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Gabby Petito Foundation: Family asks for donations in memory of dead daughter

'In lieu of flowers for the service, please send donations for the Future Gabby Petito Foundation,' the 22-year-old’s father Joseph Petito shared on Twitter

The devastated family of Gabby Petito is planning to set up a foundation in the name of their daughter. Joseph Petito, Gabby’s father, shared information about the foundation on Twitter as he wrote, “In lieu of flowers for the service, please send donations for the Future Gabby Petito Foundation through the Johnny Mac Foundation," sharing a link to the website and adding, "We Thank you for all the support.”

As stated by the father of the 22-year-old, the donations will be collected via the Johnny Mac Foundation, which was set up by the wife of former Fire Department City of New York (FDNY) firefighter John McNamara who died at the age of 44 because of 9/11 related cancer in August 2009. People can also donate via PayPal.

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A pop-up on the website reads, “Please use the following donation link to contribute to the future Gabby Petito Foundation on behalf of the Petito and Schmidt families. Donate Now.” It adds: “Gabby is the daughter of longtime volunteer and current Johnny Mac Board Member Nichole Schmidt. Any funds donated using the following link will be used for family expenses. Donate Now." In addition, the heartbroken family of Gabby, who went on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie in July and never returned alive, is also organizing a memorial service for her at Moloney’s Holbrook Funeral Home, in Long Island, New York, from 12 pm to 5 pm on Sunday, September 26. The event will be open to members of the public.

Gabby’s remains were found inside a national park in Wyoming on September 19. The official identification of the body was done on September 21 and her death was ruled a homicide. The FBI said in a statement, “Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999. Coroner Blue’s initial determination for the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.”

People on Twitter sent their support and condolences after Joseph Petito's emotional announcement about the foundation in the memory of his daughter. A user tweeted, “Oh we’re gonna make gabby they highest flying Angel in heaven. That I can promise you Mr Petito @josephpetito My role in things is memorializing Gabby here in Portland Oregon which was her intended destination and I wish I could have met her if she would have gotten here.........” Another one wrote, “I'm so sorry for your families loss. May you find some comfort in knowing she touched the world and that you have an army behind you that will fight for justice! #justiceforgabby #GabbysArmy.” “Can’t express enough how heartbroken I am. We’re all sitting here wishing we could somehow bring her back. Im so sorry for your families loss. Your home in Bluepoint is literally 11 minutes from me. If you ever need anything, seriously, send me a message and we can connect,” the third one added.