Gabby Petito. If her name rings a bell, you’ve probably watched television, read your local newspaper, went online or had a conversation with someone in the past week.
Her name reminds us all of a tragedy and an ongoing investigation. Her remains were found at a Wyoming national park where she disappeared months after she set out on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend who has gone missing back hom in Florida. The drama is unfolding before our eyes, a story being told in real time around the globe. Her name is one that is widely known if not universally so.
Thanks to social media, Petito’s case caught the interest of the public. Maybe it’s because the public saw themselves or their daughters in her. Maybe it’s because there seemed to have a clear suspect. Her story could have even become popular across the internet because of how much she had documented on social media about her life. No matter the why, the case blew up on social media and national news.