Gabby Petito’s Father, Joe, Announces Funeral Services Will Be Open to Public, Sets Up ‘Future Gabby Petito Foundation’

Joseph “Joe” Petito, the dad of Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, announced his late daughter’s funeral service details, which will be open to the public, three days after she was confirmed dead following her disappearance.

“Services for our sweet Gabby will be held at Moloney Funeral Home in Holbrook on Sunday September 26th from 12pm-5pm. Thank to all for your suppprt and love,” Joe tweeted on Friday, September 24.

In a following tweet, the grieving father hinted that the Petito family will be setting up a foundation in their deceased daughter’s name. “In lieu of flowers for the service, please send donations for the Future Gabby Petito Foundation through the Johnny Mac Foundation,” he continued. “We Thank you for all the support [blue heart emoji] [butterfly emoji] [rainbow emoji.”

Gabby, 22, was reported missing by her family on September 11, 10 days after her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, returned to the home they shared with his parents in North Port, Florida. Brian, 23, arrived without Gabby in her white 2012 Ford Transit van, even though the couple had previously embarked on a cross-country road trip through the American West together in July in the same vehicle.

Three days after Gabby was reported missing, Laundrie reportedly disappeared on September 14. On September 15, he was named a person of interest in his fiancée’s disappearance. His own disappearance was announced on September 17 by his lawyer, Steven Bertolino.

Joe opened up about his daughter’s disappearance in an exclusive interview with In Touch, revealing Laundrie was “useless” in Gabby’s missing person investigation before his own disappearance.

“You know what. Forget helping at this point. We know that he’s a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest right now,” Joe said on September 17, after expressing frustration that Laundrie and his parents were not cooperating with authorities at the time. “There are ways that he could turn around, through his parents or whoever knows something in that house that can give us information without incriminating somebody. I don’t care right now. I want my daughter. The entire planet is invested in this and looking for her and there are three people in North Port who haven’t lifted a finger.”

The desperate search for the Long Island, New York, native ended tragically on September 19 when authorities announced that human remains matching Gabby’s description were found near the Spread Creek dispersed camping area in Wyoming, one of last places where Gabby was seen alive. On Tuesday, September 21, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the human remains belonged to Gabby, according to a press released tweeted by the official Twitter account for FBI Denver. She was confirmed dead and Coroner Blue’s initial determination for the “manner of death is homicide.”

On September 22, a warrant for Laundrie’s arrest was issued by the U.S. District Court of Wyoming. FBI Denver tweeted that the arrest warrant was” related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito.”