MSNBC host Joy Reid said Monday night that Gabby Petito’s disappearance would not be getting the media attention that it is garnering if Petito was not white.
Reid said that Petito’s case is an example of “missing white woman syndrome.”
“The term coined by the late and great Gwen Ifill to describe the media and public fascination with missing white women, like Laci Peterson or Natalee Holloway, while ignoring cases involving missing people of color,” Reid said.
The MSNBC host pointed out the case of 24-year-old Daniel Robinson, who went missing in June in the Arizona desert. The cases are very similar, Reid noted, but she said she had never heard of Robinson’s case until a friend sent her the story. (RELATED: Parents Of Missing 22-Year-Old Woman Ask Fiancé Family To Disclose Her Location If They Have ‘Any Decency Left’)
MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid: Media reporting Gabby Petito’s disappearance/presumed murder is symptom of “Missing White Woman Syndrome.” pic.twitter.com/UYAWgaDyYr
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 21, 2021
Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie left July 2 to go on a cross-country road trip. Petito visited Grand Teton National Park on Aug. 27 and was reported missing Sept. 11. The FBI and local police began searching the park Saturday, and news broadcasts showed a white tent and horses.
Laundrie returned from the couple’s road trip without Petito and refused to give information about her whereabouts to the police.
Investigators found a body at the Grand Teton National Park on Sunday. They said that the remains were likely Petito’s. (RELATED: Gabby Petito And Brian Laundrie: Everything You Need To Know)
“Earlier today, human remains were discovered consistent with the description of Gabrielle Gabby Petito,” FBI Denver field office supervisory senior resident agent Charles Jones said. “The cause of death has not been determined at this time.”