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Who is Gabby Petito's stepmother? Tara Wickman called vlogger 'my girl'

Joe Petito's present wife Tara Wickman appeared to share a close bond with Gabby and loved her like her own daughter

Gabby Petito's mysterious disappearance and tragic death by homicide have caused immense pain and devastation for her entire family. Her entire family, including her stepfather, stepmother, and step-siblings, have stayed close together throughout the entire ordeal. Petito's family has now launched The Gabby Petito Foundation in her memory, to help and support victims of domestic violence. Meanwhile, Gabby Petito's fiance Brian Laundrie, who has an arrest warrant out in his name, is still on the run. 

Gabby Petito was the daughter of Joseph Petito and his former wife Nicole. The couple separated when she was young. Later, Nicole remarried Jim Schmidt and had a son with him, named TJ Schmidt. Gabby is believed to have been close to TJ as the age gap between them appeared to be less. Meanwhile, Joseph 'Joe' Petito married Tara Wickman and had two sons with her, whose names have not been revealed in the media. The New York Times called Gabby the oldest of six siblings, but the identities of the rest of her siblings are not known.

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Gabby Petito's stepfather Jim Schmidt has made multiple public appearances to speak about her. Her stepmother Tara Wickman Petito has also been actively involved in sharing regular updates about Gabby and seeking justice for her tragic death. Her Facebook posts since August are exclusively centered around Gabby Petito. She even posted several photos of the two of them together as a tribute to her memory. From the photos and posts, one can assume that they shared a close bond.

Tara Wickman hails from Commack, New York, and attended Commack High School. She pursued higher studies at Hofstra University. In August this year, she moved to Vero Beach, Florida, where she currently resides with her family. The exact date of her marriage to Joseph Petito is not known, but it is believed that they have been married for quite a few years now. 

Tara Wickman recently joined Petito's family in getting matching tattoos in her honor. Like Joe Petitio, Tara also got the quote 'Let it be' inked on her arm. Posting photos of the same, she wrote, "A very therapeutic tribute for our Angel . The triangle one was her drawing. Love you to the moon and back my girl, always and forever. #JusticeForGabby." 

Weeks prior to this, when Gabby Petito was still missing, Tara shared a post with older photos of a teenage Gabby. In the photos, Gabby was seen posing with stepmother Tara and stepfather Jim. "Two step-parents that are in pain, wanting to find their baby girl that they both raised since she was just a baby. We won’t stop!!," the post read. 

Older photos on Tara Wickman Petito's Facebook profile, dating way back to 2009, often find a young Gabby happily clicking selfies and hugging her. There are also photos of Gabby with her newborn stepbrothers.