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Letter: Petito case is not illustrative of “the missing white woman syndrome”

(Amber Baesler | AP) This Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, photo shows a Suffolk County Police Department missing person poster for Gabby Petito posted in Jakson, Wyo. Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country trip in a converted camper van with her boyfriend. Authorities say a body discovered Sunday, Sept. 19 in Wyoming, is believed to be Petito.

The coverage of Gabby Petito would not have changed with the color of her skin. An attractive young woman, documenting her travel, run in with cops, now missing, boyfriend winds up on the other side of the continent with her van. That is a story that will engage everyone — it seems obvious what happened. I would guess that the majority of missing people cases don’t have likely suspects, publically available evidence and intrigue like this one.

This case is not illustrative of “the missing white woman syndrome.”

Chuck McCown, Lake Point

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