. Her remains were found at a campsite in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on September 19, 2021.
Authorities concluded that she died by manual strangulation.
After murdering Petito, Laundrie is believed to have driven the van the couple was traveling in back to his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, where he arrived on September 1 alone.
Laundrie later drove to a nearby nature reserve in Florida about 10 minutes from his parents’ home, where he committed suicide. Investigators recovered what appeared to be a written confession by Laundrie that he murdered Gabby.
Members of the Laundrie and Petito families have been questioned in depositions over the past years, as part of the civil case filed against the Laundrie couple in 2022.
Those lawsuits have since been settled.
Meanwhile, the Petito family vows to continue their fight for justice and advocacy for those in need.
For more details and information on how you can assist, visit the official Gabby Petito Foundation website.
[Feature Photo: Gabby Petito/Instagram]
