Galveston County domestic violence advocates plan to push for repeat offender registry

TEXAS CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- It was an emotional day for some in Galveston County as the family of a deadly domestic violence case that gained national attention shared their story.

For two emotional hours, Gabby Petito's family shared stories, played police body camera video, and pushed for education during an event in Texas City on Wednesday. Those spoke to a group of survivors, advocates, and law enforcement.

The Resource and Crisis Center of Galveston County said it's unfortunately grown busier. The agency said more people in Galveston County are turning to help in domestic violence situations.

Last year, officials told ABC13 they provided 20,000 nightly stays to survivors, up from 15,000 the year before.

They also took in 7,000 calls to their hotline. The numbers prompted them to look for help with education.

That's when the group turned to two grieving parents. Gabby Petito's mom, Cecily Petito, and stepmom, Nicole Schmidt, shared their story with about 100 people. Officers said their daughter was believed to have been strangled by her fiancé while traveling the country in 2021.

During the event, the parents played body camera video taken just days before her death of officers who pulled them over after receiving 911 calls about the couple. Petito's family believes it shows officers didn't do enough.

"There was an opportunity missed that day. Gabby was telling them something through her body language," Schmidt said. "Through her words. She was saying things that did not add up."

Law enforcement in the audience agreed and said there are lessons learned that can be applied in Galveston County.

"They never asked about the 911 call, where they said she was punched," La Marque Police Chief Byron Franklin said. "There were things that were missed, and it really breaks your heart because if they had stopped, slowed down, and done that, she might be alive today."

Advocates said even more needs to be done. That's why they plan to push lawmakers in the next session to create a registry for repeat domestic violence offenders.

"I think that would be very important because we also know that they're also the people who are more likely to kill our police officers," Resource & Crisis Center of Galveston County CEO Cecily Wilson Henderson said. "They also are those people out there who are committing sexual assaults."

"It would not have helped Gabby in her situation, but it would help others, and that's why we're here, because if we can help one person, that's why we're here," Petito said.

The Texas Council on Family Violence data shows domestic violence incidents are up by more than 30%over the last six years. We asked advocates what may be behind the increase.

They said it could be the rise of social media platforms. With more access to violent images, they believe it could be creating more domestic violence situations.

For updates on this story, follow Nick Natario on Facebook, X and Instagram.