Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
In July 2021, van life vlogger Gabby Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie embarked on a four-month cross-country trip. The couple left New York and planned to document their visits to several national parks on social media. However, in September 2021, Laundrie returned home in the same van the couple used for their journey, and Petito was nowhere to be seen. A few days later, Petito’s parents filed a missing report, and authorities initiated a search operation. After an extensive search, police found Petito’s remains in a national park in Wyoming and commenced a homicide investigation.
According to CBS News, the couple reportedly argued during their journey, and police stopped them for disorderly conduct. The witness told the police that Brian Laundrie hit Gabby Petito on one occasion. Meanwhile, the police report noted that Petito hit Laundrie. Nevertheless, they continue their journey and upload a new video about their adventures. On August 25, 2021, the couple’s van was seen at Grand Teton National Park, and Petito last used her Instagram account that day. After filing the missing report, authorities identified Laundrie as a person of interest.
The outlet reported that Gabby Petito’s family wanted Brian Laundrie to surrender so that they could know the truth about Petito’s death. However, almost a month after Petito’s death, investigators found human remains in a park in Florida. Subsequently, authorities revealed that the remains belonged to Brian Laundrie.
Gabby Petito’s cause of death: How & where did she die?
Upon discovering her remains, investigators sent Gabby Petito’s body for an autopsy and found that she died by strangulation. Per the FBI, the travel vlogger died because of “blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation.” In addition, the medical examiner claimed that her body had been exposed for at least 3-4 weeks before being discovered.
Although the police stated that Brian Laundrie was their only person of interest, their investigation ended with his death. In October 2021, they discovered Laundrie’s remains in a park in Florida, along with a journal and some other stuff. CBS News reported that he committed suicide and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities also found Brian Laundrie’s journal beside his remains in which he confessed that he killed Gabby Petito. Following this, her parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit after they claimed that Laundrie’s mother and father knew about the crime. They settled the lawsuit with a $3 million settlement.
Lifetime released a movie, titled The Gabby Petito Story, based on Gabby Petito’s death in 2022.
