Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #12

[Beren]

So, if this is the gist of what went wrong on 8/12:

1. They get into a fight
2. He takes her phone and keys from her and tells her to go take a walk to calm down
3. She gets scared and upset because she doesn't want to and wants her phone and keys back
4. The more hysterical she gets, the more he uses it as a reason to keep the phone and keys away from her and tells her to essentially, go away
5. She can't believe why she can't get him to understand how she feels and ends up slapping etc
6. He points to this to feel justified in his actions of locking her out of the car in self defense
7. She claws her way in fearing abandonment
8. He points to this behavior to call her "crazy"

Then it would explain such logic as:

1. I'm not going to tell anyone what happened because people will crucify me no matter what I say
2. People get upset that he doesn't even do the basic minimum such as tell authorities where he was last with her
3. He feels justified: look at how scary people are behaving, see, this is why I don't want to say anything to the police

I don't know if we can ever get him to understand why not talking to the police upsets people and how that makes GP's parents feel. He doesn't seem to operate this way.

Perhaps he would like to control his own narrative more. Hunting him down would only make him more desperate. If the ultimate goal is for the parents to know what happened to GP, then maybe the only way to reach him is to give this guy a "win". IMO

 

[feralwriter]

She said he said his name was Brian, & that his girlfriend/fiance (however he termed it) was somewhere else working on her social media site. Of course we can't be certain the man in the car was *our* Brian, but imho it's a pretty sure bet. Only LE can determine that. I found her absolutely believable. But then, I've been fooled before by liars.

I'm curious why the tiktok person, who picked up a hitchhiker in the area where Gabbie last spoke with her mother, is taken seriously.

I'm sure that tiktok picked up a hitchhiker, but does she have a photo or something to prove that the hitchhiker is related to Gabby's disappearance? We know that she reported the info to FBI, and then she reported it to the media, but does it really fit with what we know about Gabby and fiance wanting to remain close to the van? Gabby did not want fiance to drive away in the van without her, even though she should have expected that he'd be back soon - after they'd cooled off from the disagreement.

Why would they park the van and hike 10 miles to a campsite? The tiktok person claims that they picked up a hitchhiker who was heading to Jackson, but when she mentioned that they were driving to Jackson Hole, he panicked and demanded that they let him out of the van. Most importantly, is it believable that they parked the van and hiked 10 miles to camping spot?

What's the story - that they did not park the van at Jackson Hole, but farther away?

"He approached us asking for a ride because he needed to go to Jackson and we were going to Jackson that night. So I said, you know, 'Hop in,' and he hopped in the back of my Jeep," Baker said. "He offered to pay us like $200 to give him a ride like 10 miles. So, that was kind of weird."​

https://www.fox13now.com/news/local...-laundrie-hiking-in-grand-teton-national-park

 

[Seabunny]

Not everyone is speculating accident, only a few.With having the police called days before one disappears looks closer to some kind of assault not accident

When I say accident I mean accidentally killed her, not intentionally, or it was a crime of passion. if it was a freak accident he would call 911, I think. Surely. Idk.

 

[squareandrabbet]

Do we know yet how he got there?

And, if this was on Tuesday, why in the world would his parents wait until Friday to report him missing?

I'm not buying this story, and the parents just became even more distasteful in my book.

As to credibility, just because the parents didn't report him missing until Friday, doesn't mean it took them until Friday to notice he was gone, KWIM?

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>

 

[kyraz]

*cringe* Absolutely not! I started at 12 years old…many young women are very interested in True Crime…

She’s reading a book about the Zodiac killer in one of the photos, odd book choice for a 22 year old women?

 

[eyesopen]

I know you’re all speculating that it was an accident so here’s mine:

He strangled her.
She’s dead.
He’s on the run.

I was thinking suffocation.

 

[ninvestigate]

I agree with you, and have thought about this a lot. While I understand why someone would panic if they felt they were about to be accused of something they did not do (like an accident), surely they would consider how much worse things would become the longer they tried to avoid and not report the situation.

Here's why Brian is in such big trouble, IMO --

If he killed her or if she slipped -- whichever -- and she fell down into a canyon, or crevice or had a life-ending fall, why didn't he call Park Rangers for help? If she walked off, and didn't return for several days, why didn't he contact the Park Rangers for help?
If they were on the way to a new destination or on the way home, and he killed her, or if she ran off -- whichever -- why didn't he call a local LEO?
Whatever situation, he's in a heap o' trouble for not alerting authorities. At least he could have alerted authorities when he got home.
There aren't many good alternatives left, IMO.

eah,

 

[Rocky1]

Great timeline, thank you.
Maybe this has been discussed but: after he decided that hitchhiking wasn’t for him (for whatever reason,) I wonder how he got back to the van?? It seems cell service is spotty in that area - how do you get back w/out a map? I guess he could’ve had a physical map —- or maybe I’m missing something and he was let out very close to the van? Although I guess at this moment we have no clue where the van was

I was thinking the same thing. Uber may be hard without cell service. Bus? If so, there must be a record I would think, or cam footage at the bus terminal. I'm not sure if a bus would even run that route being so sparsely populated, but I may be wrong. Asked someone for a ride at a store without actually hitchhiking?

 

[Beren]

Mine too. I used to be into German death metal and the links are still around. Not to mention some of the stuff I write.

If we all didn't have a little bit of a morbid side to us, would we be on a website sleuthing about true crime? ;-)

 

[skyedaze]

Are gators the ones who basically try to pulverize you into a bag of bones by twirling you around underwater? Or am I thinking of another predator?

They drown you and eat what they want..sometimes get you stuck on something underwater if you need to be softened up a little bit for a while.

 

[mym]

Shouldn't their resources be used on the case where someone is actually missing

By searching for BL, those resources ARE being used on a case where someone is actually missing: the GP case.
BL is a named Person Of Interest in a missing person case, quite likely to be the last person to have seen the missing person, quite possibly the only person who knows where the missing person is, and is definitely acting strangely. And while not to my knowledge declared a suspect so far, IMO that's as likely to be practical/strategic as it is a sign that LE doesn't unoficially suspect him.

 

[SuperTmo]

Well, this vanlife blog/website needed to make money, as that was the whole idea.

Where else were they going to get money from?

I think GP wanted to be a professional off-grid vanlifer, but in reality, she was actually just on an extended vacation visiting tourist places. It was mentioned she didn't even like driving the van! Not ideal!

This is where her dreams didn't meet up with reality, but I think BL helped her bridge them for a while.

I think BL was her enabler, and he knew it. Poor Gabby was a bit trapped in this co-dependent unhealthy relationship.

MOO.

Van life bloggers / social media influencers are far from off the grid. They literally depend on the internet and wifi and other people giving them money and odd jobs, advertising revenue etc. People who off grid are self sufficient and don’t need sponsorships lol.

 

[bambibones]

I'm baffled for the need to empty the storage locker at all. The home wasn't being sold. They intended to return from their trip. It makes no sense to me. JMO

I truly think they may have broken up at this point.

And then, as commonly happens, they got back together - unfortunately.

 

[Jurisprudence]

I will say I’ve never seen a story get so much attention…gabbys family and friends love her and we all want her home safe!

But, what do I think, you asked? I think he killed her. And, here's a repost explaining why:

"Of course, and it's a horrible thought. Mountain lions, coyotes, not to mention the elements and no food or water for 3 weeks. If he did not "murder" her but merely abandoned her, logic dictates he had to have incapacitated her in some way where she was unable to care for her own well being because otherwise, she would have walked away just as he did.

If this is the case, then anyway you cut it, he killed her. And, at that point it's only matter of which degree, from criminally negligent homicide to first degree premeditated."

 

[justtrish]

very well could have been her trying to send a clue to where she was taken. This whole thing is so weird. I just wish we had an alternate timeline with only physical evidence and not all of this out of touch mom/dad stuff! Maybe they don’t have the right info? By design? Idk. Seems like a lot of assumptions have been made and other assumptions haven’t been discussed.

It could have been Brian texting from her phone to throw everyone off while he drove the van home and didn't report her missing. Maybe thinking they would start the search in Yellowstone.

 

[lowes123]

So it looks like they went from Teton, to Jackson, ID, back to Yellowstone? That makes no sense, if what I have read has happened. Thoughts?

 

[smaragdalene]

Except Brian nor his parents have offered any information publicly nor presumably to LE. All that we know so far about the flight home and back comes from the GP fam.

Oh wow, solid point. I wonder how they know he was clearing out a storage space. I hadn't thought about that, if it was directly from her before she disappeared, or from somewhere else entirely.

 

[bambibones]

I was thinking the same thing. Uber may be hard without cell service. Bus? If so, there must be a record I would think, or cam footage at the bus terminal. I'm not sure if a bus would even run that route being so sparsely populated, but I may be wrong. Asked someone for a ride at a store without actually hitchhiking?

I don't think he "got tired of hitchhiking." In fact, when he was dropped off at Jackson Dam (assuming that was him) he told his "hosts" that he was going to look for a ride with someone going in the direction he wanted.

 

[ABCDiana]

This is my first post, but I've followed another case on Websleuths for a while. Since this one's local, I've been keeping an eye on it all week and thought it would get big but never expected this!

I just want to clear a few pieces. My apologies if these have already been addressed, as I can't quite keep up with the whole thread!
-Jackson Hole and Jackson are not totally equivalent. I think the TikTokker added to this confusion, but there is a distinction. JACKSON is the name of the main town in the area. So if BL asked for a ride "to Jackson" he was just asking to be taken into town. JACKSON HOLE is more of the region -- the whole valley that includes Jackson, a few other small towns, and most of GTNP. The campground they're looking for GP in is in Jackson Hole, technically, but still an hour or so north of Jackson. When BL asked to go to Jackson he was actually still in Jackson Hole. (A side note-- almost no one around here refers to "Jackson Hole" anyway unless we're out of town saying where we live. It's just called "the valley" locally.)
-Spread Creek Campground is not part of GTNP. I think the Daily Mail got this wrong. It's in Bridger-Teton National Forest. It is very close, almost bordering the park, but under a different agency. So you don't need reservations or a permit but probably need to register at the campsite due to stay length limits (5 days at the time of their trip). (More info here: Bridger-Teton National Forest - Dispersed Camping Areas (Undeveloped Campground))
-The idea of BL camping with only a small backpack and a tarp seems, to be honest, preposterous to me. It gets cold at night and you'd need a good sleeping bag even if you don't have shelter. Plus, all food items need to be secured from bears, and if he's just camping wherever, he would need a bear canister. He doesn't seem like he'd know how to set up a bear hang. It is still possible that he just didn't care and was lucky enough that all the hyperphagic bears around here didn't try to find his food. So I'm not saying he didn't camp with only a little backpack but it would be... unusual... and foolish IMO.

On another note, it has been rainy and very windy in the area this whole afternoon. Any search efforts for GP may have been hindered somewhat by the weather. Rain and very cold weather are expected tomorrow... I doubt it will snow where they're looking but will be pretty close.

 

[KentuckyMama]

Are gators the ones who basically try to pulverize you into a bag of bones by twirling you around underwater? Or am I thinking of another predator?

Yeah, the "death roll". They spin off chunks and appendages. They break it down into bite size snacks.