Gabby Petito's father shares heartbreaking message on anniversary of murder

Gabby Petito's grieving father shared a heartbreaking message Tuesday on the third anniversary of her murder.

“Three years ago tonight you were taken from us. We can't stop crying when we think of you. There is no waking up from this nightmare,” Joseph Petito wrote on Instagram.

“We will keep going for you and everyone you have inspired and nothing can stop us. I ask everyone reading this to please share a flyer with #missingperson today.”

The devastating news was posted along with a photo showing the father-daughter duo having a hearty laugh.

Gabby and Joseph sat next to each other and dipped their toes in a fish bath so that the little creatures could nibble on their dead skin, which tickled them both.

The photographed moment of this happy memory is familiar to us – Joseph Petitio shared it just five months earlier to celebrate Gabby's 25th birthday.

“We love and miss you,” he wrote at the time.

The father's social media post garnered hundreds of comforting comments, with many commenters saying that Gabby Pepito's story inspired them to end their own toxic relationships.

“Gabby saved my life 3 years ago. I didn't even know her and wish she was still on this earth so I could thank her in person… I left my abusive ex of 6 years when I was following this case and hearing how she was taken away from me. I will be forever grateful. I think of her always. I love you Gabby!” one woman wrote.

“Your daughter's story opened my eyes to my toxic reality. It gave me the courage to fight for myself and my son. We are now in our third year away from home and starting over. It was the hardest thing I have ever done but we are still here to live another day and thanks to Gabby we are safe,” wrote another.

The anniversary comes at a time when Gabby Petito's family continues to fight for her legacy. Last month, Joseph Petito sharply criticized Utah police for seeking to dismiss his $50 million lawsuit against them for their alleged failure to save his daughter.

Moab police, who drove Gabby Petito away with her future killer Brian Laundrie after intervening in a domestic dispute, called the lawsuit a “substitute for a GoFundMe campaign.”

Just days later, Laundrie strangled Gabby Petito and dumped her body at a remote campground in Wyoming.

The couple had traveled through the USA in a motorhome and documented the trip on social media.

Laundrie reported her missing during the trip and suddenly returned to his parents in Florida in late August 2021 without Petito, sparking a nationwide search that kept the entire country on tenterhooks.

Laundrie later committed suicide in a nearby national park, writing a handwritten note confessing to the murder.

IIf you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788.