Gabby Petito's Dad Says Reintroduced 'Billy's Law' Is 'A Huge Step'

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The parents of Gabby Petito are lauding the recently introduced bi-partisan law, Help Find The Missing Act, or Billy's Law, which would make it easier for loved ones to add their missing family members to the national registry.

Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy introduced the bill along with colleagues John Cornyn (R-Texas), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) last Thursday with aims to close loopholes in the United States missing persons systems by streamlining the reporting process and ensuring law enforcement databases are more accessible and comprehensive, according to a news release.

A congressional aide told Patch Monday that the slain Long Islander's father, Joseph Petito, who started a foundation in her name to help families with missing loved ones and also domestic violence victims, worked on outreach to Republican offices to help build support for the bill.

"Mr. Petito is obviously incredibly supportive of the legislation, and we are happy to work with him," the aide told Patch.

The aide could not say whether the bill would need to go through a congressional committee.

Joseph Petito shared support for the bill on his Twitter page on Friday.

"We said, as parents, we are going to help make changes," he wrote. "Here is a huge step forward."

In a statement included in the news release from Murphy's office, Petito said that "the only thing worse than losing a child, is losing your child and not bringing them home."

"We, as parents of a child who was missing and left murdered out in the wilderness, believe everyone deserves the same resources to help find their missing loved one," he said, adding that his wife, Tara, as well as Petito's mother and stepfather, Nichole and Jim Schmidt, "have met and spoken with many leaders on missing persons cases and this bill in our opinion is long overdue."

Petito, continued by saying the legislation "gives two enormously important databases the ability to communicate vital info on finding everyone’s missing family and friends as well as giving every state the connectivity to assist in reuniting your loved ones and bring them home faster.”

Petito's 22-year-old daughter was on a cross-country camping tripwith her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, when she disappeared, resulting in a massive inter-state search by multiple law enforcement agencies in 2021. Her remains were later found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Nichole Schmidt reported Gabby Petito missing in her hometown of Suffolk County where she was due to return to from her cross-country trip. In a previous interview, Schmidt told Patch that after getting the run-around with some law enforcement agencies, she finally was able to make a missing persons report with a detective at the 5th Precinct in Patchogue.

She later called that detective an angel for coming through for her.

Schmidt on Sunday called Billy's Law a baby step.

Billy's Law, originally introduced in 2009 by Murphy as a congressman, was inspired by Janice Smolinski of Cheshire, Connecticut, after her 31-year-old son, Billy, went missing from Waterbury, Connecticut. Smolinski faced "countless systemic challenges" while working with law enforcement to find her son, Murphy's office said.

Smolinski said the reintroduction of the gives her "hope and encouragement during times of heartache and not knowing."

Her son is still missing.

The law would authorize and ensure funding for the National Missing Persons and Unidentified Persons System, which was created in 2007 by the Department of Justice to provide a missing persons/unidentified database to which the public can contribute and access. It would also connect NamUs with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center to create a more comprehensive missing persons and unidentified remains databases, and also streamline local law enforcement's reporting process.

The law would also expand the current law by requiring missing children be reported to NamUs.

"Loved ones spend every day desperately searching for answers as to where their loved ones are and to possibly get the resolution needed," she said. "NamUs is a very important tool utilized by law enforcement, coroners, and medical examiners to help bring loved ones home or identify the unidentified.

Billy's Law was introduced to address the challenges and help ensure tens of thousands of families whose loved ones go missing each year do not experience the same hurdles faced by the Smolinskis, according to Murphy's office.

Murphy said "there’s no excuse for the inefficiencies of the current process, which won’t allow databases to communicate with each other.

Cornyn said nobody should ever have to wonder about the fate of their missing child or loved one, but tragically, this is a reality for far too many."

Billy's Law would also create an incentive grants program to help states, local law enforcement, medical examiners, and coroners report missing persons and unidentified remains to NCIC and NamUs.

It would also require the justice department to issue guidelines and best practices on handling missing persons and unidentified remains cases "to empower law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners to help find the missing," Murphy's office said.

Billy's Law has been endorsed by a number of forensic organizations, including the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Society of Crime Lab Directors, National Association of Medical Examiners, and the International Association of Identification.

The Society of Forensic Toxicologists, American Board of Forensic Toxicologists, Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Medical Examiners, Doe Network, Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, and LostNMissing also support the law.

To read the full bill, click here.

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