@gabspetito/Instagram
September 16, 2021, 9:17 am
The Internet is currently obsessed with the disappearance of Instagram and YouTube star Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who has been missing since late August.
Petito set off on a road trip with her boyfriend, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, The Independent reports. Everyone knows where Laundrie is because he has become a “person of interest” in the case after returning—alone—to his parent’s home in Florida, where he is refusing to cooperate with the investigation or tell Petito’s parents what happened the last time he saw her.
Featured Video
Hide
How Did It Start:
The pair left New York on July 2nd driving a 1012 Ford Transit van they had outfitted to live inside of on their trip. They grew up on Long Island and had known each other since high school, then moved to North Port, Florida, where they lived together. Their goal was to reach Portland, Oregon, by Halloween to stay with a friend. But Laundrie is back in North Port, having arrived on September first, and no one knows where Petitio is.
Advertisement
Hide
When Did It Become a Missing Person’s Case:
The last time Petito’s mother Nicole Schmidt heard from her daughter was on August 25th, but she received a text message a couple of days later from Petitio saying that cell service was bad. Apparently, Schmidt is doubtful that the message is really from Petito. At that time, the couple was supposedly in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. On September 10th, Schmidt reached out to Laundrie and his mother but they didn’t reply. She contacted the Suffolk County Police in New York to report her daughter as missing and the search began in Wyoming.
Why Laundrie Isn’t Talking:
Laundrie was declared a “person of interest” in the case by police on September 14th. NPR reports that his lawyer, Steve Bertolino, has advised his client not to talk to the police.
“In my experience, intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focuses their attention on in cases like this and the warning that ‘any statement made will be used against you’ is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito’s disappearance. As such, on the advice of counsel Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on this matter,” Bertolino said.
Advertisement
Hide
Petito’s family has been pleading with Laundrie to give them any information that might help with the search:
The Domestic Dispute:
Four weeks before she was reported missing, Petito and Laundrie were stopped by the Moab Police Department on August 12th. The bodycam footage of the encounter was released on Thursday, and it shows an officer stopping the van after noting it swerving and going far over the speed limit. People reports someone had called the police on the couple after they had a fight next to a food co-op in town.
In the video, Petito admits to attacking Laundrie and slapping him over a fight they were having about the van’s cleanliness.
Advertisement
Hide
Petito is crying throughout the video, Laundrie seems calm and refuses to press charges, though he appears to have scratches on his body. The officer says he is separating them for the night and finding Laundrie a hotel room, sending Petito off with the van, so they can “cool off.”
The Other Murdered Couple:
The altercation above happened on August 12th, and another couple was found murdered by Moab on August 13th. It seems like the two cases are unrelated, but the Grand County Sheriff’s Office has said they’re keeping track of every bit of information that comes in.
The search for Petitio continues, with many questions unanswered, like why Laundrie might leave her behind in the first place with no shelter or potentially any supplies are money in a national park.
*First Published: September 16, 2021, 9:17 am
0 Comments