Kriti Mehrotra
It was in September 2021 that the entire world turned upside down for Gabrielle “Gabby” Venora Petito’s loved ones as her remains were found weeks after she was last seen alive. This much has been carefully chronicled in Netflix’s ‘American Murder: Gabby Petito,’ especially as it incorporates not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews with those close to the matter. Amongst those to thus feature in this production was none other than the late 22-year-old’s best friend, Rose Davis, who knew that the New York native’s life was not exactly idyllic.
Rose Davis and Gabby Petito Were Like Two Peas in a Pod
Although Rose Davis hails from Blairstown, New Jersey, she was based in Sarasota, Florida, by the time the early 2020s rolled around after having relocated years prior with her family. However, the youngster admittedly didn’t have much of a social circle, which is why she often turned to Bumble For Friends as well as different social media platforms to build new, interesting connections. That’s how she first came across Gabby Petito on the former app, who herself was struggling to find friends after having recently moved to be with her then-boyfriend, Brian Laundrie.
According to Rose’s own statements over the years, Gabby was the one to initiate their bond with one of the sweetest messages she thought she had ever received in her lifetime. It said something along the lines of, “You seem so cool” or “You seem fun as hell,” alongside the opening “I really wanna be your friend,” to which she responded with a simple “Absolutely!” So, the duo gradually began getting to know one another before eventually meeting up, just to realize they were like two peas in a pod in terms of their experiences and sense of humor.
Rose Davis Always Believed Gabby Petito’s Relationship Was Toxic
While Rose didn’t openly say anything to her new best friend at the time, she did see signs of control, manipulation, as well as toxicity in Gabby’s romance with boyfriend turned fiancé, Brian. According to the aforementioned original, the 20-year-old herself was fresh out of one such involvement around that time, so it wasn’t hard for her to see there was something wrong. In fact, she once told People that although she tried not to judge their relationship, she did notice how he allegedly always kept tabs on her, even if she was just with friends or at work.
Rose even went as far as to state that she believed Brian wasn’t supportive of Gabby’s dreams of wanting to be a social media influencer because he didn’t want her to become independent. She took these aspects as signs of abuse, especially as she had already witnessed the aftermath of several of their fights, so she had long categorized him as a “sociopath” in her mind. However, it wasn’t until her birthday on August 29, 2021, that she had a gut feeling something terrible had transpired as her best friend didn’t call to wish her while on a cross-country road trip with Brian, just to later learn she had disappeared two days prior.
Rose Davis is Doing Her Best to Move Forward in Life
The minute Rose heard the news Gabby was missing in early September 2021, she made a collage of their photos, edited it into a video with all the necessary information, and posted it online. Then, she got in touch with Gabby’s parents to see what else she could do to help before deciding to give interviews to raise awareness on the matter and possibly bring forth answers. In fact, after it came to light that Brian had returned home alone on September 1 before suddenly disappearing 13 days later, she made it clear she believed he was hiding in the wilderness.
Rose never expected Brian to take his own life, but that’s what happened, and she felt a sense of closure when she heard that Gabby’s remains had been recovered from Wyoming’s Bridger–Teton National Forest. Since then, it appears as if she has been doing her best to keep her late best friend’s memories alive by supporting domestic violence awareness as well as the foundation created in her name by her parents. As for her own personal standing, the concert, dance, and travel enthusiast still resides in Sarasota, Florida, where she seems to be leading a content life alongside a loving partner as well as some great friends.
Read More: Nichole and Jim Schmidt: Where Are Gabby Petito’s Mom and Step-Dad Now?
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