Disappearance of Gabby Petito

Overview

Disappearance of Gabby Petito refers to the missing persons' case surrounding travel influencer Gabrielle Petito, who went missing while on a cross-country trip with boyfriend Brian Laundrie in August of 2021. The couple was documenting their journey on social media before Petito's disappearance, and social media took an intense interest in the case after her disappearance went public on September 11th, 2021. As of September 20th, 2021, police have said they have found a body "consistent" with Petito in Wyoming, though they have not confirmed the body's identity nor the cause of death. Laundrie is also missing as of September 20th.

Background

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito began a cross-country trip from New York on July 2nd, 2021, looking to document their journey on social media.^[1] Through July, they posted several photos on their respective Instagram accounts^[2][3] in midwestern states such as Colorado, Utah, and Kansas.

On August 12th, 2021, police were called on the couple following a physical altercation. Petito had struck Laundrie and when talked to by police, Petito was in an intense emotional state. Laundrie told police that the trip was taking an intense emotional strain on the couple and both told police that Petito suffered from severe anxiety. The pair were separated for the evening and Bodycam footage was later released from the incident.^[4]

On August 19th, 2021, the couple uploaded a video to the YouTube channel Nomadik Static documenting their journey (shown below).

Petito made her final post to Instagram on August 25th, 2021. Petito's parents say they received text messages from her phone on August 30th saying they were about to lose cell service, but they do not believe the texts came from Petito.^[1] On September 1st, Laundrie returned to the couple's home in Florida without Petito.

Developments

On September 11th, 2021, Gabrielle Petito's parents reported her missing.^[1] North Port, Florida police went to Laundrie's home that evening but Laundrie refused to speak to police. On September 14th, Stephen Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, gave a statement to Insider saying:

"This is understandably an extremely difficult time for both the Petito family and the Laundrie family. It is our understanding that a search has been organized for Miss Petito in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is re-united with her family. On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment."

The same day, the Petito family issued a statement saying Laundrie was withholding crucial information, such as where he last saw her and why he drove their van back to Florida without her. The following day, police named Laundrie as a person of interest in the case.

On September 17th, Laundrie's family reported that Brian had been missing since the 14th after saying he would go on a hike in a local nature reserve in Florida. This led police to open a missing persons' case on Brian Laundrie.

On September 19th, the police reported that they have found human remains "consistent with the description of" Petito in Grand Teton National Park, where it is believed Petito and Laundrie last had contact. They were unable to 100% confirm it was Petito at the time.

Discovery Of Brian Laundrie's Remains

On October 21st, 2021, a month after Brian Laundrie went missing, his remains were discovered in the Carlton Reserve of Florida. An initial autopsy was unable to confirm the cause of death.

Online Presence

The case drew intense interest on social media. A subreddit on the case, /r/GabbyPetito,^[6] was created on September 13th, 2021, and gained over 90,800 members in one week. "#BrianLaundrie"^[5] trended on Twitter on September 20th, as people followed and offered their thoughts on the missing person. Additionally, it is believed a road-tripping family may have had a hand in helping police find the likely body of Petito. On August 27th, the Bethune family caught footage of the couple's van in the Spread Creek camping area near Grand Teton National Park. They posted their footage on September 19th, 2021 (shown below, right).

Furthermore, an August 29th TikTok posted by user Miranda Baker noted she had picked up Laundrie hitchhiking in Wyoming.^[7]

Search Interest

External References