Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #80

[cady]

OCT 22, 2021 (Video)
Full Interview: Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino discusses (abc7ny.com)

11:20 mark:

"Chris and Roberta knew that their son Brian was grieving. They knew he was SO upset.

And you know, they just couldn't control that he was leaving and he left; he walked out the door. And Chris has said to me, 'I wish I could have stopped him, but I couldn't.'

He's 22 years old and he's walking out the door. So yeah, they suspected that he may have hurt himself. And whether or not that's confirmed remains to be seen."

11:47 mark:

The reporter asks Bertolino if he wants to talk any more about that conversation they had before he left the house and Bertolino responds, "No."
-----------------------
BBM - I do not believe this for one hot minute - they could have put the keys up - then he would have left on foot if he was so determined to go. I still believe something isn't right with the whole preserve situation but I will await the autopsy findings...
JMO

Maybe they were afraid of crossing him, knowing his temperament. jmo

 

[cottonweaver]

OCT 22, 2021 (Video)
Full Interview: Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino discusses (abc7ny.com)

11:20 mark:

"Chris and Roberta knew that their son Brian was grieving. They knew he was SO upset.

And you know, they just couldn't control that he was leaving and he left; he walked out the door. And Chris has said to me, 'I wish I could have stopped him, but I couldn't.'

He's 22 years old and he's walking out the door. So yeah, they suspected that he may have hurt himself. And whether or not that's confirmed remains to be seen."

11:47 mark:

The reporter asks Bertolino if he wants to talk any more about that conversation they had before he left the house and Bertolino responds, "No."
-----------------------
BBM - I do not believe this for one hot minute - they could have put the keys up - then he would have left on foot if he was so determined to go. I still believe something isn't right with the whole preserve situation but I will await the autopsy findings...
JMO

I agree that they could have 'put the keys up - then he would have left on foot if he was so determined to go' as you said but I wonder if they genuinely thought he was going for a hike because this is the sort of thing he normally did when he was having a meltdown?

I've also wondered if Chris tried to stop him leaving for different reasons. Not because they knew he would commit suicide ( I personally don't think that they feared that at this early stage) but because they knew it would look terrible that their son was out hiking while the police & Petitos were calling & GP was missing.

So a combo of bad optics & knowing they had a crisis, needed to be home for legal advice & not wandering about? ( Hence, when later they realised he'd not taken a phone, CL goes out to fetch him)

<modsnip>

 

[LeeJay55]

According to Bertolino when they saw NPPD say on the 17th that they knew exactly where Brian Laundrie was they reached out to LE to find out where. He said he thought perhaps LE had taken Brian into custody.

Either they did not see prior claims or took them to mean Brian

was at the park, I guess.

Bertolino never bothered to notify NPDD Brian was missing !
He was.totally manipulating everyone!
The puppet master!

 

[BCSleuth]

Bertolino never bothered to notify NPDD Brian was missing !
He was.totally manipulating everyone!
The puppet master!

As it turns out NPPD didn't need to be told Brian was missing. NPPD saw Brian leave on Monday the 13th.

The entire point is now moot, as is the Laundries mixing up their dates.

 

[GRT]

I don't believe BL was ever going to talk to authorities. His 5th amendment right to remain silent would be invoked.

We don't know if his parent's were trying to get him to turn himself in, wish we did. But I'm pretty sure at this point they didn't help him escape justice either. jmo

A lot of woulda, coulda, and shoulda's lurking around this story.

I think so, too, and for me, just the fact that they hired an attorney tells me they were focused on defending him through the legal system. If they were going to help him abscond, why waste money on an attorney?

 

[Balthazar]

I have a question, and there may be a simple no answer to this:

SB claims that he told FBI on September 13 that BL never came home from his hike and that the FBI has confirmed this conversation. NPPD claims that they did not know they BL was a missing person until Friday, September 17 when the missing persons report was filed. NPPD have also claimed that the FBI was working with them "hand in hand" for lack of a better phrase.

Has it ever confirmed been whether or why the FBI never told NPPD that BL didn't come home from his hike?

Here is what we know:

SB told FBI on September 13 that BL never came home from his hike.

NPPD apparently was looking for SB to return from his hike, otherwise they would not have mistakenly believed that RL was BL.

On the day RL and CL went to get the Mustang (I believe September 15), whoever was watching the feed and saw RL and despite only 2 people leaving the house and only 2 people returning to the house, somehow assumed RL was BL. I guess they thought RL was still away from the house somehow.

So...I think the NPPD either must have known BL went hiking and had not returned and were actively watching for him OR they were just recording who came and went and recording that information and an NPPD employee erroneously put down BL and CL returned in 2 vehicles despite evidence that RL and CL were out of the house and 2 cars returned with only 2 people. It's really hard for me to understand how the NPPD didn't know about the warning they had placed on the Mustang at the park parking lot or how they had such a lapse in logic to think that RL was BL. But that seems to have been the case. IMO whoever was observing the comings and goings at the Laundrie house did a terrible job and probably should not be assigned an activity like that again. If the problem was the camera was so unclear, then they need to upgrade their equipment. Much, much better technology is available.

 

[LeeJay55]

As it turns out NPPD didn't need to be told Brian was missing. NPPD saw Brian leave on Monday the 13th.

The entire point is now moot, as is the Laundries mixing up their dates.

Well if SB reached m out to the fbi.why not.NPPD?

 

[oviedo]

I think so, too, and for me, just the fact that they hired an attorney tells me they were focused on defending him through the legal system. If they were going to help him abscond, why waste money on an attorney?

This is an excellent point - it seems to me they were protecting him all along and yet -they didn't? it does not make sense to me yet - I've followed this case from the beginning and I still believe the camping trip pow wow was meant to be a good bye - of course, seeing the phone records from 8/27 to 9/17 would also be a plus.
JMO

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I can imagine it was something like, "Gabby went crazy and started hitting me, I was just trying to hold her off and accidentally strangled her to death, I'm so sorry guys" :I Maybe because the Laundries had been irritated by Gabby because of her OCD and emotional fragility (probably partly caused by Brian's controlling behaviour) which maybe they had witnessed when she lived with them, they were less sympathetic to her, and wanted to believe what Brian said was true? When I see the bodycam footage of the stop in Utah, it is so blatant to me we are looking at an abusive relationship where Brian is controlling Gabby and maybe telling her that no other guy would want her because of her OCD and anxiety issues? He just comes across as so smug...but also really nervous that the LE were going to find something out, maybe because Gabby finally got up courage to say how he had been controlling her.

Longtime member welcomes you to Websleuths

I think the Moab stop was a huge embarrassment for Brian. I'm sure he blamed Gabby for allowing that to happen, and he was never going to get over it. He joked with the officers that he hoped Gabby wasn't saying anything bad about him, but he couldn't be sure about what she might have reported to LE. I believe the Moab stop was the beginning of the end of their relationship. No doubt BL's anger escalated after that encounter with LE.

 

[cady]

Remember the photo of the guy walking close to his home.with the earphones? He was barefoot i f inre

Well if SB reached m out to the fbi.why not.NPPD?

SB wasn't obligated to reach out to anyone, but apparently he did to FBI. (Or, FBI, to him) It was up to FBI to inform NPPD, if they so chose. Guess they chose not to. No idea why. jmo

 

[Cecelia]

Here is what we know:

SB told FBI on September 13 that BL never came home from his hike.

He SAYS he told the FBI on 9/13. I'm still not convinced he's telling the truth about this -- I think if he contacted the FBI in any way it was some low-level flunky with no knowledge of the case, so he could later make this claim of "I called the FBI myself," but that's just my own opinion. With the way he has changed dates about what happened when, I'm choosing to take this with a grain of salt still.

NPPD apparently was looking for SB to return from his hike, otherwise they would not have mistakenly believed that RL was BL.

NPPD has also made a lot of conflicting statements about what they knew and whether they were watching or not. Sadly, I have to take everything they say with grains of salt as well. I really am sad about that. I have friends whose husbands are in local law enforcement (not NPPD though) and I want to support LE, but I've lost a lot of confidence here.

 

[NCWatcher]

Here is what we know:

SB told FBI on September 13 that BL never came home from his hike.

NPPD apparently was looking for SB to return from his hike, otherwise they would not have mistakenly believed that RL was BL.

On the day RL and CL went to get the Mustang (I believe September 15), whoever was watching the feed and saw RL and despite only 2 people leaving the house and only 2 people returning to the house, somehow assumed RL was BL. I guess they thought RL was still away from the house somehow.

So...I think the NPPD either must have known BL went hiking and had not returned and were actively watching for him OR they were just recording who came and went and recording that information and an NPPD employee erroneously put down BL and CL returned in 2 vehicles despite evidence that RL and CL were out of the house and 2 cars returned with only 2 people. It's really hard for me to understand how the NPPD didn't know about the warning they had placed on the Mustang at the park parking lot or how they had such a lapse in logic to think that RL was BL. But that seems to have been the case. IMO whoever was observing the comings and goings at the Laundrie house did a terrible job and probably should not be assigned an activity like that again. If the problem was the camera was so unclear, then they need to upgrade their equipment. Much, much better technology is available.

I don't understand mistaking RL for BL either. BUT do we know exactly how the Mustang "homecoming" went? For example, RL could have arrived in the Mustang first. Maybe CL ran an errand before coming home. It was still a huge mistake but once the watcher was convinced BL was home, if CL didn't arrive until say, 5 min later, little attention may have been paid. And it wouldn't have been so obvious 2 left and only 2 came back. I think they were paying more attention to the vehicles too.
JMO

 

[10ofRods]

Longtime member welcomes you to Websleuths I think the Moab stop was a huge embarrassment for Brian. I'm sure he blamed Gabby for allowing that to happen, and he was never going to get over it. He joked with the officers that he hoped Gabby wasn't saying anything bad about him, but he couldn't be sure about what she might have reported to LE. I believe the Moab stop was the beginning of the end of their relationship. No doubt BL's anger escalated after that encounter with LE.

I agree. That stop changed everything. Completely new relationship paradigm after that. I know it would have changed everything for me, too (regardless of whether I was slapping or being slapped). The reasons why this couple got to that point were myriad and complex, and I don't think most people could immediately "get over it." They had slipped down a very slippery slope and the public embarrassment (especially since Gabby was trying to make their trip and relationship a kind of public commodity) must have been brutal for them. Plus, Brian strikes me as the type of person who really is a loner and wants to be private.

It's still stunning and hard to comprehend how it escalated to the point that it did...

 

[beaky]

I disagree with NPPD. We now have no idea who was going in and out of the home. For all we know, Brian may have been returning to the home during the night, but they thought it was RL or CL.
Were the cameras too grainy? Were they set an angle that not much could be seen? Did they only take a pic every 10 sec or was it a continuous video? What happened that a 55 (don't know her exact age) year old woman could be seen as a 23 year old male?

It has to be continuous video surely? I think they only do 10 second snapshots in cameras monitoring very remote locations maybe that are on battery power only. How could they not see it was not Brian when she got out of the car? Did they just see the person inside the car, then immediately got on their phone/radio to tell HQ that Brian had come back without waiting to look when the person got out of the car??? Mind boggles.

 

[Balthazar]

ETA: I wasn’t aware that when people are being surveilled, they regularly call LE to let them know when they are coming and going in order to cooperate with surveillance

I don't know of a lot of cases where a person of interest and their family do much cooperating with LE at all. I think it's more the norm than the exception for there to be a lack of cooperation

Ann Rule is gone so who would be qualified to write a accurate version of Gabby's death? If someone is going to put pen to paper it should be someone that cares enough to get it right. But I wonder who that would be? jmho

ETA: This should never be a lifetime movie, EVER!

I would think Susan Orlean would be ideal for such a book.

 

[gngr~snap]

Me too, but I think FBI asked them not to talk about it. jmo

If there is no case now, why would they need to remain quiet?
I'm honestly curious.
At this point it's all water under the bridge isn't it?
MOO

 

[BCSleuth]

Did they?

On my timeline, I have Sep 16 - NPPD states again that they “know where BL is at” (video) and it wasn't until the next evening when LE was at their house that the missing persons report was filed.

Okay, was doubling checking source on this and found I was mistaken. What Bertolino actually said was that he saw JT say he knew exactly where Brian was and he phoned the Laundries to find out if they knew. They said no. Bertolino thought perhaps Brian had been picked up by LE. But they did not reach out to LE at this time. However, it should be noted, at this point, as far as the Laundries and their lawyer knew, LE knew exactly where Brian was because NPPD just said so!

Source is the Banfield interview starting at 24:37. Here:

 

[cady]

I agree. That stop changed everything. Completely new relationship paradigm after that. I know it would have changed everything for me, too (regardless of whether I was slapping or being slapped). The reasons why this couple got to that point were myriad and complex, and I don't think most people could immediately "get over it." They had slipped down a very slippery slope and the public embarrassment (especially since Gabby was trying to make their trip and relationship a kind of public commodity) must have been brutal for them. Plus, Brian strikes me as the type of person who really is a loner and wants to be private.

It's still stunning and hard to comprehend how it escalated to the point that it did...

Obviously they did not have the same van trip goals.....seems like they enjoyed fixing up the van, and planning to visit lots of cool places, but not exactly HOW that was supposed to work out.....that it would be a public commodity, and not a trip for their private mutual enjoyment (whatever that was). jmo
Possibly Brian didn't take Gabby's goal of a vanlife blog seriously, and thought he could put the kibosh to it by diminishing her efforts as much as he could, once they got started.

 

[Balthazar]

Taylor says North Port police began tracking Brian after his fiance’s, Gabby Petito, family reported her missing in the State of New York. They reported her missing on Saturday, September 11.

Police then watched him leave in his Mustang on Monday, September 13 and he returned on Wednesday, September 15."

North Port police admit to mistakes in Brian Laundrie investigation

Tracking Brian? Then why did they just watch him leave in his Mustang and not follow him at a distance to determine what he was up to? They knew he was a POI and yet they allowed him to just drive off to who knows where without a tail! What if BL had Gabby somewhere else, not his parents house and was headed there? This complete failure in surveillance is just crazy.

 

[cady]

If there is no case now, why would they need to remain quiet?
I'm honestly curious.
At this point it's all water under the bridge isn't it?
MOO

I have no idea! If they wind up being interviewed by Brian Entin, then I guess they got the green light!? jmo