Last summer, Gabby Petito’s loved ones filed a wrongful death suit against Moab police.

Her disappearance and tragic murder captivated much of the world in 2021. But, weeks earlier, police came face to face with Gabby and her killer.

That shameful moment is no secret. But it may have been worse than we realized.

Gabby’s face had visible injuries from her abuse that night. And there’s a selfie, taken around that time, to show it.

On August 12, 2021, a bystander called 911 to seek help for a young woman who was clearly being abused.

That young woman was Gabby Petito. The person who contacted emergency services witnessed a man hitting her.

That man was Brian Laundrie. Through escalating physical violence, he took her life before the end of the month.

Infamously, police showed up … but utterly failed Gabby. In fact, officers filed the domestic violence incident as a “mental health crisis” rather than as abuse.

Even the city of Moab has agreed that the “unintentional mistakes” by police left Gabby vulnerable to further abuse. Ultimately, it was Brian’s abuse that led to her grisly murder at the hands of the man she loved.

Now, her family’s lawsuit against Moab police has shed light on how glaringly obvious Gabby’s injuries should have been to police.

Gabby took this photo on her cell phone, in the back of her van, on August 12, 2021. She was in Moab at the time.

Attorney Brian C. Stewart spoke to People about the photo and how it not only highlights the tragedy of her death, but how people could and should have prevented it.

“I believe she knew she was in trouble and that this crossed the line and she took that picture in the back of the van,” Stewart expressed.

“According to available data, the image was taken a 4:37 PM, at or before the approximate time of the initial 911 call,” attorneys detailed about the photo of her injuries.

In the image, we can see a visible cut under Gabby’s eye. There are also remnants of blood on her cheek and forehead.

Domestic abusers tend to escalate over time, whether their targets are children or partners or others. It seems that Gabby felt that this escalation was frightening enough to document.

According to the lawsuit, Gabby showed her injuries to one of the officers.

The filing cites that “he ignored her and did nothing more to investigate or document the injury.”

It is her parents’ belief that Gabby would be alive today if Moab police had acted properly in response to the 911 call and acted to protect the victim of an obvious domestic violence incident.

“It is totally heartbreaking to see her hurt and scared and in need and to have her concerns ignored the way that it was,” Stewart commented to People.

“We believe that if they followed up and investigated those injuries and asked the questions,” he noted.

Stewart continued: “they should have they would have understood the danger she was in and she would have better understood the danger she was in. We believe she would be alive today if they handled it properly.”

Gabby Petito Selfie Shows Bloody Face Injuries: Did Police Ignore This? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.