What Transpired Between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie?
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The case of vlogger Gabby Petito’s disappearance and tragic death has inspired a new Netflix documentary that delves into the events of 2021, bringing attention to issues such as domestic violence, social media dynamics, and the challenges of missing persons cases.
The three-part documentary series titled “American Murder: Gabby Petito,” is set to begin streaming on February 17. It features insights from Petito’s family and friends, who use text messages, personal videos, and excerpts from her journals to narrate her story, as reported by Netflix. Julia Willoughby Nason, one of the directors, shared with TODAY.com that they attempted to contact the Laundrie family.
“They chose not to participate,” she said, “which we respect. This narrative is incredibly sensitive.”
Gabby’s cheerful #vanlife posts on Instagram, showcasing her adventures across the United States with her fiancé Brian Laundrie, stand in stark contrast to the tumultuous relationship they shared off-screen.
Petito’s disappearance during their trip in August 2021 garnered national attention, sparking a massive search that concluded when her remains were discovered in a national forest in Wyoming.
Here’s a summary of the key details surrounding the case.
Who was Gabby Petito?
Born in 1999, the New York native gained fame as a vlogger documenting her road trips across the western United States. In 2020, she described her journey across the country to Oregon and California as “an absolute dream” in an Instagram post.
“Her dream was to travel across America in a camper van, embracing the van life and living freely,” her mother, Nichole Schmidt, told NBC affiliate KSL in 2021.
In May 2020, she expressed her hopes on Instagram to resume her travels with Laundrie. They left her hometown of Blue Point, New York, in July 2021 for their trip, as documented in her Instagram posts and comments from her mother shared with KSL.
Together, Petito and Laundrie chronicled their travels on their YouTube channel named Nomadic Statik. They mentioned in the description of a video posted on August 19, 2021, that they had previously traveled across the country in a Nissan Sentra, but were now making the journey in a white 2012 Ford Transit van.
Who was Brian Laundrie?
Laundrie first encountered Petito at Bayport-Blue Point High School in Bayport, New York, as mentioned by Petito’s stepfather in a New York Times article from 2021. Petito commemorated her first anniversary with Laundrie in a March 2020 Instagram post.
In another Instagram post shared in July, Petito announced her engagement to Laundrie. Subsequently, she relocated from New York to Florida to live with him, according to her stepfather’s statements shared with The New York Times.
Laundrie and Petito were on their cross-country trip in the Ford Transit van when reports of her disappearance emerged. “The situation raised eyebrows,” police stated in September 2021 after locating the van in North Port, Florida, as reported by NBC News.
Instagram posts by Petito illustrated their visits to Monument Rocks in Kansas and Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah throughout July 2021.
When did Gabby Petito go missing?
Petito’s family reported her as missing to the Suffolk County Police Department on September 11, 2021, as stated by KSL at that time.
Around August 24, 2021, Petito and Laundrie departed from Salt Lake City towards Grand Teton National Park, which was also when Schmidt last spoke with her daughter via FaceTime, as her parents recounted to KSL.
Schmidt recalled receiving the last text from her daughter on August 30, 2021.
“I’m not sure if that was actually her texting,” Schmidt relayed to KSL.
Petito’s final Instagram post was shared on August 25, 2021, with no specified location.
What transpired during the police stop in Moab?
Law enforcement responded to a reported physical altercation between Petito and Laundrie on August 12, 2021, per a report released by the Moab City Police Department on September 15, 2021, reported NBC News at that time. Witnesses, including the couple, spoke with an officer who arrived after the call about domestic violence near a grocery store in Moab, Utah.
In September 2021, Utah’s Grand County Sheriff’s Office released 911 audio from a witness who claimed to have seen a male slap a female and subsequently observed a white Ford Transit van with a Florida license plate drive off, prompting Moab police to stop the vehicle, as noted by NBC News.
According to the police report reviewed by NBC News, a second officer noted that the couple’s van swerved and struck a curb before coming to a halt once police lights were activated.
The report documented that Petito slapped Laundrie during an argument. One responding officer reported: “The male attempted to place distance between himself and Gabbie by suggesting she take a walk to calm down; however, she resisted being separated and started slapping him.”
The couple requested that no charges be pursued, based on the report acquired by NBC News.
“No witnesses claimed the male struck the female; both parties expressed their affection for each other, stating they are engaged and fervently wished to avoid legal repercussions,” the report indicated. “No significant injuries were reported, and both concurred that Gabbie experiences severe anxiety.”
The time Petito and Laundrie spent traveling together created emotional strain, which led to heightened arguments, as outlined in the police report.
The report concluded that emotional strain increased due to their time together, resulting in more arguments.
Instead of pursuing charges against Petito for domestic violence, the officers decided to separate the couple for one night, allowing Petito to remain with the van while Laundrie was taken to a hotel, as recorded in the police report by NBC News.
An independent review conducted in January 2022 by Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe of Utah’s Price City Police Department indicated that the Moab officers failed to classify the incident accurately and lacked thorough details, as reported by NBC News.
According to one officer’s report, the incident was more accurately categorized as a mental/emotional health “break” rather than domestic violence. The independent review concluded that officers did not cite Ms. Petito for domestic violence.
The independent report indicated that police did not obtain a statement from the 911 caller who reported “the male striking the female.”
Moab authorities released a statement asserting that officers “made several unintentional mistakes” and committed to implementing recommendations from the report aimed at improving training and reviewing policies.
The details of the police incident report became public just weeks after Petito’s last known sighting and days after her mother filed a missing persons report.
Following the report, bodycam footage was released on September 16, 2021, which showed Laundrie and Petito speaking with an officer after being pulled over in Moab. Petito was observed wiping away tears.
“We’ve just been arguing this morning,” Petito remarked to the officer. “There were some personal issues.”
“It had been a long day for us,” Laundrie added.
In August 2022, Petito’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab police, seeking $50 million in damages. The family’s attorney asserted that Moab police lacked proper training to identify signs of domestic abuse, indicating that they should have realized “Gabby was a victim of intimate partner violence” who needed “immediate protection,” as detailed by NBC News. The Moab police department did not provide an immediate comment regarding the pending litigation.
The lawsuit was dismissed by a Utah judge in November 2024, as stated by The Associated Press.
What occurred with Gabby Petito?
A body determined to be Petito was discovered in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area within Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on September 19, 2021, as confirmed by NBC News at that time.
A coroner in Wyoming ruled her death a homicide due to strangulation, as he disclosed in a video shared by NBC affiliate WNBC in October 2021.
What transpired with Brian Laundrie?
Police reported that Laundrie returned to North Port, Florida, on September 1, 2021, without Petito, as detailed by NBC News that same month. The van they used during their travels was retrieved at Petito’s home in Florida for evidence processing with the FBI’s assistance, the North Port Police Department stated.
On September 15, 2021, police confirmed Laundrie was considered a person of interest after Petito’s family reported her missing, NBC News noted.
Laundrie’s family attorney conveyed through a text message to NBC affiliate WFLA that the Laundries believed their son left home on September 13 to go hiking, after initially indicating to police he departed on September 14 when they reported him missing.
Authorities diligently searched the extensive 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve close to Sarasota, Florida, in pursuit of Laundrie, as per the North Port Police Department, NBC News reported.
On October 20, 2021, human remains were discovered in the Carlton Reserve, alongside a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie, as communicated by an FBI official to reporters, NBC News reported.
The following day, the FBI confirmed that the remains belonged to Laundrie following a dental records evaluation, as reported by WNBC.
Laundrie’s death was ruled a suicide via gunshot wound to the head, as stated by an attorney for his family in November 2021, according to NBC News.
He left behind writings indicating his “responsibility” for Petito’s death, which the FBI announced in January 2022, as NBC News reported.
“A review of the notebook revealed statements from Mr. Laundrie claiming accountability for Ms. Petito’s death,” the FBI disclosed, according to NBC News.
What led to Petito’s parents suing Laundrie’s parents?
Petito’s family initiated a civil lawsuit against Laundrie’s parents in March 2022, accusing Christopher and Roberta Laundrie of hindering the search for their murdered daughter, according to the lawsuit reported by NBC News.
Their attorneys contended that Laundrie’s parents issued a statement on September 14, 2021, endorsing the search for Petito while fully aware that their son had murdered her, as detailed in the complaint.
Laundrie’s parents were allegedly aware of the emotional distress and suffering experienced by Petito’s family but chose not to provide information about her whereabouts. In doing so, they purportedly “acted with malice or great indifference,” as claimed in the lawsuit, NBC News reported.
The attorney representing the Laundrie family denied the allegations in the lawsuit filed in Sarasota County, Florida, seeking damages of at least $30,000, NBC News noted.
In February 2024, Petito’s family, Laundrie’s family, and attorney Steven Bertolino reached a “confidential resolution” in the case. This was an agreement that “all parties reluctantly accepted to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict,” according to a joint statement from Petito’s parents shared with NBC News.
Additionally, Petito’s family filed a different wrongful death lawsuit in Florida against Brian Laundrie’s estate. The lawsuit was settled when a judge ruled in favor of Petito’s mother, the administrator of her daughter’s estate, allowing her to receive $3 million in November 2022, based on obtained court documents from NBC News.
“The Petito family suffered the loss of their daughter, and they were denied the chance to confront her murderer. No sum of money can adequately compensate the Petito family for Gabby’s tragic loss at the hands of Brian Laundrie,” stated Patrick Reilly, an attorney representing Petito’s family.
Reilly indicated that any funds derived from the $3 million settlement would be directed to the Gabby Petito Foundation, which supports initiatives assisting victims of domestic violence and missing persons cases.
