The case of 22-year-old Gabby Petito, who disappeared in August 2021, is one that gripped the world, sparking interest from internet detectives that helped find her body. Here at Exposé Global, we look at the timeline of events before and after her death; and how her relationship with fiancé Brian Laundrie didn’t match with their picture-perfect online portrayal.
Who was Gabby Petito?
Gabrielle Venora Petito, known as Gabby, was a 22-year-old vlogger who documented her trip around America online. Living the “Van Life”, Petito and fiancé Brian embarked on their seemingly incredible four-month cross-country trip; spending their days visiting different national parks, living out of Gabby’s converted van and sharing their journey with the world.
On September 11th, Gabby’s mother reported her missing after having no contact with her daughter since an odd text was sent from Gabby’s phone on the 30th August 2021, reading: “No service in Yosemite.” But what happened between the 2nd of July to September 11th? Below is a complete timeline of events in the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito.
2nd July 2021: Gabby and Brian depart in the Ford Transit van for their four-month long planned cross-country trip.
12th August 2021: Body cam footage from police revealed after Gabby’s disappearance shows a domestic incident between Gabby and Brian, in which police received a call from a concerned member of the public that had witnessed a man slap a woman. Police pulled the pair over near the entrance to Arches National Park a short time later. They found Petito in an emotional state and after separating them, Gabby told officers:
Yeah, I don't know if some days, I have really bad OCD. I was just cleaning and straightening up, back in the ... I was apologising 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 just been fighting all morning and he wouldn't let me in the car before.
After originally downplaying the altercation, the officer pointed out marks on Gabby’s face and arm- to which she explained that Laundrie “Kept telling me to shut up” and “grabbed my face”.
Brian can be heard giving a different version of events, telling an 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.
The officers wrote in their report:
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.
Although chargers were not pressed, Gabby and Brain were separated for the night- with police taking Brian to a hotel in Moab. The police characterised the incident as a mental/emotional health break rather than domestic violence. However, Gabby was still seen as the instigator and was sent away to spend the night alone in the van.
17th August 2021: Laundrie took a flight back to Tampa, Florida, where he lived with his parents and Petito. This was apparently to “obtain some items and empty and close the storage unity to save money as they contemplated extending the road trip.”
Petito stayed in Salt Lake City at a Fairfield Inn and Suites hotel and, according to staff, checked out on August 24th- a day after Laundrie was said to rejoin her on the trip.
25th August 2021: Gabby’s mother last spoke to her on this day, and was told that the couple were travelling from Utah to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Gabby also makes what would be her final instagram post- photos of herself taken in front of a butterfly mural outside a restaurant in Ogden, Utah.
Eyewitness Accounts:
From the 25th August onwards, eyewitnesses reported a string of sightings as follows:
A witness claimed that, on August 27 between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, she saw Laundrie and Petito together at Merry Piglets, a Tex-Mex restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Per the witness, Laundrie had an argument with the manager, waitress, and hostess, apparently about money, and was "aggressive." 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 at the restaurant.
Another witness reportedly contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to 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 to TikTok with her observations. According to the witness, an FBI agent said that her account, with regard to finding Petito's body, "tipped us off to the right place.”
A woman claimed in a TikTok video that on August 29, she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a lift from an area near Colter Bay Village, after seeing him hitchhiking alone. She reported that Laundrie "freaked out" upon learning that they were going to Jackson Hole instead of Jackson, Wyoming, he "freaked out", disembarking the vehicle at 6:09 pm near the Jackson Lake Dam, less than thirty minutes after being picked up. The witness found it "weird" that Laundrie offered $200 for the 10 mi (16 km) ride and did not appear to be very dirty, despite claiming that he had been camping for days.
Another witness stated that she picked up Laundrie from the Jackson Lake Dam area at 6:20 or 6:30 pm on August 29, dropping him off at the entrance to the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area. Laundrie offered gas money for the twenty 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 before it got closer to the campsite.
27th August 2021: Gabby’s mother received a text message from Petito, reading: “Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls.” It has later been concluded that this message was in fact Brian- in an attempt to deter.
29th August 2021: Tik-toker Miranda Baker claim that she and her boyfriend picked up Laundrie, who was alone in Colter Bay, and gave him a ride near the Jackson Dam. It is alleged that once Baker explained that she was going to Jackson Hole instead of Jackson, Laundrie became agitated and exited the vehicle.
Seasonal Wyoming resident Normal Jean Jalovec alleges that she picked up Laundrie near Jackson Lake Dam at around 6.15pm and gave him a ride to Spread Creek dispersed coming area. According to Jalovec, Laundrie golf her that he and Gabby and a travel blog and that she was in their van at the camping area. He w=had apparently been hiking along the Snake River embankment for a few days. According to Jalovec, she dropped Laundrie off before the gate at the entrance of the camping area.
30th August 2021: Gabby’s mother receives a further message from Gabby’s phone, reading: “No service in Yosemite.” It was these messages that sparked concern with Gabby’s mother, especially as Gabby never referred to her Grandfather as “Stan”- his actual name.
1st September 2021: Laundrie returned to his parents home in Florida, with no Gabby in sight.
6-7th September 2021: Laundrie went camping with his parents at Fort De Soto Park.
11th September 2021: Petito’s mother files a missing person report after not hearing from her daughter since late August.
13th September 2021: Police allegedly saw Laundrie leave the home. At this point, he was not a person of interest in the case.
14th September 2021: The Laundrie family issue a statement through their lawyer, stating that they intend to remain in the background whilst the investigation into Gabby’s disappearance is underway. Gabby’s family also issue a statement, claiming that Brian was refusing to tell them where he had last seen Gabby.
15th September 2021: Police see Laundries car return, and believed the person who exited the vehicle was Laundrie. Brian is made a person of interest in the case, with North Port Police saying that he is refusing to cooperate.
16th September 2021: North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison told reporters, "All I'm going to say is we know where Brian Laundrie is at”. A press conference is held, where Gabby’s father pleads for everyone to help find his daughter.
17th September 2021: Laundrie is reported missing by his parents, who claimed they had not seen him since 13th September. Police then realise they mistook Laundrie’s mother for Laundrie himself 2 days prior.
18th September 2021: The police begin to search the 24,000-acre Carlton reserve. His parents say that this is where he had last said he was going.
Police seize the Ford Transit van, an external hard drive and the Laundrie’s Ford Mustang after obtaining search warrants.
19th September 2021: Footage is released by vloggers Red White and Bethune, showing what is believed to be Gabby’s van parked at Grand Teton National Park on 27th August. Police then search the area.
Human remains are found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area, Wyoming, matching that of the description of Gabby Petito. An autopsy determined the cause of death as homicide by “blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation.” The body was found a short distance from where the van was spotted by the vloggers.
It was also concluded that the body was found three to four weeks after her death.
20th September 2021: A search warrant is executed on Laundrie’s home, with his car and a hard drive being seized.
21st September: The remains are officially identified as that of Gabby Petitio.
23rd September 2021: An arrest warrant in issued for Brain Laundrie due to unauthorised use of Gabby’s debit card to obtain $1000 or more between 30th August and 1st September, by the United District Court for the District of Wyoming.
The FBI also take material to match Laundrie’s DNA.
24th September 2021: A vigil is held in Gabby’s hometown of Blue Point, New York.
25th September 2021: The Gabby Petito Foundation is launched. Gabby’s father, Joseph Petito, took to Twitter to say:
The Gabby Petito Foundation. No one should have to find their child on their own. We are creating this foundation to give resources and guidance on bringing their children home. We are looking to help people in similar situations as Gabby.
26th September 2021: A public memorial service for Petito in half at a Long Island funeral home, with over 1,000 people attending.
28th September: Gabby’s family thank law enforcement for their efforts in finding Gabby and urge Laundrie to turn himself in.
5th October 2021: Laundrie’s sister encourages him to turn himself in during an interview with ABC News.
7th October 2021: Laundrie’s father joins investigators in searching for Laundrie at the Carlton Reserve- a place Brian was said to frequently visit.
12th October 2021: Gabby’s death was officially revealed to have been by strangulation.
20th October: Skeletal remains are found at the Carlton Reserve, and are confirmed by forensic dentistry as that of Brian Laundrie the following day. Belongings were found near the remains, in an area of that was previously underwater due to flooding.
23rd November 2021: Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family’s attorney, releases a statement, revealing that Brian died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The manner of death is ruled a suicide by an anthropologist.
21st January 2022: FBI reveal that Laundrie’s notebook contained an admission to killing Petito and deceived through the text messages sent to Gabby’s mother in late August 2021. He has now been officially blamed for the death of Gabby Petito by officials.
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