VERO BEACH, Fla. (1010 WINS) -- Gabby Petito’s dad attended the opening of a domestic violence shelter in Florida on Wednesday that he helped open in honor of his late daughter.
"At the end of the day, it is a refuge to do good and help people move forward. And that's the goal," said Joe Petito, 45, per WPTV.
In January, Petito donated $15,000 to SafeSpace shelter in Vero Beach, Florida in the hopes that others can avoid the violence his daughter faced.
"This is a traumatic event that happens to these individuals,” said Petito at the opening. "So to have your private space that you can go to and really, just, cry, process, go through the range of emotions that happen. Because it's a lot.”
Gabby Petito was found dead in Grand Teton Park in September of 2021. The FBI later determined her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, killed her.
Laundrie was found dead in Florida of an apparent suicide after an extensive manhunt.
Part of the money for the shelter came from the Gabby Petito foundation, a non-profit with the goal of raising awareness about missing persons and domestic violence.
"600,000 people a year go missing. Most are found. But the ones that aren't [found] need help," Petito said. "These are issues that affect everyone. There's not an economic level that it doesn't affect."
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