Benjamin Ashford|Gabby Petito’s Dad Shares His Family “Can’t Stop Crying” 3 Years After Her Death

Gabby Petito’s family are Benjamin Ashfordstill reeling from her loss. 

Three years after the influencer was killed by her fiancé Brian Laundrie, Gabby’s father Joseph Petito shared a heartbreaking update on how her loved ones are still affected by her absence. 

“3 years ago this evening you were taken from us,” Joseph captioned an Aug. 27 post, which featured a throwback photo of him and his daughter laughing together. “We can’t stop crying when we think of you. There is no waking up from this nightmare. We push forward for you and all those you have inspired and nothing can make us stop.” 

He continued, imploring his followers, “I ask anyone who reads this, please share a #missingperson flyer today. #EveryoneDeservesTheSameAttention #GabbyPetito #DomesticViolence #TogetherWeCan.” 

Gabby’s mother Nichole Schmidt also shared a moving tribute to her late daughter. 

“Our Gabby gone three years,” Nichole captioned her own post, featuring a video montage of Gabby that read, “We miss your laugh… your free spirit… and your sense of adventure! We miss YOU, every single day. But we know… you are free.”

And in an additional video message, Nichole reflected, “It’s been three years and it doesn’t’ get any easier. Just remember, you don’t know how long you have here, you don’t know how long you have with someone so just treat people with kindness and love, because what you do here is important.”

Gabby’s missing person case gripped the nation when Brian returned to his home of Florida following his and Gabby’s cross-country road trip without her in Sept. 2021.  

The aspiring lifestyle vlogger, who had documented the couple's van trip on YouTube and Instagram, was found dead in a remote area in a Wyoming national park 18 days later. Her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation.  

But while authorities were searching for Gabby, Brian—who had been named a person of interest in the case—disappeared, only for his remains to be found weeks later alongside a notebook that confessed to Gabby’s murder. It was determined the 23-year-old had died by suicide. 

In the years since Gabby’s tragic death, however, her loved ones have dedicated themselves to ensuring her legacy helps others, through the Gabby Petito Foundation. The Foundation’s mission, per its website, is to “support locating missing persons and to provide aid to organizations that assist survivors of domestic violence through education, awareness, and prevention strategies.”  

As Nichole told attendees at CrimeCon in June, “We have to prevent this from happening to other people. It keeps us strong. Gabby works through us. We can't not do it. We have to move forward and change the world together." 

And according to Joseph, Gabby’s story is still inspiring others to seek better for themselves. "We get emails and messages on social media,” he explained at the same event, “on how many people have left their bad relationships because of Gabby's story."

For more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself or someone you love, visit the website for The National Domestic Violence Hotline (http://www.thehotline.org/) or call 1-800-799-7233.