Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #67

[kittythehare]

He might have decided to run by then, although I'm not sure why he would be so forthcoming about GP and the van then.

I guess I just have to swim against the current and admit that I cannot convince myself that he hiked and hitchhiked for an alibi. Nothing about that makes sense. But this is a murderer I'm trying to figure out. I'm trying to reason the unreasonable. LE noted he was acting nervous in Moab. He claimed he has anxiety. There are reported sightings of him acting strangely before the murder. If he took off hiking without GP and acted nervous, anxious, or strange to the hitchhiker rides, that doesn’t seem overly out-of-character for him, imo.

Him killing her after the hike and taking off immediately after? That makes sense. But I know that doesn't make it so. I'm sorry, everyone, for not letting this issue rest. I'll lay quiet for awhile.

Talk away.
Someone might figure something out.

We're just very short of witnesses at mo and hoping the FBI aren't in the same boat...

 

[NCHydrangea]

Maybe the help is inadvertent. Florida seems to have several intentional communities aka communes that would suit his needs nicely. Off grid, nobody asks many questions and people drift in and out frequently.

I’m sooo glad you brought this up because I woke up at 4:00 this morning with this exact thing on my mind.

MOO
IMO

It would be easy for someone like Brian to be absorbed by an “Intentional Community “ (used to be called hippie communes in the 70s).

These communities, based on my research, tend to be very accepting and open to most everyone and don’t tend to ask questions. A young man, such as Brian, could walk up with nothing but the clothes in his back and he would be given a place to sleep and food to eat, in exchange for a little sweat equity.

These communities may be off grid in rural areas, such as one in Lafayette, TN with just a few trips to town to pick up essentials. It would be easy for someone to keep their head down and avoid going into public until things on the “outside” calmed down or you’ve grown your hair out, gained weight, etc.

I think Brian could easily adapt to this type of living. He would essentially be camping with the safety and support of a community “hidden” community, while still having the opportunity to catch a ride to town to pick up a package from the post office and maybe even someone who could sign for a money wire in the event that someone decided to wire him money.

There are many of these communities all over the states, but I’ve only really looked into the one in Lafayette, TN because of YouTube. The community is called The Garden and you can search YouTube for “The Garden commune”. I’m not trying to imply that he may be there, but there are a lot of videos about this one in particular because Youtubers were making videos on when they visited. It became a destination for some Youtubers for the sole purpose of making videos.

FWIW Most of the videos I watched stated that the Youtubers were welcomed and treated very nicely by the residents of the community.

I’m just saying, if I was a young, strong man in my early twenties and I needed somewhere to go, I would definitely look into an intentional community to disappear into.
MOO

 

[Warwick7]

I really think this was key. She was taking their side. I'm sure that enraged him. He was upset with staff to begin with, but her siding with them would have upped his aggravation level immensely.

And this is a man who has no problem in public repeatedly slapping his girlfriend/fiance and hitting her.

 

[CharlestonGal]

How can they remember which date it was?

I suspect the attorney "remembered" the date when the FBI informed him thusly.

 

[Skigirl]

I'm thinking about the fact that BL made enough of a ruckus in at least two separate towns for people to actually remember him -- a "pick a six pack of people" average-looking guy, who would never have stood out otherwise. He must have been absolutely full of rage to have had two incidents like that -- that we know about! there could be more we haven't heard of! -- in such a short period of time.

I promise that I can go about my business for months on end, even when traveling, even in foreign countries, without anybody remembering anything in particular about me. It's just remarkable that he had those two incidents within two weeks, especially when he was in FL for about a week in between. Remarkable.

 

[kittythehare]

This is why I think the argument continued for the rest of the day and culminated in Gabby's death in the early evening of the 27th. We don't know where they were between leaving the restaurant and arriving back at the campsite, but Bethunes captured the van at around 6-6:30 pm not seeing anyone in or near the van. jmo

How long a walk from MP to van?

 

[ThoughtFox]

A major wound to him in his mind, I image.
Her going back in there. Exposing him & his behavior …
But not on purpose by Gabby.
Gabby was being empathetic to the staff

MOO

Excellent point!

 

[simplemind]

Did they then do this in the dark?

This is one of my questions too, and the answer is possibly yes as there are separate photographs showing the truck moved between late afternoon and later that night on 9/13. Which brings my next question. Isn't the Park lot where the mustang was parked locked after sunset? If so where did they park the truck? Did they drive around to Venice side of the reserve? (Remember this is where the search was heavily focused near the beginning) Were they out with flashlights for 4 hours in the reserve? Did they drive around on 72 that night? (Easily done, about 45 min drive around) After coming up short in finding their son who they say they were worried about why wait 4 more days to report? They changed the date from 9/14 to 9/13 3 weeks later. What went on the night of 9/13?

 

[elmomom]

He might have decided to run by then, although I'm not sure why he would be so forthcoming about GP and the van then.

I guess I just have to swim against the current and admit that I cannot convince myself that he hiked and hitchhiked for an alibi. Nothing about that makes sense. But this is a murderer I'm trying to figure out. I'm trying to reason the unreasonable. LE noted he was acting nervous in Moab. He claimed he has anxiety. There are reported sightings of him acting strangely before the murder. If he took off hiking without GP and acted nervous, anxious, or strange to the hitchhiker rides, that doesn’t seem overly out-of-character for him, imo.

Him killing her after the hike and taking off immediately after? That makes sense. But I know that doesn't make it so. I'm sorry, everyone, for not letting this issue rest. I'll lay quiet for awhile.

The only thing I have thought of, repeatedly, is that he did not want to be the one to “discover” her body. I think he was hoping she would be discovered while he was gone. When that plan failed, he came back for the van and high tailed it out of there.

 

[CarolynAB2]

I don't think anyone will take seriously the utterances of a man who left his fiancée behind, without her credit cards, and drove across country without her. He is not a reliable person, much less a reliable narrator. Further, he will not be put on the stand to give his various alibis and. the couple who picked him up were already skeptical about his claims, due to the fact that he had almost no gear with him. So I would think it would be quite a bad move for the defense to put either of them on the stand.

Just let the ATM video speak for itself.

Even if BL is the world's fastest hiker, he did not have time to walk to Colter Bay and then onward for a multi-day trip "hiking" along the Snake River (another illegal thing to do without a wilderness permit; I would bet my bottom dollar he did not have campground reservations anywhere near the Snake...he would have had to sneak into Headwaters Campground without a reservation...IMO)

Again, I do believe there are multiple cameras in the vicinity. But we'll never found out any of it, unless someone finds BL, which is not a sure thing.

He doesn't have to get on the stand or say a word for the defense to convince a jury that there is reasonable doubt [ETA: that BL killed GP.] Maybe he will be convicted on the bank fraud charge, but if he "didn't know she was deceased, and had permission to use the card/funds" maybe that will result in a low sentence or no time. ]

There are plenty of cases where the defendant didn't take the stand and were found not guilty.

Two very famous examples:

• California v. OJS
• Florida v. CMA

 

[10ofRods]

You know, I think that one of the main things that come out of this case is a greater understanding of domestic violence and coercive control.

I just want to say that explosive tempers are not required in order for abuse to occur. Many of us have experienced DV, but not all of us had partners who had explosive tempers. Sometimes they are calm and smiling. Sometimes they are impassive. Sometimes they laugh (in my view, that person needs a full psychiatric evaluation, with an MMPI or similar as well).

Indeed, people who raise their voices and shout attract attention, from neighbors, from others - so many chronic abusers do not do that. They are conscious of what they are doing. They know where to pinch (the leg above the knee is a common place, the muscles hurt a lot if someone digs their fingers into them - and the bruises are easily hidden). This type of abuse can happen right in a public place, because to the casual observer, the hand on the thigh looks like a romantic gesture - they don't know that it's making the woman tense up and that her topics of conversation are being controlled. Her gaze may be controlled. One woman's husband didn't want her to "eat too much" and he would signal when to stop eating by pinching her there.

Many people who scream and shout do not hit and in some families (called "high EE") it's normal for parents to yell at each other. But no one gets hit, pinched or murdered, and finances are not controlled by one person.

Stressors make people more likely to act out physically, even if they haven't done so before. Two controlling people in one relationship is also a recipe for DV - but again, not always.

Bullying is definitely a precursor to physical, financial and sexual abuse. Perceived differences in status (the abuser thinks they're "worth more") are another factor. But not all abuse is accompanied by bullying, that's for sure.

 

[Krwiley60]

ETA: Just watched it. She said he told her he had been camping for multiple days, without Gabby.

This is perfect and exactly what I wanted to hear! Ty

 

[FindingJoLee]

I think it was a dumb guys idea of an alibi and it wouldn't have worked, anyway! And he didn't need to say anything to anyone when he got back to the van and LE wasn't there. But he did not want second ride to drop him off at the van and know exactly where it was and also not see hide nor hair of the dutifully-waiting fiancée. jmo

For sure!! If Gabby was already dead, had the second woman had been allowed to drop off Brian at the van, one of two things would happen: If Gabby's body was at the van, she was battered (and obviously gone) and no doubt the woman was going straight to law enforcement. But if Gabby wasn't at the van when she arrived to drop Brian off (because Gabby was lying in the creek bed) the woman would almost certainly ask, like few people seem to do in this case, Where is Gabby????

 

[mitzy]

Been trying to think outside the box as to why the FBI have continued to put all their search eggs in the reserve.

Could it be with all the prep time Brian had (at least 13 days) could he have been a little "clever" and bought the phone (or even phones), plugged into fully charged power banks and hidden them in the reserve? Possible phones last a couple weeks in standby/idle? I remember LE brought in a mobile cell phone van and wonder if they were trying to pinpoint where the signals were coming from?

I still err towards him taking his own life while well hidden in the reserve but to completely evade to this extent for so long is quite the feat unless we're missing some very pertinent info.

Just some random thoughts...

I guess everything is possible.

I just really hope they are doing more than we know. Like looking into every property the Laundries lawyer is involved in, empty houses, etc. Because I doubt that Brian is in the reserve….

 

[Cool Cats]

This is the type of expert opinion I find irresponsible, frankly. It would be one thing if she were analyzing surveillance footage of the incident, but she is analyzing a third party's unverified account. This is no better than all of our speculation based on the same information, but it has the veneer of being more true since it comes from an 'expert' MOO

I like hearing expert opinions This lady is a good expert in this field I believe.

Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, who pioneered the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit,
is a doctorally-prepared, board-certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist.

Ann Burgess author of the forthcoming book "A Killer by Design: Murders, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal."

She pioneered assessing and treating trauma in rape victims. She co-founded one of the first hospital-based crisis counseling programs at Boston City Hospital with Boston College sociologist, Lynda Lytle Holmstrom.

She later consulted John E. Douglas, Robert Ressler, and other FBI agents in the Behavioral Science Unit to develop modern psychological profiling for serial killers.[2][3] She has provided expert testimony on sexual assault cases.[4]

 

[jamicat]

New Yorker describes experience of BL look-alike:
“...Next thing I see is a bunch of guys with riot shields with ‘U.S. Marshals’ written on them,” Beckwith said. “Handguns pointed at my face.”
Bounty Hunting for Brian Laundrie in a Land of Look-Alikes

So the USMarshalls are actively looking for him? On the AT?

 

[Warwick7]

This is one of my questions too, and the answer is possibly yes as there are separate photographs showing the truck moved between late afternoon and later that night on 9/13. Which brings my next question. Isn't the Park lot where the mustang was parked locked after sunset? If so where did they park the truck? Did they drive around to Venice side of the reserve? (Remember this is where the search was heavily focused near the beginning) Were they out with flashlights for 4 hours in the reserve? Did they drive around on 72 that night? (Easily done, about 45 min drive around) After coming up short in finding their son who they say they were worried about why wait 4 more days to report? They changed the date from 9/14 to 9/13 3 weeks later. What went on the night of 9/13?

On my chart I have this documented.
"If" this is true, how much did they think they were going to be able to accomplish with four hours in the dark.

Second you are bringing out questions that need answers, very good questions.

 

[CharlestonGal]

He might have decided to run by then, although I'm not sure why he would be so forthcoming about GP and the van then.

I guess I just have to swim against the current and admit that I cannot convince myself that he hiked and hitchhiked for an alibi. Nothing about that makes sense. But this is a murderer I'm trying to figure out. I'm trying to reason the unreasonable. LE noted he was acting nervous in Moab. He claimed he has anxiety. There are reported sightings of him acting strangely before the murder. If he took off hiking without GP and acted nervous, anxious, or strange to the hitchhiker rides, that doesn’t seem overly out-of-character for him, imo.

Him killing her after the hike and taking off immediately after? That makes sense. But I know that doesn't make it so. I'm sorry, everyone, for not letting this issue rest. I'll lay quiet for awhile.

This is unpopular, but the only way I can make sense of BL's behavior and hitchhikking and whatnot is that Gabby briefly survived the strangulation. There may have been an argument, he choked her, but she initially survived. He takes off for a couple days with no real plan, but Gabby was not dead when he left. But she was dead when he came back.

There are documented cases where a person survived the acute strangulation, but died hours afterward from delayed complications. Here's an example.

Unexpected delayed death after manual strangulation: need for careful examination in the emergency room - PubMed

As always, mere speculation.

 

[simplemind]

This is one of my questions too, and the answer is possibly yes as there are separate photographs showing the truck moved between late afternoon and later that night on 9/13. Which brings my next question. Isn't the Park lot where the mustang was parked locked after sunset? If so where did they park the truck? Did they drive around to Venice side of the reserve? (Remember this is where the search was heavily focused near the beginning) Were they out with flashlights for 4 hours in the reserve? Did they drive around on 72 that night? (Easily done, about 45 min drive around) After coming up short in finding their son who they say they were worried about why wait 4 more days to report? They changed the date from 9/14 to 9/13 3 weeks later. What went on the night of 9/13?

Also, strangely, in the first picture circulating of the driveway on 9/13 the truck is backed up to the camper indicating that the camper was possibly attached the previous time the truck was out.

 

[jamicat]

I guess everything is possible.

I just really hope they are doing more than we know. Like looking into every property the Laundries lawyer is involved in, empty houses, etc. Because I doubt that Brian is in the reserve….

LE likely doing that with friends , family, acquaintances. They did take Laundries’ hard drive probably to get contact info

Doubt the attorney is hiding him. He has too much to lose doing something like that.