Witschen said Petito was "so full of life" and "had her whole life ahead of her."
"She’s not just a name. She’s not just a case. She was a person and she was very special to a lot of people and many of us here," Witschen told WWAY. "She was a good soul, a good spirit and touched so many lives. That’s what we want her to be remembered for."
The Teton County coroner on Tuesday confirmed that human remains found Sunday at a campground near Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park were those of Petito. Petito's death was initially ruled a homicide, but the coroner provided no specific cause of death pending final autopsy results.
Petito and Laundrie left in July for a cross-country road trip that the couple documented on social media. While the trip was supposed to end in Oregon late next month, Laundrie returned to the couple's Florida home on Sept. 1 without Petito.
Petito's parents reported her missing 10 days later.
During a nationwide search led by the FBI, investigators accused Laundrie and those around him of withholding critical information about the case. When authorities seized Petito's van, Laundrie refused to speak with authorities, invoking his Fifth Amendment right, and instead hired a lawyer.
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