Funeral services for the 22-year-old blogger, Gabby Petito, who was murdered while on a cross-country adventure, was held Sunday in New York. Petito’s death sparks intense interest worldwide, spurring a search for her missing boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, who is now a wanted man in the case.
The funeral home was wrapped with lines of mourners in addition to groups of firefighters who were seen filing past. On each side of the building sat a fire truck. Posters featuring Petito’s image and a message that reads: “She touched the world” was adorned to a chain-link fence across the street.
Joseph, Petito’s dad, told a group of people at the funeral that the day wasn’t about relishing in the sadness of her daughter’s death. But instead, the day was about remembering her.
“When you leave here today, be inspired by what she brought to the table because the entire planet knows this woman’s name now. And she’s inspired a lot of women and a lot of men to do what’s best for them first. I couldn’t be more proud as a father,” he said, according to NBC New York.
Several mourners left a $20 donation for sand, candles, and paper bags. The funeral services were held near the Bayport-Blue Point in Holbrook, New York, where the deceased, Gabby Petito, grew up and met Brian Laundrie during high school before the couple moved to Florida. According to his parents, Laundrie was last seen 12 days ago when he told them he was going hiking in a sprawling wilderness area near his home.
TV personality Duane Lee Chapman, who recently joined the search for Laundrie, told the NYP that he is convinced Laundrie is not in the 25,000-acre reserve. Where could Laundrie be right now, then? Chapman, based on the number of tips he’s received on his own, said Laundrie on the Appalachian trail, where he once camped for months in the past.
“He’s a wilderness guy; that’s what he does,” said Chapman. Last week, a friend of Petito also said Brian Laundrie is capable of surviving on his own in the wilderness.
