Gabby Petito’s father shares touching image as he calls for greater awareness on domestic violence
‘We have to do better. Changes are coming. Now is the time. Don’t be silent,’ wrote Joseph Petito
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Joseph Petito is determined to see his daughter’s death used as a catalyst to create greater awareness about domestic violence.
Mr Petito has shared a never-before-seen image on Instagram and Twitter of his daughter Gabby Petito holding hands with two young boys, along with a call to “do better”.
“We have to do better. Changes are coming. Now is the time. Don’t be silent. #gabbypetito#justiceforgabby#iamgabby#domesticviolenceawareness#domesticviolence.”
The Petito family have dedicated themselves to using the publicity surrounding the disappearance and death of Ms Petito, 22, to draw attention to missing persons cases and domestic violence.
They’ve established the Gabby Petito Foundation to help reunite missing children with their parents.
The foundation has begun accepting donations and plans are being made to hold a fundraiser on Long Island, New York, on 17 October.
On Saturday, Mr Petito shared an image of his daughter to Twitter, along with a message that she was “already saving lives”.
“So many stories being sent to us about relationships being left with proper planning for safety, and people are being found due to her influence. We have much more work to do, but it’s a start.”
She is already saving lives. So many stories being sent to us about relationships being left with proper planning for safety, and people are being found due to her influence. We have much more work to do, but it’s a start. #gabbypetito #justiceforgabby pic.twitter.com/U9bkBlelqf
— joseph petito (@josephpetito) October 2, 2021
All four of Ms Petito’s parents and step-parents, as well as Ms Petito’s grandmother Mary Wickham, have recently become active on Twitter.
The family have also suffered a second loss in recent days.
On Monday, Ms Petito’s stepfather Jim Schmidt announced his grandmother Dot had died three days before her 100th birthday.