*This story is still developing.
On Wednesday, Sept. 1, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie returned to his parents’ home in Florida – notably without his fiancée Gabriella ‘Gabby’ Petito. The actual date that Petito went missing is unclear, but the circumstances in the days leading up to her disappearance give a rough timeline. Around the 25 of August, Gabby posted what would be her final Instagram post and called her family. Unbeknownst to them, it was the last time they would ever speak to her.
On Aug. 27, things began to get strange. Gabby’s mother received an odd text, referencing Gabby’s grandfather. Gabby referred to him as Stan, something she never did. Later that day, Laundrie was involved in a heated argument with the staff of a restaurant, and eyewitnesses say they believe it was over the bill. Reportedly, Gabby entered the restaurant later to apologize for Laundrie’s behavior. On Aug. 29, Gabby’s mother received yet another text she recalls as odd. The message simply read ‘no signal in Yosemite’.
On Saturday, Sept.11, Gabby was officially reported as missing. The following days were filled with a manhunt for Laundrie who has been on the run since the 14, and a search for Gabby, or for her remains. Unfortunately, a body was found in Grand Teton National Park on Sunday, Sept. 19, and was later confirmed to be that of Gabby Petito. Her death has been ruled a homicide and Brian Laundrie still remains on the run, currently the number one suspect in the murder. As of Wednesday, the search for Laundrie continues and a K-9 unit has been brought in. Authorities are searching the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve after his parents revealed he went for a hike there before going missing.
The case of Gabby Petito’s disappearance has been the subject of not just a media frenzy, but also social media, namely TikTok. In a now-viral set of TikTok videos, Miranda Baker claims that she and her boyfriend picked up Brian Laundrie in Wyoming on Aug. 29. She claims they found him at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park. She claims he offered them $200 to drive him and that upon learning the couple was also going to Jackson, where Laundrie wanted to go, he ‘freaked out’ and demanded to be let out of their vehicle. They pulled over and let him go. The couple later contacted authorities after learning of Gabby’s disappearance and Brian’s potential involvement.
The case has spread across nearly every social media platform possible, due in part to Gabby’s fan base and following. However, there has been backlash from this as well, as MSNBC host Joy Reid dubbed it ‘Missing White Woman Syndrome.’ The term was originally coined back in 2014 by Gwen Iffil and was in reference to the disproportionate amount of media coverage when a woman of color goes missing. Reid went on to say that this is in part due to the fact that many POC is deemed runaways, whereas when a white woman goes missing, it is thought to be a murder.
The internet and social media have sparked a breed of ‘amateur sleuths’ that, in part, may have helped solve this case. Kyle and June Bethune, who live in a van and post-travel videos on YouTube, were contacted by a family friend to let them know that Gabby and Brian may have been in the Bridger-Teton National Forest at the same time as them. June Bethune then began to review the footage the couple had taken from that night. After combing through the footage, they found a white van that turned out to be the van Gabby and Brian was driving. They uploaded the video to a site via direction from the FBI, and after a search, Gabby’s remains were located in the spot where the van was in the footage.
While Gabby’s death has been ruled a homicide, the exact cause of death is unknown and Laundrie is still at large.
There has been an update in the case. On Sep. 25, Dog the Bounty Hunter joined the search for Brian Laundrie.
Jeri Hensley
Executive Editor/Creative Director