Idaho Falls, ID (KIFI) – On December 1st from 7-8 pm, a joint public safety forum will be held at Eastern Idaho College, organized by the parents and loved ones of Dylan Rounds and Gabby Petito. This event aims to enhance public safety awareness and will feature Nichole and Jim Schmidt, the parents of Gabby Petito, as well as Candice Cooley, the mother of Dylan Rounds.
Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman, lost her life during a cross-country trip, with her remains discovered in September 2021 in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. This tragic event has led the Schmidts to establish the Gabby Petito Foundation, which focuses on public awareness and safety.
Dylan Rounds, a 19-year-old, went missing in May 2022 from a remote area in northern Utah, and his remains were found in April 2024. Following this tragedy, Candice Cooley started the Dylan’s Legacy Foundation to honor her son’s memory and support public safety initiatives.
Prior to the forum, there will be training sessions for local law enforcement officers, focused on enhancing their skills in digital forensics, cell phone data analysis, and other technology-based investigative tools. These sessions will be led by law enforcement experts, including Detective Aaron Benzick from Plano, Texas, retired FBI agent Jeff Ross, and Matthew Anderson, Deputy Director of the Intermountain West Regional Computer Forensic Lab.
This training is sponsored by the Dylan Rounds Foundation and is open to law enforcement officers from across the state. Those interested in participating can find more information and apply for the training online.
The public safety forum is open to all community members and will take place in rooms 150-152 of Building 6 at the College of Eastern Idaho, located at 1600 South 25th East. Everyone is encouraged to attend and engage in discussions to improve community safety awareness.
For more information about the event and Dylan’s Legacy, click here.
