NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Gabby Petito’s family members traveled to Nashville to share her story and raise awareness about domestic violence at a benefit event featuring a local musician and advocates.
Click here for detailed information on the events surrounding Gabby Petito’s death in 2021 and the investigation and legal action that followed.
The Break the Silence benefit, held at JBJ’s Sunday, was put on by organizations including the Joseph Family Foundation and the Gabby Petito Foundation.
Petito’s parents and stepparents attended the event, where they shared some of Gabby’s artwork, screened a documentary about her death, and took part in a panel discussion on domestic violence.
“Losing a child is the worst thing that any parent could ever look at. We grieve every single day,” said Tara Petito, Gabby’s stepmother.
The family said they hope to spread the word about red flags to look for if a loved one may be in an abusive situation.
“One of the major ones for Gabby was isolation,” Tara Petito said.
Advocates with the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence attended the event Sunday.
They told me isolation and a pattern of control by a significant other are major red flags for potential violence.
Country and Americana recording artist Caryn Dixon performed at the event and shared her own story of surviving an abusive relationship.
“I suddenly was, you know, 10-15 years into a very toxic situation, I had quit music completely,” Dixon said.
Dixon said she primarily suffered emotional abuse, which can be especially difficult to recognize.
“Emotional abuse goes on for so long, hidden too, because it’s a lot harder to identify. So that’s what I mostly went through,” Dixon said.
She said leaving was not a simple process.
“I mean, I tried to leave 7 times, I think,” Dixon said.
Dixon eventually left and returned to performing and writing music, including a song partly inspired by her own experiences.
“Bird In A Cage is a story of a woman coming out of an abusive situation, realizing she’s in an abusive situation, and then fleeing and starting her life over,” Dixon said.
According to recent data from the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence from January to October of 2025, at least 37 Tennesseans were murdered in domestic violence-related incidents.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, click here for a list of resources available to get help in the Nashville area.
You can also call 1-800-799-SAFE, which serves as a nation-wide hotline to help people experiencing domestic violence.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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