Gabby Petito’s remains were located in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park last September after a nationwide search.
Gabby Petito’s father commemorated the one-year anniversary of her body’s discovery with a special message to fans and a nod to the New York Jets.
Gabby’s body was found near Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park in September 2021, according to the FBI. Authorities later determined she died as a result of strangulation and identified her fiancé Brian Laundrie as a person of interest. His remains were later found, and he died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Gabby’s killer was identified in January after a notebook found near his remains contained a written confession accepting responsibility for her death.
Gabby’s father, Joseph Petito, is reflecting on her death a year after her body was found and thanking supporters for their support.
Joseph expressed gratitude to their supporters by sharing a sweet throwback photo of a young Gabby proudly wearing a New York Jets jersey.
“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“
Gabby and Laundrie posted a YouTube video recording their cross-country journey together on August 19, 2021. A couple of days before they posted their video, a man called the police to report seeing the couple arguing outside Moonflower, a food cooperative in Moab, Utah. According to the audio of the call obtained by PEOPLE, he told the dispatcher that he saw a man hit a female.
Gabby admits to striking Laundrie in body cam footage that was later made public, while Laundrie admits to pushing his fiancée. The incident was ultimately classified as “disorderly conduct.”
According to an unsealed search warrant filed by police, Gabby’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, later received an “odd text” from her daughter’s phone on Aug. 27, 2021.
Gabby’s last communication with her family ended here. Her phone stopped working after August 27, and she didn’t post anything on social media, according to the search warrant.
Gabby went missing on September 11, 2021, sparking a nationwide search.
