NORTH PORT -- A memorial bench dedicated to the memory of domestic violence and murder victim Gabby Petito has been erected in North Port, in a park near City Hall.
Petito's father, Joseph Petito, announced the news on Twitter, urging anyone who visits to take a picture using the hashtag #GabbysBench . It contains the years of her birth and death, as well as a quote from the Gospel of Matthew and the words "Lift up your heart and share with me, the memories that will always be, let it be."
Gabby Petito was found dead September 19 in Wyoming. Investigators believe she was strangled in late August and left at the scene. She had been on a cross-country trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie, whose remains were discovered at a nature preserve near North Port about a month later. He was identified as a suspect in her disappearance and was charged with using her debit card and PIN to make unauthorized withdrawals
The Petito and Schmidt families founded the Gabby Petito Foundation to bring awareness to domestic violence and missing persons' issues.
Photo: Getty Images