SEP 15, 2021
Gabby Petito's stepfather tells her boyfriend 'to step up and do the right thing | Daily Mail Online
The stepfather of missing van-life woman Gabby Petito heaved with emotion Wednesday as he stared out onto the vast mountain range in Wyoming where his daughter was last seen, then turned to face the camera and pleaded for help in finding his stepdaughter.
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'Our family's aware of the statements made by his attorney,' Schmidt said, forcefully. 'It's unacceptable. It is unacceptable to us. We deserve more. Gabby deserves more information out there. She deserves to be found and brought home safe. And we need you to step up and do the right thing.
'I understand a parent's wishes are to always protect their children, no matter what,' he continued. 'I understand that. But it's also about teaching your children the right thing and doing the right thing, no matter what the circumstances are. Whatever may have transpired or didn't transpire, they need to come forward and start speaking to law enforcement agencies and be forthcoming with information.
'The longer they don't, the longer it's going to take to bring her home. And we need her home now. So, they have to. It's not a matter of sit back. They have to come forward, for Gabby, for everyone.'
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He spoke about Gabby's love of the outdoors, how they used to camp together when she was younger.
'It was nothing like this,' he said. 'Not that long ago, she took a trip like this, more along the West coast, California area, and fell in love with the area. She wanted to come back. She wanted to do all these parks and hit all these beautiful places around here and experience life. That's really what she's about, she's about living in the moment, experiencing life, and just enjoying it.'
He appealed to the public for information on his daughter, especially people who may have been traveling through the region around the time of her disappearance, in late August.
'If you were out in this area, if you been out here in this timeframe and have pictures or video, please go back and see if there's anything in there where you may have seen here,' he said. 'And call the tip line. All that information's going to help us.'
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