HER INSTAGRAM PHOTOS show a pretty, blonde with big blue eyes, grinning from ear to ear. Her videos show her excitement to explore the world. Her friends & family describe her as a free spirit, intent on making it on YouTube. She was on her way to doing just that, her 1st video documenting her way through a cross country trip; Just her & her fiancé in a small travel van.
THOUGH HER NAME is now known around the world, unfortunately it’s not because she’s rising to fame; It’s because she’s missing.
WHERE IS GABBY PETITO?
GABBY PETITO IS a 22-year-old who was born & raised in Blue Point, New York, located in Long Island. It was there that she would meet Brian Laundrie, whom she would begin a relationship with; The pair would become engaged with the support of both families.
GABBY AND BRIAN would eventually relocate to Northport, Florida, where they would live with Brian’s parents. Gabby’s dad & stepmom would soon relocate to Vero Beach, Florida to be close to his daughter. Her mom & stepdad would remain in New York.
2020 WAS SUPPOSED to bring a wedding. Instead, it brought a global pandemic. With much of the world shut down, Gabby & Brian decided to postpone their special day. Gabby’s focus switched to increasing her social media presence & planning a cross country road trip. By December of 2020, the couple had acquired a 2012 Ford Transit Van & were filming the process of converting the inside to make it more like a small camper. They would brand themselves as nomadic minimalist & thus their “Van Life” mantra would begin.
“TWO PEOPLE WENT ON A TRIP…ONLY ONE RETURNED.”
Chief Todd Garrison ~ North Port PD
THE FOLLOWING IS a timeline of events leading up to the dissapearance of Gabby Petito. Here, ONLY verified facts are included as reporting on rumors, speculation & public opinion will only muddy the waters. Please remember that the goal is to bring Gabby home NOT to create drama.
JULY 2nd, 2021: Gabby & Brian Depart From Blue Point, New York, where they had attended a graduation ceremony for Gabby’s younger brother.
JULY 4th, 2021~ Monument Rocks, Grove County, Kansas (photos posted on Gabby’s IG account)
JULY 8th, 2021~ Colorado Springs, Colorado. (photos posted on Gabby’s IG account)
JULY 10th – 11th, 2021~ Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa, Colorado (photos posted on Gabby’s IG account)
JULY 16th – 18th, 2021~ Mt. Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah (photos posted on Gabby’s IG account)
JULY 21st – 22nd, 2021~ Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce, Utah (photos posted on Gabby’s IG account)
JULY 26th, 2021~ Mystic Hot Springs ~ Monroe, Utah (photos posted on Gabby’s IG account)
JULY 30th – 31st, 2021: Canyonlands National Park, Utah (approx 40 minutes from Moab, Utah)
AUGUST 12th, 2021~ Arches National Park (length of stay unknown)
AUGUST 12th, 2021~ Moab, Utah: A Passersby witnesses a domestic disturbance taking place in a van stopped on the side of the road & calls police. 2 officers from the Moab PD respond. Officers separate the couple & tell them to spend the night a part. Gabby takes the van & an officer transports Brian to a nearby hotel. The entire event lasts approximately 90 minutes & is captured on police bodycam.
IN ADDITION TO the release of the police bodycam footage, the two 9-1-1 recordings from that incident would be released. The initial call was from a witness who saw the The couple arguing, followed by Brian striking Gabby in the face. The 2nd witness also reports seeing them in a heated argument but adds that they saw Brian trying to wrestle a phone from Gabby’s hand.
AUGUST 19th, 2021: Photo posted to Gabby’s IG account…Location is not listed, however, it’s probable that the couple was still in OR close to Moab.
AUGUST 21st, 2021: Gabby speaks to her father, Joe Petito. During the lengthy conversation, Joe assists his daughter with her website. He also sends food to her location via an app. He would later state that this was likely the last time that he would speak with Gabby directly.
AUGUST 24th, 2021: Video footage from a Fairfield Inn & Suites, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, shows Gabby & Brian checking out of the hotel together. It is believed that the couple are in route to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. It is the last verified sighting of Gabby in Public. The hotel is just 700 feet from the Salt Lake FBI Offices.
AUGUST 25th, 2021~ Butterfly Mural, Ogden, Utah: This would be Gabby’s last post on her IG account. This is also the last time that Gabby’s family had direct contact with her via Facetime. Gabby was in Grand Teton at that time.
AUGUST 27th, 2021: Nichole Schmidt, Gabby’s mother, receives the 1st of 2 odd text messages from her daughter’s phone. The message reads:
“Can You Help Stan? I Just Keep Getting His Voicemails & Missed Calls.”
~Text From Gabby’s Phone
THE NAME “STAN” is a reference to Gabby’s grandfather, which concerns Nichole as Gabby never refers to him by his name. She begins to fear that something is wrong.
AUGUST 27th, 2021: A couple traveling through the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area, inside of Teton, gets cellphone video of a white van pulled over on the side of the trail. The van had Florida plates & matched the description of Gabby’s travel van. It appears that nobody is in OR near the van.
**A few days after this video posts, a viewer notices that there is movement at the back of the van. Once enhanced, you can clearly see the rear doors on the van close. A pair of flip flops can also be seen on the ground in front of the van doors.
AUGUST 30th, 2021: Nicole Schmidt receives a text from her daughter’s phone. It reads: “NO SERVICE IN YOSEMITE.” The message is confusing as the couple was heading to “Yellowstone” so they initially think that the text auto-corrected & was sent without notice. Soon after, they would say that they don’t believe that the text was written OR sent by Gabby. There is no further contact from Gabby after this date.
SEPTEMBER 1st, 2021: Brian Laundrie is confirmed entering North Port, Florida, in Gabby’s van, at 10:26 am, via a license plate reader. He returns to the house that he & Gabby share with his parents, Christopher & Roberta Laundrie. Gabby is NOT with him. He spends the next 10 days hiding out & hiring an attorney. Neither Brian OR his parents will speak to anyone about Gabby’s whereabouts, including Gabby’s parents & law enforcement.
SEPTEMBER 10th & 11th, 2021: After not being able to reach her daughter since August 25th (at least where they can verify that it’s Gabby) & finding out that Brian returned to Florida sans Gabby, Nicole Schmidt contacts the Suffolk County PD, in New York, to file a missing person’s report. SCPD contacts the North Port PD in Florida to report the incident. North Port PD confiscate Gabby’s van from the Laundries. Brian refuses to speak with them.
FROM THIS POINT a massive search begins in several states. In addition to the North Port PD, The FBI is also involved. They focus on Teton National Park as it is the last known location that Gabby was in. The Laundrie family still refuses to cooperate.
SEPTEMBER 14th, 2021: The Laundrie family issues a brief statement, via their attorney. Their statement is as follows:
“This is understandably an extremely difficult time for both the Petito and Laundrie family. It is our understanding that a search has been organized for Ms. Petito in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Ms. Petito is successful and that Ms. Petito is reunited with her family.”
NO FURTHER COMMENT IS MADE…
SEPTEMBER 15th, 2021: When Brian fails to return home, Chris & Roberta Laundrie go out to the Carlton Reserve to look for their son. They find his car parked there but see no sign of Brian. They return home, ultimately deciding to leave his car there so he’ll have “A Way Home.” They do NOT report their son’s dissapearance to law enforcement.
SEPTEMBER 14th, 2021 (approx): Brian Laundrie leaves his home, allegedly telling his parents that he’s “Going for a hike” in Carlton Reserve, in Venice, Florida. He leaves in his silver Mustang convertible with all of his hiking gear.
SEPTEMBER 16th, 2021: Brian remains missing, unbeknownst to the world. His parents return to the Carlton Reserve to retrieve his car. Upon their arrival, they find a note on it requesting that the car be moved.
SEPTEMBER 17th, 2021: Chris & Roberta Laundrie finally request to speak to law enforcement. Officers & agents respond to their home & are notified of Brian’s dissapearance.
SEPTEMBER 18th, 2021: A manhunt begins inside of the Carlton Reserve. In addition to the North Port PD, The FBI & the local Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish & Wildlife officers join in search to help cover the massive 25,000 acre preserve.
SEPTEMBER 19th, 2021: A body is found lying in a grove if trees, in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area inside of the Teton National Park. Law Enforcement holds a press conference to report that the body matches the description of Gabby Petito.
SEPTEMBER 20th, 2021: A Search Warrant is served on the Laundrie residence. Chris & Roberta Laundrie are escorted from the residence & placed into a van. Law enforcement are seen going in & out of the home with brown paper evidence bags.
THE WARRANT APPEARS to indicate that the North Port PD is already in possession of a laptop & an external hard drive that match devices used by Gabby. Though it’s not directly indicated in the warrant that these specific devices were found during the search of Gabby’s van, it’s probable as law enforcement had not previously searched the Laundrie residence. The warrant specifies that LE is looking for any electronic devices in the home that Brian could access, to include desk top computers, recording devices, storage devices, etc., as well as grants them the right to review search histories, emails, photos, etc..
View Search Warrant: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4ZwgCP2dsc7zXGGE8
SEPTEMBER 21st, 2021: The Teton County Medical Examiner confirms that the female remains found are those Gabby Petito. He lists her Cause of Death as “Homicide” but does not announce the Manner of Death. Further testing, including toxicology, will continue to take place over the next several days before Gabby is released to her family.
UPON LEARNING OF Gabby’s death, the Laundries issue a “heartfelt” statement via their attorney, of course. It contains 5 words:
“May Gabby Rest In Peace.”
Laundrie Statement
SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2021: A federal grand jury hands down an indictment against Brian Laundrie, prompting the United States District Court of Wyoming to issue a federal arrest warrant for him. The indictment is for “Use of Unauthorized Devices Following the Death of Gabby Petito” as he used a debit card & pin number for accounts not belonging to him, charging over $1,000. The charges were made between August 30th & September 1st, after Gabby’s death.
BRIAN LAUNDRIE HAS previously only been referred to as a “Person of Interest.” He still remains at large.
TIPS: If you have any information on the homicide of Gabby Petito or the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or you can submit a tip online at fbi.gov/tips.
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