The Side of the Gabby Petito Story You Never Heard

When the Gabby Petito case broke in September 2021, the world watched with rapt attention. A vibrant 22-year-old woman had vanished during a cross-country trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, and the search unfolded in real time on social media and major news outlets alike. Her smiling face—bright blue eyes, radiant energy—became a haunting emblem of the questions we couldn’t answer fast enough.

But while the public followed the headlines, many didn’t see—or fully understand—the raw, unfiltered reality behind closed doors. On a recent episode of The Squeeze, Gabby’s mother, Nichole Schmidt (or Nikki, as she prefers), shared the side of the story that the world didn’t hear. And it was nothing short of heartbreaking, illuminating, and deeply human.

“She was a spitfire”

From the moment she was born, Nikki describes Gabby as a “spitfire.” She was a creative force, an artist who picked up her first crayon before she could sit up straight. “She could just pick up a pencil and draw anything anywhere,” Nikki recalled. “Then she had a knack for photography and, obviously, videography… just a natural at everything she did.”

Gabby’s joy wasn’t performative. It was the kind of light that shone from within—she was organized, expressive, and filled with a passion for life. “She would stomp her foot and roll her eyes when she didn’t get her way,” Nikki said, laughing softly. “Even as an adult. I called them tall tantrums.” A sweet story, made more devastating because it’s shared in past tense.

The hug that still haunts her

When asked what she remembers most, Nikki said, “Her bright blue eyes, her big smile, and her energy.” But what she cherishes most is the last hug they shared—standing in the driveway, Gabby crying. “She was like, ‘I don’t know [what’s wrong],’ and I thought she was just really excited… But I cherish that hug so much.”

The moment everything changed

Gabby was officially reported missing on September 11, 2021. Nikki had tried everything—calling park rangers, police departments across state lines, begging for someone to take her seriously. “Because she was an adult, and she was traveling, it made it extra difficult,” Nikki explained. “Nobody wanted to take the report.”

When Northport, Florida police confirmed Brian was home—with the van, but without Gabby—Nikki said she went numb. “It was like a gut punch. I knew he did something to her.” From that moment on, she says, her gut told her the truth that her heart wasn’t ready to face.

What the media missed

The media attention, Nikki admits, was both a blessing and a curse. “When you’re looking for a loved one, it’s what you want. More eyes on it. But once we found her… it got overwhelming.”

Even now, years later, the grief is layered. “Sometimes I try to be too strong,” she confessed. “I push myself a little too hard, and I think that’s my coping mechanism.” But Nikki has also found meaning in the aftermath. Running the Gabby Petito Foundation has kept her moving forward: “It just makes me feel… it fills my bucket.”

The Netflix documentary—and what it left out

When approached about the Netflix documentary, Nikki and her family were hesitant. But the misinformation swirling made them realize it was time to retake the narrative. “We said, maybe we should [do it], because it would be our voices… that was important to us.”

Still, reliving the trauma wasn’t easy. “It was about eight hours of interviewing… and a lot of crying,” she said. Seeing previously unseen footage of Gabby and Brian, reading their texts, watching the bodycam footage from Moab, Utah—all of it was “rough.” But necessary.

And the fact that the police bodycam footage showed Gabby being treated like the aggressor—despite witness reports of her being slapped, despite her visible injuries—still devastates her. “They dropped the ball,” Nikki said. “She would be here today if they had asked her those very important questions.”

The pain that won’t go away

Even after Brian’s remains were found and his notebook recovered, Nikki remains unconvinced that he died by suicide. “I don’t think he killed himself,” she said. “His mother is a sociopath.” The Laundrie family’s silence, she says, only added to the trauma. “They knew what he did. They helped him. They hired an attorney… and then gutted his room before police could investigate.”

She also revealed that to this day, she believes someone—possibly his parents—helped cover up the truth. While the FBI told her the Laundries’ actions amounted to a misdemeanor, she remains angry: “That’s the one thing that keeps me up at night.”

What we should remember

Despite everything, Nikki’s focus remains on honoring Gabby’s life—not her death. “Gabby was a person. She’s not just a story or a documentary character,” she said. “I want her to inspire people to live fearlessly… because tomorrow is not promised.”

And in the end, that’s part of the Gabby Petito story the headlines didn’t capture—the love of a mother who refuses to let her daughter be defined by tragedy and who continues to fight for a world where other daughters get to live. Gabby isn’t just a story; she was someone’s baby girl.

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