RICHMOND, Va. — A father whose stepdaughter was murdered in a high-profile domestic violence case is now training first responders to recognize the warning signs that could save lives.
Jim Schmidt, co-founder of the Gabby Petito Foundation, was in Richmond today training emergency workers to identify signs of domestic violence and strangulation. Schmidt’s 22-year-old stepdaughter, Gabby Petito, was strangled to death by her fiancé during a cross-country road trip in 2021.
The former firefighter partnered with the Bon Secours Saint Mary’s Violence Response Team to educate emergency workers about strangulation, one of the most under-reported forms of abuse…