Gabby Petito's Family Marks Domestic Violence Hotline's 25th In D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The family and friends of Gabby Petito celebrated the 25th anniversary of the National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

The slain Long Islander's parents and family friends started The Gabby Petito Foundation after her killing last year at the hands of her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, whom she had been traveling with on a cross-country trip.

In a post to Twitter, the group wrote that they had the honor of attending Hope Is On The Line, a commemoration of the hotline's 25th anniversary, adding, "We are a proud partner of the hotline’s #HOPECANTWAIT campaign."

The "Hope Is On The Line" event drew nearly 200 survivors, as well as activists and lawmakers who marked 25 years of the hotline’s work, Fox News reported.

The Gabby Petito Foundation in August donated $10,000 to the hotline.

In a news release on the foundation's website, the hotline's Chief Executive Officer Katie Ray-Jones said its contact volume has almost doubled over last year, adding, "on average we’re receiving nearly 80,000 incoming calls, chats, and texts each month."

"More than ever, survivors need validation, support and safety planning, and connection to resources such as shelter, legal aid, economic assistance, and healthcare,” she said. “The Hotline and the Gabby Petito Foundation are dedicated to meeting this moment head-on, and answering the call for survivors, and their loved ones."

"The Gabby Petito Foundation’s generous donation, and all gifts to our campaign, will help to ensure our critical 24/7 work continues and we can connect with more people impacted by domestic violence," she concluded.

Petito, a native Blue Pointer, was found strangled to death last September near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming after an extensive search by multiple law enforcement agencies that spanned several states. Laundrie is believed to have killed himself in a swamp in Florida.

The FBI later revealed that Laundrie claimed responsibility for her death in a notebook that was found with his remains. He claimed she fell and he strangled her because she was in so much pain.

The foundation was formed by Petito's parents, including her mother, Nichole Schmidt, and her husband, Jim, as well her father, Joseph Petito, and his wife, Tara, as well family friends Rick Stafford and Gary Rider.

Separately, Petito's mother, Nichole, tweeted that the group cried most of the evening, adding, "but we are so proud to be part of this."

"We we want to help," she wrote. "We want to make change; we want to fight!"

President Joe Biden, who led the Violence Against Women Act that created the hotline, marked the anniversary by releasing a video message, noting the hotline is for everyone — women, men, and children.

"You matter; it matters," he said, adding that "someone is always there to listen, comfort, and help."

So far, six million people have been helped.

"We wish that number wasn't so high because it would mean fewer people are in danger," he said. "But we also know the lives that have been saved, the children who have been protected, and the futures restored."

The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers resources and support for anyone in the U.S. who is affected by violence involving an intimate partner. The 24-hour hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233 or by chat at http://thehotline.org. Just text "START" to 88788.

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