Killing of Gabby Petito

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In August 2021, 22-year-old American womanGabrielle Venora Petitowas killed by her fiancéBrian Christopher Laundriewhile they were traveling together on avanlifejourney across the United States. The trip was planned to last for four months and began on July 2, 2021, but Petito disappeared on August 27.

Killing of Gabby Petito
LocationBridger–Teton National Forest,Wyoming, U.S.
Date
  • Killing of Petito:
  • Uncertain day in late August 2021
  • (3–4 weeks prior to discovery of remains on September 19)
  • Laundrie's suicide:
  • c.September 21, 2021
Attack type
Homicidebyblunt traumaandstrangulation
Murder-suicide
Deaths2 (including perpetrator)
VictimGabby Petito
PerpetratorBrian Laundrie
MotiveUnknown

After Petito's disappearance, Laundrie raised suspicion when he drove the van fromWyomingback to his parents'Floridahome and refused to discuss her whereabouts. He was deemed aperson of interestin the case and anarrest warrantwas issued on charges of him making withdrawals using herdebit card.He left his home on September 13 and was reported missing four days later.

On September 19, Petito's remains were found in Wyoming'sBridger–Teton National Forest.An autopsy found that she was killed byblunt-forceinjuries to her head and neck and manualstrangulation.After a month of speculation around Laundrie's whereabouts, and an extended search of the area around his home, his skeletal remains were discovered in Florida'sMyakkahatchee Creek Environmental Parkon October 20. It was confirmed by an autopsy on November 23 that Laundrie had died from aself-inflicted gunshot woundto the head, and theFBIlater announced that he had admitted to killing Petito in his notebook, which was found near his remains.

The case gained widespread attention due to the couple's documenting of their travels onsocial media,leakedpolice body cameravideo footage,9-1-1emergency dispatch call recordings, eyewitness accounts, the actions of Laundrie's parents, and the extensive media coverage.

Gabby Petito

Gabby Petito
Petito in 2021
Born
Gabrielle Venora Petito

(1999-03-19)March 19, 1999
DisappearedAugust 27, 2021
StatusFound deceased
Diedc.August 2021 (aged 22)
Cause of deathBlunt traumaandstrangulation
Body discovered(2021-09-19)September 19, 2021
Bridger–Teton National Forest, Wyoming,U.S.
PartnerBrian Laundrie (2019–2021)

Gabrielle Venora Petito (March 19, 1999 –c.late August 2021) was born and raised inBlue Point, New York.[1]She had six younger siblings and half-siblings. In 2013, Petito and her step-brothers appeared in a music video to raise awareness aboutAmerican gun violencein response to theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting.[2][3]In 2017, she graduated fromBayport-Blue Point High SchoolinBayport, New York,[4]where she met Brian Christopher Laundrie.[5]From September 2017 to January 2019, she lived inCarolina Beach, North Carolina,working as a hostess and in the kitchen of a restaurant in nearbyWilmington.She applied toCape Fear Community College,but did not attend.[6]

Petito began dating Laundrie in March 2019,[7]and moved in with him and his parents inNorth Port, Florida.The couple worked at aPublixin North Port, where she was apharmacy technicianand he was in the grocery department. They quit their jobs at the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[5][8]

In late 2019 and early 2020, the couple embarked on a cross-country drive from New York toCalifornia.Along the way, they visitedLas Vegas,Yosemite National Park,Pismo Beach,and other points of interest.[4]In March 2020, Petito celebrated her 21st birthday inNokomis, Florida.[4]She and Laundrie visitedSope Creek, Georgia,in June 2020, and the two were engaged the following month.[9]

In December 2020, Petito purchased a 2012Ford Transit Connectvan converted into acamper,in which the couple would take their next cross-country trip.[10]To save money for the trip, she began working 50-hour weeks atTaco Bell[8]and as anutritionistwhile Laundrie took a job at an organicjuice bar.[11]Petito documented her life and travels onsocial mediasites such asYouTubeandInstagram,where she described her interests as "art, yoga, and veggies".[4][5]

Disappearance

Road trip

Laundrie and Petito traveled in a white 2012Ford Transit Connectsimilar to the one pictured here which is a 2010 Ford Transit Connect XLT.[12]

On June 17, 2021, Petito and Laundrie visited her native Blue Point for her brother's graduation ceremony. On July 2, 2021, they left Blue Point in the Ford Transit Connect van for their trip. Later that month, they visitedMonument Rocks,Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve,Zion National Park,Bryce Canyon National Park,Mystic Hot Springs,andCanyonlands National Park.[4]

Domestic disturbance incident

On August 12, 2021, a witness called9-1-1to report that a couple (later identified as Laundrie and Petito) were fighting in front of the Moonflower Community Cooperative inMoab, Utah.[11]The caller said they saw a man slap a woman, after which the man and woman ran up and down the sidewalk, then the man hit the woman again before they drove off together.[13]Another witness described the incident to police as looking like Petito and Laundrie were talking "aggressively" and that Petito "was punching him in the arm". The witness said it looked like Laundrie was trying to leave Petito behind and take her phone with him. Before they drove off together, she climbed into the driver's seat, moved over into the passenger's seat so he could drive, and asked him, "Why do you have to be so mean?"[14]

Officers from the Moab City Police Department (MCPD) identified the van driving erratically near the entrance toArches National Parkand conducted atraffic stop.They found Petito crying heavily in the passenger's seat, withpolice body camerafootage showing that she then told officers:

Yeah, I don't know if some days, I have really badOCD.I was just cleaning and straightening up, back in the... I was apologizing to him and saying, "I'm sorry that I'm so mean," because sometimes I have OCD and sometimes I can get really frustrated. Not like mean towards him. I just like, I just, my vibe is, I'm in a bad mood. And, I was just saying I'm sorry if I'm in a bad mood. I just... I had so much work I was doing on my computer this morning. And, I just now quit my job to travel across the country and I'm trying to start a blog. I have a blog. So I've been building my website. I've been really stressed and he doesn't really believe that I could do any of it, so, we've just been fighting all morning and he wouldn't let me in the car before.[11][15][16]

Petito first downplayed the physical altercation; after the officer pointed out marks on her arm and face and told her to "just be honest", she said that Laundrie "kept telling [her] to shut up" and "grabbed [her] face" which had caused an injury.[17]

Laundrie told the officer, "I said, 'Let's just take a breather and let's not go anywhere, and just calm down for a minute.' She was getting worked up. And then she had her phone and was trying to get the keys from me. I was just trying to [...] I know I shouldn't push her. I was just trying to push her away to go, 'Let's take a minute and step back and breathe and see.' She got me with her phone."[11][18]

Petito told the officer that she hit Laundrie first, and asked the officers to not separate them.[17]In his report, one of the officers wrote, "At no point in my investigation did Gabrielle stop crying, breathing heavily, or compose a sentence without needing to wipe away tears, wipe her nose, or rub her knees with her hands. The male tried to create distance by telling Gabby to take a walk to calm down. [...] She did not want to be separated from the male and began slapping him. He grabbed her face and pushed her back as she pressed upon him and the van."[14]

Neither Petito nor Laundrie wanted to press charges as a result of the incident, which was characterized by police as amental breakdownrather thandomestic violence,which would have required an arrest. The police separated the couple, arranging for Laundrie to spend a night at the Bowen Motel in Moab,[19]and for Petito to stay in the van.[11]

The MCPD later investigated whether or not its officers handled the case in accordance with the department's policies, and itschief of policetook aleave of absenceduring the investigation.[20][21][22]

Last reported activities and sightings

Bridger–Teton National ForestinWyoming

On August 17, Laundrie took a flight fromSalt Lake CitytoTampa, Florida,leaving Petito behind. Petito spent several days at aFairfield Inn and Suiteshotel nearSalt Lake City International Airport,according to staff, and checked out on August 24.[13][23]It was later explained by the Laundrie family attorney that he made the trip to "obtain some items and empty and close thestorage unitto save money as they contemplated extending the road trip ".[24]Laundrie returned on August 23 to rejoin Petito and continue the trip.[25]

Petito's mother said that she last spoke to her daughter on August 25 and had been told that the couple were traveling from Utah toGrand TetonandYellowstonenational parks. On August 25, the final post was made on Petito's Instagram account, which consisted of photos of herself taken in front of a butterfly mural outside a restaurant inOgden, Utah.[13][26]

On August 27, Petito and Laundrie were filmed by a CCTV at aWhole Foodsstore inJackson, Wyoming.They arrived at the parking lot at 2:11 p.m. and entered the store at 2:14 p.m. before exiting at 2:30 p.m. and heading back into the van. After about 20 minutes of sitting in the van, they eventually drove away and got onHighway 89,the road north toBridger–Teton National Forestcampsite at 2:56 p.m.[27]This was the last time Petito was seen alive.[28]

Eyewitness accounts of the couple thereafter were as follows:

  • A witness said that, on August 27 between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. she saw Laundrie and Petito together at the Merry PigletsTex-Mexrestaurant inJackson Hole,Wyoming. Per the witness, Laundrie was "aggressive" and had an argument (apparently regarding money) with the manager, waitress, and hostess. The witness said she later saw Petito return to the restaurant, crying and apologizing for Laundrie's behavior. Restaurant staff confirmed via Instagram that the couple were indeed there.[29][30]
  • Another witness contacted theFBIto report the activities and coordinates of a slow-moving white van and a "generic" young white man "acting weird" near the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area on August 26, 27, and possibly 28. She posted a video onTikTokdetailing her observations. According to the witness, an FBI agent said that her account "tipped [the FBI] off" to the correct location of Petito's remains.[31]
  • A woman said in a TikTok video that on August 29, she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a lift from an area nearColter Bay Villageafter seeing him hitchhiking alone.[32]She reported that Laundrie "freaked out" upon learning that they were going to Jackson Hole instead ofJackson, Wyoming,disembarking the vehicle at 6:09 p.m. near theJackson Lake Damless than 30 minutes and 10 mi (16 km) after being picked up. The witness found it "weird" that Laundrie offered $200 for the ride and did not appear to be very dirty, despite claiming that he had been camping for days.[33][34]
  • Another witness stated that she picked up Laundrie from the Jackson Lake Dam area at 6:20 or 6:30 p.m. on August 29, dropping him off at the entrance to the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area. Laundrie offered gas money for the 20 minute ride, but did not want to be taken further than the entrance of the campground, which was several miles from the van. According to the witness, Laundrie acted "antsy" about getting out of the vehicle as it got closer to the campsite.[35][36]

On August 27, a text from Petito's phone was sent to her mother which read, "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls." The message raised concerns for Petito's mother, who said that Stan was Petito's grandfather and that she never referred to him by his first name.[37]The last message, sent on August 30, simply said "no service in Yosemite". Her mother expressed uncertainty about who sent these messages.[38]

On August 29, Laundrie called his mother, and as their conversation was brought to the end, his tone "completely changed". After that, Laundrie's father contacted him back, and Laundrie told him that "Gabby's gone", and that he may need a lawyer.[39]

On September 1, Laundrie returned alone to his parents'North Porthome in the Ford Transit Connect.[10]On September 6 and 7, he and his parents went camping atFort De Soto ParkinPinellas County.[1]

Investigation

Petito and Laundrie reported missing

On September 11, after not hearing from Petito since late August, Petito's mother filed amissing personreport.[40]Four days later, Laundrie was named aperson of interest.His parents hired a lawyer and, based on his advice, remained silent and refused to talk to anyone about the case.[13]

Police surveilled the Laundrie home and saw him leave on September 13. Two days later, they saw his car return; police believed the person who exited the car and entered the home was Laundrie.[41]The following day, North Port police chief Todd Garrison told reporters, "All I'm going to say is we know where Brian Laundrie is at."[42]On September 17, Laundrie was reported missing by his parents, who claimed not to have seen him since September 13.[43]It was at this time that police realized that they had mistaken Laundrie's mother for Laundrie himself on September 15.[41][44]

After obtainingsearch warrants,police seized the Ford Transit Connect, anexternal hard drive,and the Laundrie family'sFord Mustangfrom the North Port residence.[45]

Discovery of Petito's remains

On September 19, human remains matching the description of Petito were found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area in Wyoming,[46]not far from where the Ford Transit Connect was previously observed.[13][47]Her identity was confirmed and an autopsy determined that the manner of death was homicide by "blunt-forceinjuries to the head and neck, with manualstrangulation",[48]which occurred three to four weeks before the body was found.[13]

Search for Laundrie and discovery of remains

On September 23, theUnited States District Court for the District of Wyomingissued anarrest warrantfor Laundrie due to his unauthorized use of Petito'sdebit cardto obtain $1,000 or more between August 30 and September 1.[49][50][51]The FBI took material tomatch Laundrie's DNAfrom his home.[52]

On October 5, in an interview withABC News,Laundrie's sister encouraged him to surrender to authorities.[53]Two days later, Laundrie's father joined investigators in searching for him at theT. Mabry Carlton ReserveinSarasota County, Florida,[54]focusing on areas he used to frequent in the reserve and the adjacentMyakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.

On October 20, Laundrie'sskeletal remains(identified byforensic dentistry) and some of his belongings were found in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, in an area that had recently been underwater due to flooding.[55][56]His cause of death could not be determined by an autopsy, and his remains were given to aforensic anthropologistfor further examination.[57]On November 23, it was announced that the anthropologist had concluded that Laundrie died of aself-inflicted gunshot woundto the head.[58]

Laundrie's admission

On January 21, 2022, the FBI revealed that Laundrie's notebook, which was found near his remains, contained an entry in which he admitted to killing Petito and deceiving people that she was still alive via text messages. He was officially blamed for Petito's death by authorities.[59]The FBI Denver Division closed the investigation and stated, "The investigation did not identify any other individuals other than Brian Laundrie directly involved in the tragic death of Gabby Petito. The FBI's primary focus throughout the investigation was to bring justice to Gabby and her family."[60]

In June 2022, the Laundrie family's lawyer released the full notebook entry, in which Laundrie claims that he killed Petito after she had fallen and injured herself: "I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but now I see all the mistake [sic] I made. "[61]The note ends with his plans for suicide: "I am ending my life not because of a fear of punishment but rather because I can't stand to live another day without her."[62]Experts, however, contend that Laundrie's account does not match investigators' findings. Michael Alcazar from theJohn Jay College of Criminal Justicebelieved Laundrie was "someone who doesn't want to own up to what he did" and was "trying to find justification for the actions he did".[61]

Public interest

Media outside the Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida, on September 20, 2021

The case sparked more public interest and coverage on news and social media than other missing persons and murder cases.[63][64][65]This heightened interest was attributed to several factors, such as the refusal by Laundrie and his parents to comment on Petito's whereabouts,[13]the amount of content on social media documenting the couple's lifestyle,[66]the video footage of the Utah traffic stop, the audio recording of the 9-1-1 call,[63][66][67]the video posts by witnesses which provided a lot of publicly available evidence, the idea that those involved were a young and attractive couple in a romantic getaway gone wrong,[64][66]thedomestic violenceincidents in their relationship, an increased interest in cross-countryvan-dwellingtrips due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,[66]and the general increased interest intrue crime-related entertainment in the decade leading up to Petito's murder.[64]

There was speculation that the case is linked to themurders of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner,which occurred in Moab around the same time Laundrie and Petito were there.[68]

Public involvement in the case included witnesses and others posting their observations and theories on social media,[64]protestors demanding answers outside the Laundrie home, acandlelight vigilfor Petito in her hometown,[69]and donations to the Gabby Petito Foundation established by her parents to support searches for othermissing persons.[70]The increased interest in the search for Laundrie and Petito led to the discovery of five bodies of other missing persons.[71]While some posts on social media regarding the case were helpful in the investigation, many of them have been characterized as insensitive, unhelpful, motivated by potentially increased exposure or financial reward, or outrightmisinformation.[63][64][65][66]

The high volume of media coverage of the case was cited among some commentators as an example ofmissing white woman syndrome,which is defined as the news media's over-emphasis on missing person cases involving young, attractive, white, upper-middle-class women or girls compared to the relative lack of attention towards people who go missing and do not fit that description.[63][66][72][73]In comparing Petito's case to others, several outlets noted the relative lack of media attention towards the approximately 710indigenous peoplewho were reported missing in or near the same location from 2011 to 2020.[63][73][74][75]

Lawsuits

Petito's parents sued Laundrie's parents and their attorney, with their November 30, 2023, amended complaint claiming pain and emotional distress due to Laundrie's parents and their attorney withholding information regarding Petito's death.[76]A Florida judge previously allowed the suit to proceed.[77]On November 17, 2022, in a lawsuit for wrongful death brought against Laundrie's estate by Petito's estate, her estate was awarded $3 million, the recovery of which was doubtful.[78]In November 2022, Petito's parents filed a $50 million lawsuit against theMoabpolice department,[79]the complaint of which was amended in 2023 to include allegations that officer Eric Pratt admitted that he was aware Laundrie was a threat, but decided to ignore the law, and that the department did not abide by its own Lethality Assessment Protocol.[80]

Television adaptation

On October 1, 2022,Lifetimereleased a TV movie calledThe Gabby Petito Storyas part of itsRipped from the Headlinesseries. Directed byThora Birch,the film starsSkyler Samuelsas Petito, Evan Hall as Laundrie, and Birch as Petito's mother.[81]

See also

References

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