Jim Schmidt, co-founder of the Gabby Petito Foundation, was in Richmond today training emergency workers to identify signs of domestic violence and strangulation. Schmidt's 22-year-old stepdaughter, Gabby Petito, was strangled to death by her fianc during a cross-country road trip in 2021.

The former firefighter partnered with the Bon Secours Saint Mary's Violence Response Team to educate emergency workers about strangulation, one of the most under-reported forms of abuse.

"It's really raw and emotional, so it always starts with our story and why I'm there, and then we get into what domestic violence really looks like," Schmidt said. "We talk a lot about the non-physical forms of abuse, power and control, how that leads towards physical violence and eventual homicide."

Schmidt emphasize

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