Hundreds of mourners including Gabby Petito’s family and friends as well as many strangers who were personally moved by her story, packed a funeral home in Long Island Sunday to grieve a 22-year-old woman whose life of adventure was tragically cut short.
‘The entire planet knows this woman’s name,’ said her father Joe Petito, standing before a golden urn at the Moloney Holbrook Funeral Home.
The standing-room only chapel was adorned with bouquets of flowers, and photo and video montages of his daughter. They showed her life growing up in Blue Point, Long Island, including a picture of Petito as a little girl with her small hand print on a piece of paper. Behind the urn was a more recent photo of her standing at the foot of a cave.
‘She always wanted to go out and do stuff, whether it was scuba diving with my uncle, or myself or hiking the Appalachian trail, surfing sand dunes in Colorado,’ the father said. ‘She had some wild experiences that I could only wish that I could experience.
‘To see that type of joy that brought her, and the stones it took to do that at such a young age,’ he continued. ‘I would like you to take a look at these videos and I want you to be inspired by them.’
Mourners were seen hugging and crying as they consoled one another while attending Petito’s public funeral service
Jim Schmidt (left), Petito’s stepfather, speaks with someone outside of Moloney’s Funeral Home
A man put his arm around Schmidt (left) as they prepared to leave Petito’s memorial service on Sunday
Police escorted two red vans carrying the Petito family as they left Moloney’s Funeral Home Sunday evening
Hundreds of people who knew Petito or were moved by her story gathered at her public funeral in Long Island
Family and friends mourned Petito at a funeral service on Sunday in Holbrook, Suffolk County
Three children wearing ‘Rest in Peace Gabby’ t-shirts picturing Petito were seen leaving her memorial service
Petito grew up in Blue Point, New York, down the street from the funeral home where people gathered to honor the young woman whose body was found in Wyoming
Friends embraced outside of Moloney’s Holbrook Funeral Home a week after Petito’s remains were found at a camp site near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming
First responders gathered at the Long Island funeral home to pay respects to Petito and her family as the search for Brian Laundrie continues in Florida
A blue heart is seen across the street from the funeral home where people gathered on Sunday
Blue ribbons in memory of Petito are scattered across her hometown of Blue Point, New York
First responders waited in line at Moloney Funeral Home to pay their respects to Petito and her loved ones
A long line of people was seen outside the Long Island funeral home to pay their respects to Petito, whose story captivated the nation
A woman places a decoration near a poster honoring Petito after attending her memorial service
Petito’s body was found last week in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, and her death has been ruled a homicide. Her fiancé Brian Laundrie, 23, is the prime suspect but remains at large after he returned from their cross country roadtrip without her on Sept. 1.
At Sunday’s visitation, her father didn’t discuss the circumstances of her death, but offered advice for people in bad relationships.
‘I want you to take a look at these pictures, and I want you to be inspired by Gabby. If there’s a trip you guys want to take, take it now. Do it now while you have the time.’
‘If there is a relationship that you’re in that might not be the best thing for you, leave it now. Take care of yourself first.’
‘Gabby is the most amazing person I’ve ever met,’ he said, choking back tears. ‘So if you’re going to leave here today, I’m asking you guys to be inspired by the way she treated people, all people …. She genuinely loved people.’
He smiled as he spoke about his love for his daughter and her bright blue eyes that would melt him. He said when he’d ground her, she’d cry and that he’d always fall for it.
‘She actually would do that on purpose just so I’d take her off grounding,’ he laughed.
Meanwhile, authorities are scaling back their search of Florida swampland for missing Brian Laundrie, DailyMail.com understands.
Officers will continue to scour ‘targeted areas’ of the Carlton Nature Reserve, mostly from the air, and will double back to waterlogged areas when water levels subside.
A spokesman for the North Port Police Department insisted the search, into its eighth day Sunday, would continue into next week ‘on some level’ and that officers would do whatever the FBI asked of them.
He referred all further inquiries to the FBI. DailyMail.com earlier revealed that it is costing authorities an estimated $200,000 every day to search for Laundrie with an array of resources from bloodhounds and drones to divers and swamp buggies.
A woman wipes tears from her eyes after the leaving the memorial service for Petito which was opened to be the public from noon to 5pm
A man holding flowers arrived at Petito’s memorial service in Long Island which was attended by hundreds
A man and young woman carrying a homemade sign honoring Petito joined the crowds of people that gathered in her honor on Sunday
People around the country were captivated by the search for Petito. Her family opened her funeral service to the public who gathered to show share their condolences with Petito’s family and friends
A group of young girls wore blue ribbons and accessories with their funeral attire in honor of Petito
The reach of Petito’s compelling story was seen on Sunday as hundreds of people attended her memorial service and were visibly upset
Members of the media set up on a sidewalk outside the Holbrook funeral home to report on the crowds of people who attended Petito’s public memorial service
Over 200 firefighters were on the scene to pay their respects and help monitor the large crowds that gathered on Sunday afternoon
The crowd included over 200 firefighters, who came out to pay their respects. Petito’s stepfather Jim Schmidt, a former local fire chief, told mourners that he’d attended and even planned funerals in the past, but that ‘not one of them could have prepared me for this moment.’
‘Parents aren’t supposed to bury their children,’ he said.
Still, he said he wanted the gathering to be a celebration of his stepdaughter’s life.
‘Gabby at 22 years old helped teach me that you could always make money but you can’t make up for lost time,’ Schmidt said. ‘Gabby loved life and lived her life every single day. Every day. She is an example to all of us to live life, to enjoy every moment of this beautiful word that she did.’
He noted that his stepdaughter had a tattoo on her arm that read, ‘Let it Be,’ from a Beatles song she loved. He read a verse he found meaningful on this day: ‘And when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer. Let it be.’
‘It’s okay to mourn for Gabby, it’s okay to feel sorrow and pain,’ Schmidt continued. ‘But we want to celebrate her and how she lived her life. We want you to hold onto all those memories that we shared with her because that will be the answer. Let it be.’
‘We will hold onto all those wonderful memories we shared with her,’ he said.
He and Joe Petito embraced in a hug, as mourners wept. Schmidt then walked over to his wife, Nichole Schmidt, Petito’s mother who sat in the front row but chose not to speak.
Wearing a black short-sleeve dress, she cried into the arms of mourners who filed past her and leaned over to give her hugs.
A prayer card with a poem titled ‘Let It Be,’ the phrase which Petito had tattooed on her arm, was passed out to those who attended the service.
‘Do not grieve for me for I am free. I am traveling a path the Lord has taken me,’ the poem reads. ‘Be not burdened with times of sorrow. I wish for you the sunshine of tomorrow. Perhaps my time seemed too brief. Do not lengthen it with undue grief. Lift up your hearts and share with me the memories that will always be.’
People around the country were moved by Petito’s story after she was reported missing by her family on September 11
The Petito family hosted a small private gathering at the funeral home on Sunday morning before the public was welcomed
People of all ages arrived at Moloney’s Funeral Home to honor Petito and hear her family speak about the young woman who went missing while on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé
Adam Silverstein, 23, of Northport, Long Island was among those who lined up to pay his respects. He did not know Petito was moved by her tragic story
The gathering included Petito’s former Bayport Blue Point High School classmates and members of the Long Island community where she grew up
After a private gathering for family and close friends Sunday morning, the funeral home opened its doors to several hundred other people forming a line that wrapped around the funeral home on the bright sunny day.
The service was livestreamed online showing the packed service at the Long Island funeral home which was covered with photos of Petito throughout her life.
Desiree Keeffe, a friend of Petito’s mother, attended the service. ‘She gave you love,’ Keeffe told NBC. ‘She was just a beautiful soul. She touched everybody like she did now.’
The large gathering included many former classmates of Gabby’s at Bayport Blue Point High School.
‘I’m heartbroken, it’s just so horrible,’ Melanie McGuire, 21, cried.
Adam Silverstein, 23, of Northport, Long Island was one of the hundreds of people who were moved by Petito’s story. ‘I didn’t know Gabby, but I feel a connection with her, with her family and her story,’ he told DailyMail.com.
He joined a social networking app where nearly 7,000 people worldwide are celebrating Petito’s life and seeking justice in the case.
‘The way she lived her life really spoke to me and she’s touched people around the world,’he said. ‘She was a kind hearted soul and she expressed her love to the world in the way she lived her life.’
Lexi Ruiz, Petito’s former co-worker, remembered working with her at a local cafe. ‘She was always willing to help someone else,’ Ruiz told NBC. ‘She was just such a light. … It’s nice to see so many people come together and support her family.’
Petito was reported missing on September 11 after her 23-year-old fiancé, Laundrie, came back to his parents’ home in Florida. The pair were on a cross-country road trip in Petito’s white van and they were documenting their travels on social media platforms including Instagram and YouTube before authorities found Petito’s body in Grand Teton Park on September 19
A friend holds up a sign which reads ‘Rest in peace little Gabby!!!’ with photos of Petito, flowers, butterflies, and a balloon
A man was seen carrying a colorful wreath at the public memorial service honoring Petito
A young woman left Petito’s memorial service visibly upset as she walked out of the funeral home hand-in-hand with another woman
Firefighters arrived around noon on Sunday for Petito’s memorial service. Petito’s stepfather is a former firefighter
In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations be sent to the Future Gabby Petito Foundation, which was recently formed by Joseph Petito and is dedicated to helping families locate their missing children
Across the street from the funeral home, a chain link fence was adorned with posters featuring Petito’s image and messages such as, ‘She touched the world’
Another vigil took place on Saturday night in North Port, Florida, where Petito lived with Laundrie and his parents. Community members gathered at city hall lighting candles and releasing butterflies in her honor and to voice support for her family.
Petito, who embarked on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie, was last seen alive on August 25. Laundrie returned home to Florida on September 1, and she was reported missing by her parents 11 days later.
After an extensive search at Grand Teton National Park’s Spread Creek campground, Petito’s remains were discovered on September 19. A coroner ruled that she died as a result of a homicide, but her manner of death has not yet been revealed.
Laundrie’s parents said he left their home on September 14 – but only reported him missing three days later. FBI and local police are still searching for him in an alligator-infested reserve five miles from his home. On Sunday, FBI agents paid another visit to the home of his parents – before leaving with a mysterious package.
Laundrie’s mom Roberta, 55, was seen darting outside to leave an item in the screened porch of their North Port, Florida home at 10am.
An hour later two FBI agents with bulletproof vests, weapons and a clipboard walked up the drive, hovering at the front door before stooping to pick something up.
A female agent then walked back to their black SUV carrying a brown paper bag, which was believed to be used for evidence.
The agents did not appear to knock on the door and did not speak to either Roberta or her husband Christopher, 62.
When asked by a DailyMail.com reporter about the purpose of the visit neither agent responded. The FBI also declined to comment.
The development came as authorities continued to scour alligator-infested swampland in the Carlton Nature Reserve for Brian, 23, on Sunday.
The huge search has involved bloodhounds. It’s typical for cops to ask families for a personal item or a piece of clothing from a missing person to help the animals pick up their scent.
People who knew Gabby have partnered with law enforcement to increase the reward for tips about Laundrie’s whereabouts to $30,000. Jerry Torres, a neighbor of the Petito family, first offered $5,000 for information that could help authorities find Laundrie.
The reward, however, was raised to $10,000 in part from help from Steve Moyer, the former deputy chief of police for Sarasota, Florida, secured another $10,000 to Torres’s reward, telling CNN affiliate WZVN on Friday, ‘Money gets people to talk.’
Boohoff Law, a personal injury law firm, announced last week that it was adding another $20,000 for information, according to a statement published in the Sun North Port. ‘The authorized reward will remain open for two months starting from the receipt of the tip by the investigating law enforcement,’ the statement said.
Police are continuing the massive manhunt for Laundrie, who was the last person seen with her, as FBI agents paid another visits to his parents’ home on Sunday
One FBI agent had a mysterious brown paper bag believed to contain evidence
Laundrie’s parents said he left their home on September 14 – but only reported him missing three days later. FBI and local police are still searching for him in an alligator-infested reserve five miles from his home
Rewards totaling $30,000 are being offered for information leading to his whereabouts
‘We believe by offering a reward, it may help law enforcement get answers and bring justice for Gabby,’ Kate Shakira, an employee at the firm, told the Sun. ‘We have been in touch with law enforcement about this reward.’
Petito’s death has been classified as homicide, meaning she was killed by another person, but medical examiners in Wyoming haven’t disclosed how she died pending further autopsy results.
The couple posted online about their trip in a white Ford Transit van converted into a camper. They got into a physical altercation August 12 in Moab, Utah, that led to a police stop for a possible domestic violence case. Ultimately, police officers decided to separate the quarreling couple for the night. But no charges were filed, and no serious injuries were reported.
On Thursday, the FBI issued a warrant for Laundrie’s arrest. The agency said he is wanted for ‘use of unauthorized access device’ related to his activities between August 30 and September 1, following Petito’s death, and that he used the card to obtain items totaling $1,000 or more.
A statement released by the Bureau’s Denver desk reads, ‘While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide.’
Steve Bertolino, Laundrie’s attorney, issued a statement Thursday evening after the FBI’s arrest warrant for his fugitive client was made public, emphasizing that the warrant was not for Petito’s death but for related activities that took place after her demise .
‘It is my understanding that the arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie is related to activities occurring after the death of Gabby Petito and not related to her actual demise,’ Bertolino told Dailymail.com
‘The FBI is focusing on locating Brian and when that occurs the specifics of the charges covered under the indictment will be addressed in the proper forum.’
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