Joseph Petito, father of Gabby Petito, wants to fight against the so-called “missing white woman syndrome” with a new TV series.
His 22-year-old daughter Gabby disappeared in the summer of 2021 while on a cross-country trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. The Petito family reported her missing in September after Laundrie returned to Florida without her. Her remains were finally discovered in Wyoming later that month and her death was ruled a homicide. Laundrie, who died by suicide, was discovered the following month along with a notebook in which she claimed responsibility for Gabby's death.
Gabby's disappearance sparked widespread international interest on social media, with online detectives gathering evidence from her travel vlogs and social media content. The shocking case also brought attention to the term “missing white woman syndrome,” which refers to the disproportionate attention given to missing white people compared to people of color.
In a new interview with CNN, Joseph admitted that he was “taken away” by the term, but after studying the topic, he realized its validity, which inspired him to create a television series called “Faces of the Missing.” to develop.
“I didn’t like hearing it. I guess I just didn't like the way it was worded,” Petito told the news station about two minutes into the video linked above. “That being said, I looked into it and realized it was a real thing. But when it comes to missing people, many stories don't get shared and the ones that do always look the same. That’s why we’re trying to fix that with Faces of the Missing.”
The project, a collaboration between Backlot Productions, Boundless Films and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, was inspired by the support the Petito family received for Gabby's case.
“We believe this will be a great platform to not only show many missing people what it is like on the missing list, but hopefully inspire others to do the same,” he said of the series.
According to 2022 FBI data shared by CNN, Black people make up 31% of missing person reports but only 13% of the U.S. population. On the other hand, whites make up 54% of missing person reports and 75% of the U.S. population.
Later in the interview, Petito also argued that an issue the series hopes to address is the police's tendency to label people as “runaways” without evidence, a practice that disproportionately affects people of color.
“If you haven't spoken to that person, you're just guessing, and that's not something you should do in an investigation if you're looking for someone,” he explained. “Because from my understanding, classification often occurs when the pigment of a person's skin is darker than mine, and that's just not okay.”
Although the series has not yet found a broadcast platform, Petito and his family hope it will raise broader awareness and encourage others to spread underrepresented stories.
“Gabby always tried to make people feel happier and better. I think she would be proud that this would be part of her legacy,” Joseph said.
He continued: “The family would love to do this 52 weeks a year, every week, and just help as many people as possible.” But we know that probably won't be the case. That being said, there are so many we want to share [stories]and then hopefully inspire others to do the same. The more other stories are shared, the bigger the impact will be, and that will be nice to see, man. These families deserve it. Everyone deserves equal attention.”
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