Another Woman Gone
Who or What ended her life?
A few months ago, I wrote a piece about men being the source of women’s problems. Some readers agreed with me and others (a lot of men) didn’t. I didn’t care because I have my own personal experience, plus plenty of facts to back up my story. Here, yet again, is another fact — Gabby Petito is dead (an autopsy will soon confirm the remains found are hers) and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, has disappeared.
Per CNN, “ The FBI entered and searched the family home of Gabby Petito’s fiancé Brian Laundrie in Florida on Monday, a day after investigators across the country found what they believe to be her remains.
On Monday morning, FBI investigators searched Laundrie’s parents’ home in North Port as part of a “court-authorized search warrant” related to the Petito case. His parents were escorted from the home before the search and then were brought back inside for questioning, police said.
Meanwhile, investigators are still searching for Laundrie, who returned to the Florida home without Petito earlier this month, declined to talk to investigators, and then went missing last week. The search for him had centered on a nearby nature reserve, but investigators shifted their focus after they “exhausted all avenues in searching the grounds there,” North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor said Monday.
On Sunday, human remains that officials believe to be of Petito’s were found in a camping area in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest on the eastern edge of Grand Teton National Park. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to confirm the identity.” https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/20/us/gabby-petito-brian-laundrie-update/index.html
Women have suffered at the hands of men for thousands of years. We have been beaten, enslaved, raped, and murdered. Nowadays, it’s immediately assumed that when a woman has disappeared or is found dead, a man had something to do with the crime. And the general consensus would be correct. Usually, the criminal is known to the victim. It’s the woman’s boyfriend, husband, or coworker.
Why, in 2021, have men not evolved in their treatment of women? Women have evolved. We’re in every major facet of life. We run major corporations or start our own businesses. We take care of children and aging parents. We change careers and follow our passions. We travel the world, learning and growing.
That’s what happened to Gabby. In June, she and her boyfriend decided to go on a road trip across the country. They would visit national parks and share their adventures on social media. At first, all appeared to be going well. The couple was traveling, sharing their stories, and checking in with family. But in August, a run-in with the police seemed to signal that there was trouble in paradise.
Per CNN, “Petito and Laundrie had been road-tripping in a white van through the American West this summer, all while regularly posting photos and stories to their social media pages with the hashtag #vanlife.
Those posts abruptly stopped in late August, though. Laundrie returned to his home in North Port, Florida, with their van but without Petito on September 1, according to police. Petito’s family, unable to get in touch with her, reported her missing on September 11.”
When I first heard of Petito’s story, I knew she would not be found alive. How does someone return home without their fiancee and refuse to answer questions about their whereabouts? Laundrie and his family immediately hired attorneys in the days after Petito’s story became national news. Now, Laundrie has gone missing and may be hiding out in a 2000-acre nature reserve. Doesn’t seem like the actions of an innocent man to me.
Once Laundrie is found (hopefully alive), it’s everyone’s hope that he can answer questions about what happened to Petito and why he returned home without her. If the autopsy confirms that the remains found in the Wyoming park are hers, he definitely needs to provide some answers to the police. It’s just a shame that two young lives have been tragically upended — once again.
Men need to stop following outdated social norms in regards to women. We aren’t prizes to be won or trophies to be placed upon a shelf. Women aren’t punching bags either. We should be treated as partners — nothing less. Women don’t want to be placed on a pedestal or be prisoners in their own homes. They want to be treated as equals and help men be their best selves.
If men can stop following the edicts of toxic masculinity, they will see that women should be treated with respect, listened to with care, and valued for their knowledge. Men need to tell their sons, from an early age, that girls and women are their equals. We are their partners. We are not something to abuse or kill.
