The body cam video that became famous: Gabby Petito's family says cops in the small U.S. town of Moab should have done a better job protecting the 22-year-old here.

DLNews Crime:

It was one of the most spectacular murder cases in recent memory!

Brian Laundrie also appears in the bodycam video. Less than two weeks later, he murdered his fiancée.

In the summer of 2021, the U.S. American Gabby Petito (†22) initially disappeared without a trace. She had left with her fiancé Brian Laundrie (†23) for a trip across the States.

HE returned alone, while Gabby's parents reported HER missing. A short time later, Laundrie - already a strong suspect then - went into hiding. Then, in October, the 23-year-old's remains were found. He had shot himself in the head, and investigators discovered the murder confession in a notebook.

Mother Nicole and stepfather Jim Schmidt in front of a picture of the murdered daughter.

Some 14 months after the young woman's body was found (cause of death: strangulation) - her parents sued Utah State Police for $50 million. They accuse officers of negligence.

"Gabby would be alive today," said attorney James W. McConkie, if police had followed regulations for dealing with domestic violence victims. The lawyer was referring to an incident in mid-August 2021 - made world-famous by the bodycam video.

To be seen on it: The completely distraught 22-year-old reporting a fisticuff to the cops. The officers let the travelers go on the condition that they spend the next night apart. Less than two weeks later, Gabby Petito was dead.

The family's lawsuit says police at the time mistook Brian Laundrie for the victim, failing to adequately protect the influencer (more than a million followers on Instagram).

Gabby's mother, Nicole Schmidt: "We need to ensure justice is done."

Gabby's mother, Nicole Schmidt, told reporters, "We feel like we need justice because she could have been protected that day." She said the bereaved families were concerned that such a failure would not happen again.

The Moab (Utah) Police Department denied the serious allegations. However, a statement from the small town said, "No one could have foreseen on Aug. 12 the tragedy that would occur weeks later and hundreds of miles away." It said it would vehemently oppose the lawsuit.