Gabby Petito's legacy: $100K for domestic violence hotline
Even in hindsight, Nichole Schmidt can't be sure if anything could have been done to save her daughter Gabby Petito from a messy and violent relationship that ended in murder nearly a year ago in the western wilderness.
But there is work to do, she said, to keep alive the memory of her daughter, who was found strangled last September in the outskirts of Wyoming's Grand Tetons after a cross-country trip turned into a high-profile missing person's case, then into tragedy and grief.
Through a $100,000 donation from the Gabby Petito Foundation, Schmidt is now partnering with the National Domestic Violence Hotline to help others survive turbulent and violent relationships.
"I think Gabby’s story touched a lot of people and she’s saving lives. I get people messaging me all the time that they were inspired by her to get out of a relationship," Schmidt said during an interview with The Associated Press.
The anti-violence hotline takes calls from thousands of people each year, most of them women looking for help leaving physically or emotionally abusive relationships.
Gabby Petito is pictured in provided, undated images. (Photo credit: North Port Police Department)
To date this year, more than 440,000 callers have sought help from the hotline — up about a third from the same period last year.
The big increase in calls has led to a longer wait time for a counselor, going from 7 minutes to more than 17 minutes, according to Katie Ray-Jones, the hotline’s chief executive officer.
"That is a substantial increase really overwhelming our services," Ray-Jones said. "We need to increase the number of advocates."
The Petito Foundation's donation, as well as a $200,000 gift from another family, will go toward reducing wait times and expanding the hotline's "Hope Can't Wait" initiative.
Brian Laundrie's parents tried to help him flee country after Gabby Petito murder, lawsuit claims
Gabby Petito's family has filed a civil lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's parents, accusing them of knowing that Brian had murdered their daughter and attempting to help him flee the country. The lawsuit seeks over $100,000 in damages.
Investigators believe Petito’s boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, killed her in late August last year while the couple were on a cross-country trip in a van.
RELATED: Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie: Moab authorities release report on Aug. 12 domestic incident
Petito's disappearance launched a massive search. Amateur sleuths scoured social media for clues. It also again brought scrutiny of authorities and the news media, both of which have been criticized for focusing more attention on missing white women than on women of color.
"We were seeing a lot of media coverage about a young white woman who had gone missing," Ray-Jones acknowledged during a joint interview with Schmidt. But she said public response came from diverse groups, including from some families of color.
Laundrie killed himself in a Florida swamp, leaving behind a notebook that authorities said contained a confession.
Brian Laundrie, seen in Aug. 12 Moab police bodycam video
Earlier this year, an independent investigation found that police in Moab, Utah, made "several unintentional mistakes" when they came across Petito and Laundrie during a traffic stop last summer. Officers investigated a fight between the couple but ultimately let them go under the agreement they spend the night apart.
In the report, police said it was very likely that Petito "was a long-term victim of domestic violence, whether that be physically, mentally, and/or emotionally."
RELATED: Gabby Petito's mother slams Brian Laundrie's notebook confession: 'Truth will be revealed'
Schmidt said she still has so many unanswered questions about what went wrong.
"Looking back, I didn't really see any signs. I think the only two people that will ever know what happened in that relationship was Gabby and Brian. And we can guess and we can make assumptions but we don't really know what happened," she added. "Most likely the scenario ended that way because something was happening for a while."
For now, she said, the work goes on to help others survive domestic violence.
"I know that I can use this tragedy to help save so many," Schmidt said. "It’s her legacy."
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 (SAFE).