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In an interview with Dr. Oz, Petito's parents and stepparents discussed the grief they have experienced since her disappearance and death and their hope to shine a light on issues such as domestic violence.
"I don't know why Gabby didn't open up to me about certain things," Nichole Schmidt said in the interview. "We just didn't see any red flags."
The family's lawyer said they didn't want to discuss specific details about Laundrie during the interview, as the FBI still hasn't released findings about Petito's case.
Petito, age 22, went missing in late August during a road trip across the country with Laundrie, age 23. Laundrie returned to his parents' Florida home on Wednesday, Sept. 1 without Petito, and refused to cooperate with authorities after Petito was reported missing by her mother on Saturday, Sept. 11.
He was named a person of interest in her homicide. Laundrie was reported missing by his parents on Sunday, Sept. 17, and his remains were found in a Florida nature reserve on Wednesday, Oct. 20. His cause of death has not yet been released.
During the interview with Dr. Oz, Petito's father, Joseph Petito, discussed his experience receiving the call that his daughter's remains were found in a Wyoming national park on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
He expressed his sadness that he will never get to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day or wish her happy birthday and hear her tell him he loves her.
"I'm never getting that anymore," he said. "There's so many things I'm going to miss out on."
Petito's parents and stepparents have all worked together to create "The Gabby Petito Foundation," with a goal of addressing the needs of organizations that help locate missing persons and assist victims of domestic violence.
"We're not OK," Schmidt said. "But we have this. We have each other, and we're going to help a lot of people. And that's what's keeping us going."
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