“Missing white woman syndrome”: A look at the Gabby Petito case and others like it
Editorial, News October 4, 2021, Comments OffIt was supposed to be a cross country road trip for two. Get there and back. But it turned into a nightmare for those waiting for them at home when one of the individuals did not return. Gabrielle Petito is a homicide victim that deserves justice.
Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito was a 22 year-old YouTuber and had a popular instagram with 1.2 thousand followers following her journey. Her life online looked picture perfect, but a dark turn would take place that changed the lives of everyone around her. Especially when the main suspect of this heinous crime is her own fiance, Brian Laundrie.
Petito and Laundrie were together for 2 and a half years and were engaged to be married. They have been living together in Florida for the past year at Laundrie’s parents’ house. Both had decided to take a cross-country trip and live in their van as they traveled. This was not the first time they had traveled cross country. Joe Petito tells Dr. Phil on the Dr. Phil show that Brian and Gabby had gone to California and San Francisco. So a trip like this was not far-fetched.
The trip seemed to be going well, and her parents were even receiving pictures as they drove. However, something felt off when there was no communication for a while. The last time her dad talked to Gabby was August 27 and her mother received a strange message from her on August 30. So when Laundrie returned with the travel van and without Gabby, they knew something was wrong. And their gut reactions feared the worst may have happened.
Laundrie became a prime suspect for the FBI, however, they legally could not take any action at the time. There were even people outside Laundrie’s house demanding to know where Gabby is and what he did to her. Gabby’s parents were taken by surprise to realize that Laundrie could have done something to their little girl. Joe Petito thought of Laundrie as a respectful person, as he saw no warning signs that would make him think this could ever happen. He never witnessed them fight and never heard of anything from Gabby. But it is quite possible that Gabby did not want her father to know of any conflicts that occurred between her and Laundrie.
What might have shocked the family the most is the lack of contact from the Laundrie family. Brian was also not cooperating with the police. The last time they were in contact with Brian physically was August 25 when he and Gabby’s stepmom talked. It stunned them when he called an attorney before they called the Petito family and let them know anything about Gabby.
The Laundries’ attorney released a statement stating: “This is understandably extremely difficult for both the Petito and Laundrie family. It is our understanding that the search has been organized for Ms. Petito in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Ms. Petito is successful and Ms. Petito is reunited with her family. On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment.”
Joe Petito’s reaction to this on the Dr. Phil show was one of frustration and he thought it lacked sincerity in its wording.
Utah police released unsettling body cam footage that was taken August 12 when they were separated because they were seen fighting in front of a store. Laundrie had to sleep in a hotel while Petito took the van. But it seems they both came together again and returned to their trip. However, this discourse might not have been the end of their conflict.
Unfortunately the fate of Gabby Petito was revealed on September 19 at Bridger Teton National Forest, where her body was found by drones in a forest grove. Coroners believe her to be a victim of homicide, meaning someone did this to her.
A TikToker by the name of Miranda Baker told a story of how she and her boyfriend found Laundrie on August 29 and gave him a ride. Laundrie told a story that his fiancée was with her white van and that he had been camping out without her. However, Baker was very suspicious of his story since he was visibly clean. Laundrie freaked out in the middle of the ride and demanded to be let out, saying that he will find a ride with someone else.
This was not the only heartbreaking news, as it was reported that Laundrie, the case’s main suspect, had left. His parents reported him missing and said they had not seen him since September 14. The FBI are conducting ground and aerial searches to track him down. Meanwhile, his house was searched for evidence and his parents were escorted out of the house as they did so.
Joe Petito had a gut feeling that something bad had happened to his beautiful daughter. And the worst thing had really happened to her. But Gabby Petito is not the only victim.
There are hundreds of unsolved missing cases for people of color that never get the spotlight that Gabby Petito’s case did. Her case brought attention from social media about something called “missing white woman syndrome”. Of course everyone is ecstatic that the attention from all forms of social media has uncovered clues to what happened to her, and may even have helped find her. But there are so many cases that need the same attention as Petito’s.
Ella Mae Begay is a Navajo rug weaver who has been missing for three months and they are no closer to finding her. Seraphine Warren, her niece, has been organizing the searches for her aunt but they are running out of funds to be able to pay for gas and food for the people who are helping. Warren just wishes that her aunt got the same attention and that folks were as swift with her case as they are with Petito’s.
Jelani “J.J.” Day, 25, was an Illinois State University graduate student who wanted to become a doctor. He had been missing since August 24. Two days after the disappearance his car was found in Peru, a city about an hour away from his town of Bloomington. Inside his car were clothes he was wearing the last time he was seen alive. Police discovered his body in the Illinois River on September 4, which was searched after they received a tip.
Surveillance cameras on his campus caught Day on video on August 24. He was wearing a blue button down shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. Another surveillance camera caught him going into Beyond/Hello cannabis dispensary in Bloomington. There were no other sightings of him on video.
Day’s family is left heart-broken. Even though they went missing around the same time Petito’s case got more attention and the Day family was left waiting and had no answers. Bloomington police had said that he went missing “in unexplained suspicious circumstances”. His family are left with more questions than answers. They just want to know what happened to their son. His case is often used to show the disparity in attention with white people and people of color get in the media. With that it has gained some media, but not the same way Gabby Petito’s did.
Not everyone has access to social media and not everyone can be an influencer. Despite the circumstance of any case, all cases should get the same attention as the Petito case. If that were to happen, many people would either be found or their families could at least start feeling some sort of peace in knowing that their people are found. There are so many people lost out there, and we need to bring them home.
Article by Rylan DeHaven
Author
