‘The Gabby Petito Story’ brings attention to alarming rise in intimate partner murders

Gabby Petito, Jennifer Dulos, Shanann Watts, Laci Peterson—more and more we are hearing stories of “perfect spouses” trying to commit the “perfect murder,” and their partners ending up as the victims. Lifetime‘s The Gabby Petito Story premiered this month in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month as it brings attention to Gabby’s murder and highlights the alarming rate of intimate partner killings.

Gabby Petito was a bright, fun, and pretty 22-year-old girl who embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime road trip with her fiance, Brian Laundry. The two struck out from their home in Florida with their entire lives packed in a campervan, pursuing adventure and success in the #vanlife world. Gabby worked tirelessly on her social media and in fact, it would be part of the key to solving her murder.

By all accounts, the couple appeared blissful and in love on social media as they traveled the country seeing beautiful sights and taking picture-perfect couple’s photos. Before long, the cracks in the relationship began to appear, and as their time on the road increased, their fights escalated. The couple started their trip in June and by September, Gabby was missing.

Following her disappearance, disturbing police cam footage was released as the pair had been pulled over in Utah on Aug. 12 following a domestic dispute. The two admitted to fighting, and it was revealed that Brian had grabbed Gabby’s face, leaving marks, although Gabby admitted to hitting Brian as well. Because of this, the police sent Brian off to a hotel for the night and allowed Gabby to remain in the van. No charges were filed. Within a few short weeks, she was gone. Social media blew up with #findgabby and everyone went on alert to find the missing girl.

Brian, on the other hand, turned up back in Florida with Gabby’s van, but no Gabby. He evaded questioning by police, and by the time they were ready to pick him up, he had disappeared. Friends and family feared the worst, and they were right.

Footage shot by a fellow van life blogger revealed the camper van in the couple’s final campsite, which led police right to the location. Another couple who had seen the #findgabby called in to report having picked Brian up near the campsite, while another reported driving him back to the campsite. Soon the entire sordid tale began to take shape, and Gabby’s remains were found in a shallow grave nearby.

Meanwhile, Brian Laundry’s remains were discovered back in Florida along with a notebook confessing his crime and revealing he had taken his own life. It was a sad ending to what started out as a love story filled with so much hope and promise.

While the Gabby Petito case is shocking, unfortunately, it is not an isolated incident; it is a story that is becoming more and more common. In America alone, 45 women are murdered a day by a current or previous partner, according to Laura Richards, a criminal behavior analyst who assisted in analyzing the police body cam footage in the Petito case. We are hearing about these types of murders at an alarming rate, and the premier of The Gabby Petito story during Domestic Violence Awareness Month certainly shines the light on the issue and gives us all something to think about.

What has us so captivated by these stories? It could be the fact that these were the guys and girls next door. Everyone knows someone like the Watts family, everyone went to high school with someone like Gabby, and everyone was college roommates with someone like Laci. We look at these women and families, and we see ourselves, our friends, our neighbors.

These are not people wrapped up in crime, drugs, or gangs. These are your typical “all-American” families, and they are winding up as murder victims. We have to ask ourselves, where are things going wrong? Where in our homes or society are things breaking down to the point that murder is an option?

While the stories of these victims and their families vary, the resounding message from them is the same: if you are in a relationship that is not good for you, get out. It is a strong message and one that is coming just in time for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, as these types of stories are no longer isolated incidents, but indicators of a much larger problem. The release of The Gabby Petito Story couldn’t have come at a better time. Who knows maybe it will even save a few lives.