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Petito and Laundrie Begin ‘Van Life’ Journey on YouTube
Gabrielle Petito, 22, and fiancé Brian Laundrie, 23, posted aYouTube videolast Aug. 19, documenting the beginning of their first cross-country journey together. They wrote in the clip’s caption that they “both decided we to wanted downsize our lives and travel full time,” so they “handcrafted” their own “2012 Ford transit connect” to embark on their travels.
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911 Caller Says He Saw Laundrie ‘Slapping’ Petito
“He was slapping her?” the dispatcher asked.
“Yes, and then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off,” the caller added.
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The message read: “Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls.”
“The mother was concerned that something was wrong with her daughter,” police wrote.
This was the last communication that Petito had with her family. After Aug. 27, her phone wasn’t operational, and she did not post anything on social media, authorities said in the search warrant.
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Petito Reported Missing
Gabrielle Petito with her dad, Joseph.Facebook
Petito was officallyreported missingon Sept. 11, 2021. PEOPLE confirmed with the Suffolk County Police Department at the time that Petito had last verbally contacted her relatives on Aug. 25, when she was near Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming.
Petito’s father, Joseph Petito, toldNewsdaythat his daughter’s disappearance felt like “drowning with your hands tied behind you.”
He added: “You can’t describe it. There’s nothing you can do. You can’t control anything.”
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The Search for Petito Begins
As the story unfolded, many took interest in the disappearance of Petito andtried to help findthe 22-year-old New York woman. Both the Petitos and theLaundries spoke out publiclyabout wanting Petito to be found safe.
A letter addressed to Laundrie’s parents was read aloud in front of the news media on Sept. 16, 2021, whichdetailed Petito’s parents begging for helpto find their daughter.
She added, “My children love her, and all I want is for her to come home safe and found, and this to be just a big misunderstanding.”
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Laundrie Is Declared a Person of Interest
By the time both families had spoken out, Laundrie had been named aperson of interestin Petito’s disappearance, according to authorities in Florida, where Laundrie and Petito had been living before their trip.
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Laundrie Goes Missing
The search for Brian Laundrie in Carlton Reserve.Courtesy North Port Police
By Sept. 17, 2021,Laundrie had also gone missingand North Porth Police said in a statement that they were searching for him and Petito, along with the FBI.
“We’ve been trying all week to talk to his family, to talk to Brian, and now they’ve called us here on Friday, we’ve gone to the home, and they’re saying now they have not seen their son,” North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylortold CNN. “So we are working through those details as we speak. It is another twist in this story.”
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Petito’s Body Is Found
Gabrielle Petito.Facebook
The FBI said at the time that Laundrie was a person of interest in the case.
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An Arrest Warrant Is Issued for Laundrie
“While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide,” FBI Denver wrote in a statement. “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.”
Laundrie’s parents say they were not clued in on their son’s whereabouts, the family’s attorney told PEOPLE on Sept. 27, 2021.
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Petito’s Father Thanks Everyone for Their Support at Her Funeral
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Cassie Laundrie Expresses Frustration with Family
Brian Laundrie.Instagram
On Oct. 5, 2021, Laundrie’s sister, Cassie,returned toGMAto urge her brother to turn himself in.
“Just come forward and get us out of this horrible mess,” Cassie said,addressing Laundrie on the morning news program. She said that she wasn’t aware of Laundrie’s whereabouts — and if she was, she would have told authorities.
“I really wish he had come to me first that day with the van, because I don’t think we’d be here,” Cassie told ABC News. “I’m angry and I don’t know what to think.”
She added, “I hope my brother is alive because I want answers just as much as everybody else.”
The day before herGMAinterview, Cassie spent nearly 20 minutesanswering questions from protestorsoutside her home, telling them that she doesn’t know if her brother killed Petito, she doesn’t know if he’s still alive and she doesn’t understand why her parents are staying silent.
Despite her frustration with how her family has handled the investigation, Cassie made note that she never saw her brother being violent or abusive, toward Petito or anyone else.
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Medical Examiner Says Petito Died from Strangulation
Petitodied from strangulation, a medical examiner announced in a press conference on Oct. 12, 2021. The full autopsy results arrived more than three weeks afterher body was foundin Grand Teton National Park.
Teton County Coroner Brent Blue told members of the media that under Wyoming state law, he was unable to divulge many details of the autopsy and declined to share whether Petito was manually strangled or if an item was used. However, he confirmed that her body was outside for three to four weeks. He also added that Petito was not pregnant at the time that she died.
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Petito’s Friends React to Her Cause of Death
After it was revealed on that Petito had been strangled to death, the young woman’s friendsshared their thoughtswith PEOPLE.
“It makes me sick to my stomach,” Alyssa Chen said. “I wonder what was going through her mind, knowing she was probably about to die. She must have been so scared.”
Chen added: “Whoever did this, whether it’s Brian or someone else, needs to pay for what they did. She didn’t deserve to die that way.”
“If Brian strangled her, I hope he burns in hell,” said Ben Matula, who was friends with the couple. “That’s all I have to say.”
Also after the coroner’s announcement, Laundrie’s lawyer, Steven Bertolino, referred to Petito’s death “at such a young age” as a “tragedy.”
Petito’s mom, Nicole Schmidt,responded to Bertolino’s statementin a text toWFLA, saying, “His words are garbage. Keep talking.”
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Laundrie’s Remains Found in Florida Park
Mark Taylor/Getty Images
On Oct. 21, 2021, the FBI confirmed that partial human remains found a day before in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Parkbelonged to Laundrie.
On the morning his remains were found, Laundrie’s parents had searched the park along with authorities, finding a white bag and another unspecified item, the Laundrie family attorney, Steve Bertolino,told Fox News Digital.
Laundrie’s parents said they last saw Laundrie on Sept. 13, when he went left their home to go for a hike in the park.
15of 21Laundrie Was ‘Upset’ When He Left Home for Last Time: LawyerSearch for Brian Laundrie.Courtesy North Port PoliceBertolino, the Laundrie family lawyer, told PEOPLE that “Brian was upset” when he left the Laundrie home for the last time on Sept. 13, saying that “he was not able to be persuaded not to leave the house.“Bertolino said he has been friends with Laundrie’s parents for over 25 years, adding that the couple was grieving.“Getting the news that your child is no longer with you is sad, under any circumstances,” Bertolino said. “The fact that the Laundries have been subjected to these people out in front of their house the last four weeks, and they continue out there today, makes it all the more difficult.“The discovery of Laundrie’s body ended a 32-day search involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
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Laundrie Was ‘Upset’ When He Left Home for Last Time: Lawyer
Search for Brian Laundrie.Courtesy North Port Police
Bertolino, the Laundrie family lawyer, told PEOPLE that “Brian was upset” when he left the Laundrie home for the last time on Sept. 13, saying that “he was not able to be persuaded not to leave the house.”
Bertolino said he has been friends with Laundrie’s parents for over 25 years, adding that the couple was grieving.
“Getting the news that your child is no longer with you is sad, under any circumstances,” Bertolino said. “The fact that the Laundries have been subjected to these people out in front of their house the last four weeks, and they continue out there today, makes it all the more difficult.”
The discovery of Laundrie’s body ended a 32-day search involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
16of 21No Funeral for Brian Laundrie, Family Lawyer SaysBrian Laundrie.InstagramDays after Laundrie’s remains were found, Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, told PEOPLE that his “remains will be cremated and there will be no funeral service.“Bertolino also saidLaundrie’s autopsy had been inconclusive, saying that “no manner or cause of death was determined, and the remains were sent to an anthropologist for further evaluation.“Bertolino also told PEOPLE the FBI had informed him they have “everything they need” from the family with respect to their investigation into Petito’s killing.
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No Funeral for Brian Laundrie, Family Lawyer Says
Days after Laundrie’s remains were found, Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, told PEOPLE that his “remains will be cremated and there will be no funeral service.”
Bertolino also saidLaundrie’s autopsy had been inconclusive, saying that “no manner or cause of death was determined, and the remains were sent to an anthropologist for further evaluation.”
Bertolino also told PEOPLE the FBI had informed him they have “everything they need” from the family with respect to their investigation into Petito’s killing.
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Laundrie Died from Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound
Laundrie died from a gunshot wound to the head, family attorney Steven Bertolino announced in 2021. His death was ruled a suicide.
The news came nearly five weeks after partial human remains of the 23-year-old fugitive were discovered in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park — near Laundrie’s last known location.
“Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families,” Bertolino told PEOPLE in a statement.
In February, PEOPLE obtainedLaundrie’s full autopsy results, a 47-page document that included an anthropologist’s findings, a toxicology report, and a detailed list of what was discovered in Myakkahatchee.
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On Jan. 21, 2022, the FBI revealed that a notebook found near Laundrie’s remains included awritten confessiontaking responsibility for his fiancée’s death.
With authorities naming Laundrie the sole person connected to Petito’s death, the months-long case that captivated the nation came to a close.
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Petito’s Parents File Lawsuit Against Laundrie’s Parents
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Laundrie’s Attorney Releases Notebook Confession
Courtesy of Steven Bertolino
In June 2022, the attorney forBrian Laundrie’s family released a notebook found near Brian body in which Laundrie admits killing Petito.
“I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made,” Laundrie wrote. “I panicked. I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn’t go on without her.”
He claimed Petito was injured while the couple rushed back to their car before it got too dark to see and tried to cross a stream. Laundrie claimed Petito had a “small bump on her forehead that eventually got larger” as well as other injuries, and that she was “begging for an end to her pain.”
A lawyer for the Petito family, Patrick Reilly, told PEOPLE that Laundrie’s assertion that the killing was merciful and stemmed from a “tragic accident” is “nonsense.”
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Chris Laundrie, pictured Thursday assisting police in their search.Backgrid
source: people.com
