After receiving news that the human remains discovered in Grand Teton National Park did belong to their daughter, Gabby Petito’s family has decided to move forward with funeral proceedings for the late 22-year-old. The service took place this morning, at Moloney’s Funeral Home in Holbrook, New York.
According to TMZ, the celebration of Gabby’s life was an incredibly emotional one. At one point, while standing in front of photos of his daughter, Joe Petito reminded people to honour the legacy of his daughter’s life by acting as she did; being kind, and spreading love to everyone.
During his speech, Joe also shared an important reminder to anyone that may be in a toxic relationship, like Gabby was with Brian Laundrie, to leave, as soon as possible, if they’re not feeling their best.
TMZ reports that Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, also took the time to share a sweet anecdote about how Gabby taught him to value making memories with his loved ones over making money; a lesson he’ll surely never forget.
Neither man made any mention of Laundrie, the deceased’s fiancé who has been missing since September 17th. As of right now, he is considered to be the main person of interest in the investigation of Petito’s death.
After performing an autopsy, the coroner ruled the 22-year-old’s cause of death a homicide, although further details from the investigation have yet to be revealed.
Police have spent the last few days adamantly searching for Laundrie, who was last seen by his parents on September 14th. The family has been refusing to cooperate with law enforcement, and are primarily communicating through their lawyer.
Before leaving his family home in Florida earlier this month, Laundrie told his parents that he was going to the Carlton Reserve, although a search of the area turned up no evidence.
Both fans and Petito’s loved ones are eagerly waiting for updates in the search so that they can move forward in healing from this tragic loss. RIP Gabby.
[Via]