With bright smiles, a small white van and plans to conquer the vast interior of the US, Gabby Petito and her partner set off on the journey of a lifetime back in June. But it was one that would end in the most tragic of circumstances.
Now a slew of
The unanswered questions about the tragic death of Gabby Petito
By Ben Graham
news.com.au·
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Dark picture of couple emerges
On August 9, just a few weeks after they had set off, Petito posted a photograph of herself on Instagram sitting under an arch in Arches National Park, Utah.
The same day that she posted the picture, the police in Moab, Utah, responded to a report of a "domestic problem" after Laundrie had "some sort of argument" with Petito, according to a police report.
Officers at the scene suggested the couple separate for the night, which they did. Officers, in the report, described Petito as "confused and emotional".
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In the mysterious video, Petito can been seen crying as she tells the officer the pair had been "fighting" and that Laundrie wouldn't let her into the van until she "calmed down".
The couple told police that they were in love, engaged to be married and "desperately didn't wish to see anyone charged with a crime".
According to the police report, Laundrie told an officer that "issues between the two had been building over the last few days".
"After evaluating the totality of the circumstances, I do not believe the situation escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much as that of a mental health crisis," officer Daniel Robbins wrote in the police report.
No charges were filed, and it appeared – on the surface at least – that the pair were determined to continue making good memories on the trip.
Just eight days later, the couple posted an eight-minute video of themselves on YouTube called Beginning Our Van Life Journey.
It showed them feeding each other, smiling, running along beaches, kissing, giving each other piggybacks and camping in the wild.
"I love the van," Petito can be heard saying in the video as she smiles at Laundrie.
Gabby Petito's family loses contact
It became clear to Petito's family just days after the happy highlights reel of the trip emerged that something wasn't quite right after they lost contact with her.
They said they spoke to her last on a FaceTime call in the final week of August.
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She told them that she and Laundrie were leaving Utah and driving to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Petito's mother only received a few texts from her daughter after that.
Another ominous sign emerged when Petito – who by all accounts was prolific on social media – suddenly stopped posting updates from her trip on August 25.
Her final post shows her holding a knitted pumpkin with a caption saying "Happy Halloween".
On August 30, her family received their last text from Petito. They doubt she wrote that text, which read: "No service in Yosemite."
Fiance arrives home, alone
Alarm bells really started to ring for Petito's family when on September 1 Laundrie returned alone to the couple's home in North Port Florida, south of Tampa, where his parents also live.
The white van the couple had been travelling in was later recovered by police at the home – police have now taken it for examination.
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Ten days later, Petito's family reported her missing after desperately trying, and failing, to get in touch with her.
The police described Laundrie as a "person of interest," saying he was the last person known to have been with Petito before she went missing.
However, Steven Bertolino, Laundrie's lawyer, said he had advised his client not to speak with the authorities.
Police went to Laundrie's home on Saturday night asking to speak to him and his family but "we were essentially handed the information for their lawyer" a police spokesman said.
"That is the extent of our conversation with them," he said.
Meanwhile, searchers were working around the clock as they tried to locate Petito in the sprawling Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
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Her devastated family pleaded for people to come forward with any information.
"We ask you to put yourselves in our shoes," they said in a letter which was read by their lawyer, Richard Stafford. "We haven't been able to sleep or eat. And our lives are falling apart."
Laundrie vanishes
After several days of both Petito's family and police pleading with Laundrie's family to co-operate in the investigation, Laundrie's family requested that police come to their home on Friday.
There were wild scenes when officers arrived as demonstrators lined the street with signs.
One of the officers entered the home with what appeared to be an evidence bag as protesters surrounding the property yelled: "Bring him out!"
However, the family told police they hadn't seen their son since Tuesday.
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Local police announced that they were searching the Carlton Reserve, a 10,000ha park about 20km from North Port for Laundrie.
He is still yet to be discovered, but Laundrie's family "says they believe he entered the area" last week, according to police. He allegedly told them he was going for a hike.
Police have put forward the theory that he may have "hurt himself" or that he may be hiding out in the wild.
Tragic discovery in Wyoming
Overnight, US federal police announced they had recovered a body in a Wyoming forest that is believed to be Petito.
Authorities confirmed on Sunday local time that the body found in the Grand Teton National Park was "consistent with the description" of the 22-year-old.
Speaking to media, FBI Denver special agent Charles Jones said the family of Petito had been notified of the discovery.
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"On behalf of the FBI personnel, I'd like to extend my sincere and heartfelt condolences to Gabby's family," he said, adding that no cause of death had been confirmed.
"As every parent can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for the family. We ask that you all respect their privacy as they mourn the loss of their daughter."
The FBI said the discovery of the body was made in the Spread Creek Dispersed camping area, which remains closed for the "active investigation"
'Nothing to report' in search for partner
Meanwhile, police still cannot find Laundrie. Petito's family has said they believe he is in hiding.
"All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing," the family's lawyer said in a brief statement on Friday, before her body was found.
In a statement on Friday, Police expressed frustration that Laundrie's family did not speak with investigators for nearly a week about Petito's disappearance.
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"We understand the community's frustration. We are frustrated too. For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's fiance Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail," the statement said.
Shortly after Laundrie vanished, investigators spent two hours at the Laundrie home collecting things they say may help them find him and hopefully get answers.
Dozens of law enforcement officers from five agencies are involved in the search for him.
The search will resume tomorrow, but so far there have been no clues found.
Just before 6pm local time police said the search had concluded for the day with "nothing to report".
