How was Gabby Petito found? Netflix puts spotlight back on case that captivated the US

USA Today

21-02-2025

When Gabby Petito disappeared on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, a weekslong nationwide search ensued, and the 22-year-old's story has now become the subject of a new Netflix docuseries.
Petitio went missing on Aug. 27, 2021, and her whereabouts became even more unclear when Laundrie returned to his parent's Florida home alone on Sept. 1. She was ultimately found dead weeks later on Sept. 19.
Laundrie's body was discovered in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida, in October 2021. He died by suicide.
By the end of 2021, the couple that began dating in early 2019 before becoming engaged in July 2020, were both dead. The docuseries, titled 'American Murder: Gabby Petito,' follows the events leading up to Petito's death, and how the high school sweethearts' trip across the country ended as a tragedy.
Here is how the high-profile search for Petito unfolded.
How did the search for Gabby Petito begin?
An individual called 911 on Aug. 12 to report a domestic disturbance after seeing a man in a 2012 white Ford Transit Connect van slapping a woman. When Utah police investigated the incident, the lead officer concluded that he did 'not believe the situation escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much as that of a mental health crisis.'
Laundrie told the responding officers that he pushed Petito away in self-defense and that her cellphone scratched his face. Petito told officers that the two had spent that morning arguing as Laundrie prevented her from entering their van.
Officers decided to separate the couple for the evening, taking Laundrie to a hotel, but the two reconciled and continued on their road trip that night.
On Aug. 19, a video was uploaded to the couple's shared YouTube account showing multiple clips of them seemingly happy on their journey.
On Aug. 22 when she contacted her ex-boyfriend who viewed the call as "a cry for help.' Petito's and Laundrie's relationship seemed troubled despite the couple from Long Island, New York being on the road since July 2021 for their tour of national parks and other sites, during which they occasionally posted joyful social media photos and stories.
On Aug. 27, 2021, Petito and Laundrie visited a Whole Foods in Jackson, Wyoming. Security footage showed Laundrie slamming the door before entering the grocery store. According to the docuseries, this is the last-known footage of Petito.
Gabby Petito found in wilderness, dead by strangulation
Petito was found strangled to death on Sept. 19 after her body was left in the wilderness for nearly a month, Teton County coroner, Dr. Brent Blue, said. The coroner indicated that Petito was a victim of domestic violence.
"Unfortunately, this is only one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved with domestic violence, and it's unfortunate that these other deaths did not get as much coverage as this one," Blue said.
The discovery of Petito's remains came after law enforcement combed through a camping area in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest and found human remains that were later confirmed to be Petito's. The FBI in Denver said agents conducted ground surveys at Grand Teton National Park with help from the National Park Service and other law enforcement agencies.
One of the areas examined in the investigation was the Spread Creek camping area near Grand Teton National Park, which came to focus after a tip from travel vloggers Jenn and Kyle Bethune. The vloggers saidthey spotted Petito's white van in GoPro footage they recorded while camping in late August, and they shared the footage with the FBI before posting it online.
Laundrie also went missing
The day Petito went missing, Laundrie had a nearly 55-minute phone call with his mom. Laundrie's father also reached out to a lawyer that day.
Laundrie left Wyoming for Florida on Aug. 30, and during his trip back, he used Petito's debit card to fuel their van. An electronic payment was also made from Petito to Laundrie for $700, and it contained the message: "Goodbye Brian, I'll never ask you for anything again."
To find Laundrie, authorities used drones, scent-sniffing dogs and all-terrain vehicles. Investigators also took some of Laundrie's clothing from his parent's home to provide a scent for the search dogs.
Duane Lee Chapman, known as TV personality "Dog the Bounty Hunter," also searched for Laundrie, promising to nab him before his 24th birthday on Nov. 18. John Walsh, a victims' advocate and host of the TV show "In Pursuit With John Walsh," also joined the chase.
Laundrie was initially charged with unauthorized use of a Capital One debit card and several accounts, spending more than $1,000, according to a grand jury indictment released in September 2021 by the U.S. District of Wyoming.
Brian Laundrie's parents not charged in Gabby Petito case
Christopher and Roberta Laundrie were not charged after Petito was found dead. They did settle a civil lawsuit with Petito's parents in 2024, which accused the couple of withholding knowledge of the vlogger's death.
The filmmakers of the Netflix docuseries included a note from Laundrie's mother, which she told her son to "burn after reading."
"If you're in jail, I will bake a cake with a file in it," Roberta Laundrie wrote her son in the undated letter. "If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags."
Roberta Laundrie denied that her words pertained to Petito's death. Petito's parents also said they tried contacting Laundrie's parents and sister, but their messages went unanswered. When officers went to the Laundrie's home on Sept. 11, body camera footage showed Christopher Laundrie telling the officer that his son was home but referred the cop to an attorney for further questioning.
Josh Taylor, a North Port police spokesperson, told USA TODAY he was unsure what charges Laundrie's parents could face: "To this day, there has never been a crime in this case which took place in the City of North Port."
In a statement to USA TODAY, Laundrie's attorney, Steven Bertolino, said the docuseries "contained many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact - perhaps deliberate to capture their 'truth,' perhaps due to simple error."
"We all know Brian took Gabby's life and Brian then took his own as well," Bertolino said. "Let the parents of both Gabby and Brian mourn and remember them in peace."
Contributing: Erin Jensen, Jeanine Santucci, John Bacon, Christal Hayes, Grace Hauck & Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY