Indigenous women disappeared in the same state as Gabby Petito

"She touched the world," Father Gabby Petito said in a recent Twitter post.

The phrase does not exaggerate at all: from day one, the young woman's story moved and captivated public opinion, causing a frenzy in social networks and media coverage. 

The 22-year-old disappeared in early September while traveling through the country's parks with her fiancé, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie.

Her family last heard from her on August 30, two days before the boy returned home alone. 

But Petito is just one of many cases, experts warn.

There are hundreds of incidents of indigenous people who have disappeared in the same state in the last decade — and they have not been received with the same empathy and media coverage.

The remains of Gabby Petito were found in a forest in Wyoming.The Moab Police Department via AP

At least 710 indigenous people, mostly girls, went missing in Wyoming between 2011 and 2020, according to a report released in January by the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Task Force.

The vast majority, 85%, were children, while 57% were women, Insider reports. 

In 21% of cases, people remain missing for 30 days or more, the report says.

In white people, only 11% cannot be found in that period of time.

Petito's family, a 22-year-old white girl from New York, reported her missing on September 11.

Her body was found this Sunday and an autopsy confirmed Tuesday that she was killed.

The Petito case has sparked interest in other similar events.

A tweet that went viral recalled Daniel Robinson, 24, a geologist who disappeared in the desert outside Buckeye, Arizona, just over two months ago.

Robinson was last seen on the morning of June 23 driving near Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road in his blue 2017 Jeep Renegade. The young man did not tell anyone where he was going or why he was leaving and nothing has been heard. of him since then, according to authorities.

The police release videos of the young Gabby Petito recorded before her disappearance

Sept.

16, 202100: 31

Robinson's vehicle was found thrown into a ravine on July 19 about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) southwest of where Robinson was last seen, according to police.

The vehicle's airbags were deployed and evidence indicates that Robinson was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

His clothes, mobile phone, wallet and keys were found at the scene, according to police. 

Since then, the Buckeye Police Department has worked with outside agencies to search more than 70 square miles (122 kilometers).

Investigators have used Utility Task Vehicle vehicles, sniffer dogs and air support, including a drone and helicopter, according to a statement issued Thursday. 

Daniel Robinson's vehicle when it was found BUCKEYE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Two weeks ago a petition was created by the Robinson family with the intention of holding the Buckeye Police Department responsible, in charge of investigating the case. 

In it, his father, David Robinson, claims that he has done more to find his son than law enforcement since his son disappeared.

As of Monday afternoon, they had collected more than 8,000 signatures.

Frivolity in social networks

Domestic violence is frequently downplayed or trivialized on social media.

And the case of Petito has not been an exception.

In the short video application TikTok, the hashtag #GabbyPetito has more than 500 million visits.

Jessica Dean, creator of TikTok, published a video that is already viral and that attacks the insensitivity of users.

“I did a 28-part monetized series on my account about all of this, going over every detail, including his Spotify playlist.

I just dug up every inch of this poor girl's life for my personal entertainment, ”she told USA TODAY.

"People are absorbed by the case," he said, "as if they were watching something a series of

True Crime (

narrative genre that narrates the investigation and reconstruction of real crimes), when in reality behind all that, ultimately, there is a woman who (has died) ”, he recalled.