Gabby Petito's Parents To Sue Utah Police Over Mishandling Response: 'We Don’t Want Someone To Fall Victim To The Same Errors'

The family of Gabby Petitio plans to go after police in Utah and sue them for $50 million for their role in the saga that ended with the young woman’s death, according to reports.

The family of Gabby Petitio filed a notice to sue the Moab, Utah, police this week, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The notice comes shortly before the one-year anniversary of Moab police responding to a call involving Petitio and Brian Laundrie.

“We saw a lot of the errors that were made. We don’t want someone to fall victim to the same errors,” Peittio’s father, Joseph Petitio, told the outlet.

On Aug. 12, 2021, Moab police responded to a domestic disturbance involving Laundrie and Petito during their cross-country trip.

Video from the police meeting with the two has been an important part of the case that captivated the nation.

Police spoke to both Laudnrie and Petito and described their situation as domestic but did not make an arrest. The couple was then allowed to go on their way.

A few days later, Petitio was killed and left in a national park. Laundrie returned to their Florida home, and Petito’s family reported her missing. That sparked a national manhunt that ended with Petito’s remains being found.

Laundrie was a prime suspect and fled before police spoke to him after finding the remains. That started another hunt that ended when Laundrie was found dead in a Florida park from a self-inflicted gunshot.

He has described killing Petito as a mercy killing after she was hurt, but her family hasn’t bought that reasoning, as RadarOnline previously reported.

The Petitos claimed that the Moab police should have seen the warning signs for domestic violence that put Petito at an elevated risk for harm, according to the Tribune. They also should have tried to track down the person who put in the initial 911 call.

Police should have also taken seriously Petito’s cuts on her check and the fact that Petito told them Laundrie had grabbed her face during a fight, according to the report.

Her family alleged that if police in Utah properly handled the case, it could have saved her life.

The family now plans to sue for $50 million after Petito’s death.

“Here we are again,” Joseph Petito told the outlet. “Another woman killed. Another failure to act and listen to her. We have to change.”