NORTH CANTON, Ohio (WOIO) – The parents of Gabby Petito spoke to more than 320 people at a Northeast Ohio church ahead of Valentine’s Day about turning their daughter’s tragic death into a mission to prevent domestic violence.
Jim and Nicole Schmidt (Gabby’s mother and bonus father) traveled to Northeast Ohio to discuss domestic violence that can often end in murder after their own daughter was killed at the hands of her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie.
Isolation and manipulation preceded murder
Jim Schmidt described how the couple’s daughter became isolated from family and friends before her death. But at the time, they were unaware of the signs of domestic violence.
“Slowly she became isolated from our friends and us, and then the financial abuse started,” Schmidt said. “And then after the fact, we had access to his text messages and his writings. How he was manipulating her, gaslighting her, threatening harm to himself if she didn’t give in to his wants or needs.”
Strangulation identified as warning sign
The couple warned the audience that strangulation is often a sign of domestic violence. Jim Schmidt said domestic violence experts have studied video of an altercation between Gabby and Brian Laundrie before her murder in 2021…