Photo: Instagram / YouTube
This might be too far.
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on Sep 29, 2021
The Petito family recently held a memorial press conference for their daughter Gabby Petito, and revealed that they had all acquired tattoos to match the one on her arm, which said “Let it be.”
The nationwide infatuation with the Petito case has led internet sleuths on the hunt for anything that could reveal Brian Laundrie’s location and bring them closer to her justice.
But now, these people may have taken things a step too far by planning to get matching tattoos in memory of Petito.
Members of a Gabby Petito discussion group were criticized for a post about the matching tattoos.
"Does anyone have a close up of the matching tattoos," an admin in a Gabby Petito Facebook group wrote, "I think all of us in this group should get one in solidarity."
In a follow up post, they shared images of tattoos that read "Let it be," similar to one Petito had.
"We must all have the same one done so think carefully before commenting, this thing is permanent," they wrote, asking users to chose a tattoo.
Facebook
The tattoo on Petito’s right arm read “Let it be,” features a small wave to the right and was used as an identifier before they found her body in Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in Wyoming.
While some people are keen on the idea and find it to be a sweet gesture, a lot of people were instantly critical of the plan, saying that the matching tattoos should be left for the family and not some people online.
“I understand you have good intentions however unless you knew her on a personal level I don’t believe you should be getting the same tattoos as Gabby,” one user said. “Let that be her family’s thing.”
Another user shared their own personal story about something similar.
“I got a tattoo in remembrance of my mother,” they said. “I understand you have good intentions, but I'd be p-ssed if people who didn't know her had the same tattoo and told people it was for my mom. I think this is something for her family.”
There may be a better way to honor Gabby Petito.
As her family members grieve and search for the answers behind their daughter’s murder, they have decided to do their own part in helping others in similar situation.
Supporting their efforts may be a more meaningful way to commemorate Petito, instead of getting the matching tattoo.
“We need positive stuff to come from the tragedy that happened,” Joseph Petito said. “We can’t let her name be taken in vain.”
“I want to ask everyone to help all the people that are missing and need help. It’s on all of you, everyone that’s in this room to do that,” he said, “and if you don’t do that for other people that are missing, that’s a shame, because it’s not just Gabby that deserves it.”
They announced that they were going to start the Gabby Petito foundation — a foundation designed to fill in any gaps that exist in the work of finding missing people.
They would work with other organizations like the AWARE Foundation and We Help The Missing who helped them find their daughter but emphasized that they were still in the formative stages.
The fascination with Gabby Petito's case is continuing to dominate the media.
The full autopsy results for Petito's body haven’t been released yet, and the search for Laundrie has so far been unsuccessful, despite the news from Dog the Bounty Hunter that they’re very close to finding him.
While Laundrie remains as a person of interest in Gabby’s deatg, there is a warrant for his arrest after he made unauthorized withdrawals or charges worth more than $1,000 from Gabby’s accounts.
The public’s fascination with the Petito case is a mystery to many, but according to some psychologists, this sort of thing has been around forever.
"I think there has always been a fascination, but what's different now is that we can really see this curiosity all the time," said Dr. Andrea Bonior, a licensed clinical psychologist, in an interview with Fox 5.
"We are desperate to find an answer,” she continued. “I think at some point it's an intellectual exercise, like a puzzle, we are curious, we want to figure it out.”
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.