The parents of Gabby Petito have made a poignant plea to viewers tuning into the new Netflix docu-series which details their daughter's tragic death.
The three-part show, titled American Murder: Gabby Petito, delves into the 'van life' vlogger's final days before she was killed by her fiancé Brian Laundrie.
Petito, 22, disappeared in August 2021 while travelling across the US with Laundrie, while he returned to his parent's home in Florida and refused to speak with authorities.
Advert
He subsequently vanished shortly after a warrant was issued for his arrest and later took his own life, while confessing to killing Petito in a journal entry.
Petito's remains were later found in a National Forest in Wyoming after a mammoth search operation which spanned weeks.
American Murder: Gabby Petito features interviews with Petito's family and friends, with one pal revealing in the series that they believed Laundrie had a 'dark side'.
The documentary, which was released on Monday (17 February), also includes excerpts from Petito's personal journals as well as text messages.
This includes the 'odd' message which set alarm bells ringing for her mother, Nichole Schmidt, in the days before she vanished.
The official synopsis for the Netflix series reads: "What happened in the final days of Gabby Petito's life? In this gripping true crime series, her loved ones reveal the untold story of her tragic murder."
As millions of people around the world prepare to sit down and watch American Murder: Gabby Petito, Schmidt wanted to issue an important reminder to viewers.
"When you watch the documentary, remember that this is a real person, this is a real family, it’s a real story and it’s real life," Petito’s mother told NewsNation.
"It’s not just true crime. This can happen to anyone. We never in a million years thought this would happen to our family.
"That’s why we’re trying to help people, so we can prevent this from happening to them."
Speaking of her emotions towards Laundrie, Schmidt said she has now 'forgiven' her daughter's killer, for her own sake.
"I have forgiven Brian, and I know that is what Gabby would have wanted," she said. "I’m moving forward so I can move on. That is my personal experience. I don’t think everyone has to forgive.
"They can when they are ready if they are ever ready. But for me personally, I needed to forgive to let that anchor go."
Schmidt's partner and Petito's stepfather, Jim Schmidt, added: "Forgiveness is for you. It is for your healing. For your grief. For you to be able to move on."
Viewers have already been taking to social media to share their thoughts on American Murder: Gabby Petito, with one dubbing it a 'heartbreaking watch' in a post on Twitter.
Others have been critical of the series using AI to recreate Petito's voice to make it sound as though she is reading out her own diary entries.
American Murder: Gabby Petito is streaming on Netflix now.
Topics: Crime, Documentaries, Netflix, Parenting, True Crime, US News, Gabby Petito
Olivia Burke