As someone who actively consumes true crime and some that considers themselves somewhat of a true-crime aficionado, there are several things about the coverage of the Gabby Petito case that deeply bother me.
First and foremost I want to say I'm glad her case is receiving as much press coverage as it is. One of the main things that keeps a case from going cold is pressure from the public to solve it. I am thankful the case is moving as quickly as it is. For anyone that is not familiar with the case, Gabby Petito went missing after a road trip with her fiance, who returned home without her. It is believed that the last time she was seen by someone other than her killer was August 30th, 2021. Her fiance returned home without her on September 1st. A body that is believed to be Gabby was found on September 19th, 2021. Again, I am glad her case is moving quickly. This information was obtained from https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/16/us/gabby-petito-timeline-missing-case/index.html
One of the things that deeply bothers me about how the case is being handled is something that has become prominent and run rampant in the true crime community in recent years: wild speculation. It's one thing to post general updates on social media or sharing her information, asking people to come forward if they know anything. It's another thing entirely to put forth wild theories about what happened to her or who might have committed the crime. Yes, the court of public opinion is a thing and always has been. People form an opinion about who they think the killer might be typically within the first exposure to cases like this. Look at Lizzie Borden and OJ Simpson for a few famous examples of the court of public opinion. While it's expected that people will form an opinion of who the killer might be, what doesn't help is flooding tip lines with that information. It also does not help to wildly speculate about a case that is currently unfolding. It's one thing to come up with theories and speculate about cold cases from the 80s and 90s. It's something else entirely to do that before the police have even had a chance to thoroughly investigate. I am not the biggest fan of the police, but they need to be given a chance to do their job correctly. Another reason cases go cold is when police have too many leads to chase down and they end up chasing the wrong ones. Fake psychics have been calling in tips about where Gabby is. This is not ok. If you have information that could genuinely aid police, even if it's something as small as I saw her in this town on this day, please call it in. Do not call in fake tips or fabricate stories just because you want a moment in the sun and get to be involved in the case.
The second thing that bothers me about this case is the lack of a similar response when people of color go missing. Jelani Day was reported missing August of 2021 (unfortunately, I can't find the exact day), and his car was found August 26th, 2021 in Peru, Illinois. He is an Illinois State student and has received virtually no press because everyone is focused on finding Gabby. We have two investigations going on at once. I don't see why her case is so much more important than his. The Bloomington Police are looking for anyone who might have information about him. His mother gave a heartwrenching plea to bring her son home that I think everyone should see. It can be found at https://youtu.be/jqlIa-KOYuE. Again, if anyone has any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact Crime Stoppers or the Bloomington Police Department.
Additionally, the sheer number of missing and murdered indigenous women that never receive any media coverage is astounding. According to the MMIW website, "As of 2016, the National Crime Information Center has reported 5,712 cases of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. Strikingly, the U.S Department of Justice missing persons database has only reported 116 cases". This is egregious. One estimate is that the murders of Indigenous women are seven times less likely to be solved than other murders.
Because of incidents like this, it's easy to why people are upset that the cases of their loved ones are not receiving the same level of national media and social media coverage given to Gabby's case.
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