“I know how you feel”: The Gabby Petito case brings back painful memories for the St. Petersburg family

NS. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – Ruthie Maynard-Jones has a unique perspective when it comes to the Gabby Petito case.

“I know how these parents feel. I know how you feel, ”said Maynard-Jones. “You know, I really do. I really do. “

Ruthie Maynard-Jones wipes the tears from her eyes as she remembers her daughter “Rae”.

It has been almost two years since police said Ruthie’s ex Stanley Jones set fire to her house on 22nd Avenue North and then waited for her and her daughter Marqueita Maynard to come home when they were ambushed.

Police say Jones stabbed them both, and although Ruthie survived, her daughter Marqueita, or Rae as her mother called her, died on the scene.

“I just want her here. I want to touch her. I want to kiss her. I want to rub her nose, ”Maynard-Jones said. “I want her to jump on my back.”

Now, watching the Petito case, she feels like she is reliving the nightmare.

The FBI received a video of the Laundrie family’s visit to Fort De Soto in early September, MPs say

“It’s like feeling those stab wounds all over again. It’s just unknown, ”said Maynard Jones. “It’s like I don’t know where my daughter is.”

She believes the Petito family shouldn’t feel like they are alone.

“For Gabby’s family, you are in our prayers, we are with you,” Maynard-Jones said. “You are not alone, you are absolutely not alone. Self-help groups are so important. “

Maynard-Jones also has a message for Brian Laundrie’s parents.

“If you know where your baby is, you have to tell him to turn,” Maynard-Jones said. “Whatever it is, whatever happened, let it be fixed. Because the pain everyone has. There is absolutely no victory in this situation. “

Jones now faces numerous charges, including first degree murder, attempted murder, and arson for allegedly setting fire to the house.

The post “I know how you feel”: The Gabby Petito case brings back painful memories for the St. Petersburg family first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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