Gabby Petito‘s family just released a photo that they say backs their wrongful death suit — namely, what they claim is an alarming selfie taken minutes before cops stopped her — and proof officers should’ve taken action.
Attorneys for Gabby’s parents — who filed suit against the Moab Police Dept. in Utah for not intervening to protect their daughter before she was killed by her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie — distributed a picture they claim was taken on her phone minutes before she and Brian encountered MPD officers on the road … following a call from a concerned citizen.
Moab Police Department
The photo appears to show Gabby with a bruised eye and red marks on her face … something that didn’t look nearly as visible in body cam footage taken during the actual traffic stop.
Interestingly, the cop talking to Gabby did point out something on her face … asking if she’d been hit. He also pointed out what he seemed to think was an injury on her shoulder.
Moab Police Department
The Petito family says a timestamp from Gabby’s selfie shows it was taken at 4:37 PM on August 12. Moab PD’s body cam footage started rolling shortly after at around 4:53 PM.
Gabby’s parents feel this shows she was obviously injured at the hands of Brian … and that law enforcement had a duty to step in and shield her. As we now know, the two officers on the scene made a decision not to arrest anyone at the time … something the Petitos feel warrants at least $50 million in damages.
Of course, Brian Laundrie later confessed to killing his girlfriend in a notebook found after he took his own life. Their disappearance sparked a nationwide search and subsequent investigation that captured the country’s interest for months.