Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #81

[Van Helsing]

Yep. How did the witness even notice this was going on if it was all so subdued? There is no question the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, but I'm not taking the manager's account as gospel at all. It just doesn't add up.

I just realized that if that witness had not spoken up, LE may not have ever learned that GP and BL were at Merry Piglets.

 

[PixPixPix]

Could it be possible that Gabby thought Brian paid the bill? Perhaps she stepped away to go to the restroom assuming he took care of it. When the server follows them into the parking lot, it then becomes clear the bill had not been paid. As another Poster mentioned, potentially cash was given at this point, possibly from Gabby’s possession. She then may have attempted to get the cash back by trying to put the transaction on her card.

I don’t know, but something about his possible financial state has been in the back of my mind for a few weeks.

All JMO..

Every dine and dash table I had when I worked in food service started with one person at the table going to the bathroom while the other asked for something that would send me back to the kitchen.

The probability of them accidentally walking out on the bill is approaching zero, especially in light of Gabby returning and asking for a refund. "Oops, I thought he payed. But now that you mention it, the food was bad so I want my money back." Get out of here.

I have strong feelings about people who feel entitled to a free meal while endangering their server's livelihood. Not saying that's what happened here. But it kind of makes sense why the restaurant didn't comment publicly earlier. Their story reflects poorly on Gabby and Brian, and they might have gotten some blowback from.the public for speaking ill of the missing/dead.

 

[borndem]

The manager said they left without paying, though. They did not pay until the server went outside after them. Then they both returned inside and Gabby asked for their money back. I wish she had explained why they didn't pay.

Another thing I found interesting in the interview tonight was the description of the crime scene. The reporter said they had to walk through several creeks to get to the place where the body was left, and that it was further from the van than he expected.

I'm wondering if he killed her there or in another location. It doesn't look as if there is a good spot for a tent with all the rocks around, and I see no sign of a fire ring. Imo

I still think he may well have killed her inside the van and hauled or driven to the spot where she was found. Strangulation -- no blood and probably no other evidence of a struggle or a crime in the van.

 

[Allabouttrial]

This is a short clip of what the Insta. woman said about the incident at Merry Piglets.

Witness
All I remember is that they were sitting at the table directly next to us. We were eating, we were in the middle of our meal. We weren't paying attention to anybody else around us. We only took notice of them when they got up and we're leaving. I'm almost positive that they were eating, because I remember questioning "Did they even pay, did they even get the bill. Did they".....you know it was so fast. They just...our waitress was also their waitress. We shared a waitress and she was visibly upset. So I know she was...she was a part of it. She has to have more information than I do.........

 

[Balthazar]

I still think he may well have killed her inside the van and hauled or driven to the spot where she was found. Strangulation -- no blood and probably no other evidence of a struggle or a crime in the van.

No one has mentioned tire tracks in the dirt or drag marks at the crime scene.

 

[MsBetsy]

th
You may be exactly right, BCSleuth. But the point that I am trying to promote is that no one in Merry Piglets has elaborated enough that we can understand what happened.
They have only conveyed that Brian and Gabby consumed, ran out without paying, paid outside, then came back in and wanted their money back.
That lack of detail paints an illogical picture. Either MP management is not conveying Gabby & Brian's complaint or Gabby & Brian were trying to steal a meal, paid for it under pressure outside, and then went back in asking for the money back ~ Are they intimating that Gabby & Brian weren't even acting sanely?

I think one or both of them were unhappy with the food. The witness did say it seemed like the argument might have something to do with the staff, or that she couldn't tell what they were arguing about.

They may have confronted the server and maybe Brian argued with her. Maybe they weren't happy with the outcome, ended up with food that was not satisfying, and they decided to leave. That would explain Gabby asking for her money back.

That would also be something the manager might not want to go into detail about.

IMO

 

[customCF]

So, why was Gabby outside crying? Is there an incentive for the manager to downplay the incident? Why would they come back inside and ask for their money back if they had just paid the server moments earlier? This is a weird story. By weird, I just mean that it further confuses rather than tying any ends together. MOO

This story from the manager makes no sense to me honestly. I can't figure out why Gabby would have been the one to be upset about the situation and BL being calm etc. I get the feeling that there is more to that story than we are being told. IF this is what caused the "fight" that ended with Gabby's murder; I cannot figure out how this whole thing went down between Gabby and BL.

Confusing to me.
MOO

 

[customCF]

I still think he may well have killed her inside the van and hauled or driven to the spot where she was found. Strangulation -- no blood and probably no other evidence of a struggle or a crime in the van.

I doubt that van could have driven over to where Gabby was found, given it's only front wheel drive and low ground clearance. With the rocky, uneven terrain and potential softness of the creek bed that van would have gotten stuck fairly easily.
I say this because I have been in that area and many areas like it.

He could have killed Gabby inside the van and carried her over there but IF that is what happened; why would he put her hiking boots next to her?

MOO

 

[BCSleuth]

Didn't the witness say she did not remember it till her boyfriend remembered? Or was it the other way around and boyfriend did not remember. If it was such a loud fight, and they were right next to them, just odd. But, I would think not a lot of food is veggie in a Merry Piglets. At first I thought they were served something with meat...

Yes, it was her boyfriend who first remembered and said something like, "hey those were the two from the restaurant."

But what made them stick out? If they simply walked out without paying that certainly would not draw attention. This latest version of events just does not add up.

 

[MsBetsy]

I still think he may well have killed her inside the van and hauled or driven to the spot where she was found. Strangulation -- no blood and probably no other evidence of a struggle or a crime in the van.

That's one possibility. I think it would have been hard to drive the van through the creeks and all the vegetation but maybe not impossible. He may have even dragged/carried the body from where the van was parked.

 

[Scrapper18]

I e tried searching threads, as well as Google. Do we know exactly what remains were found of BL? I know there has to be at least a partial jaw, for dental ID. Have we heard of anything else?

 

[BCSleuth]

I still think he may well have killed her inside the van and hauled or driven to the spot where she was found. Strangulation -- no blood and probably no other evidence of a struggle or a crime in the van.

I agree. I highly doubt they dragged their stuff across a creek to go camping. Never happened.

 

[EvieIvyOver]

It still makes no sense to me without an explanation as to why they would ever ask for a refund after paying for a meal that they tried to skip paying on.
Steal, pay, and then ask for a refund? No. This is not a full context of what could have happened. Mooing along.

I think someone may have proposed this as a theory...possibly Gabby paid with cash, then they decided they should have kept the cash, so they went back in to get her cash back and pay with her card instead. The restaurant may have thought that was a bit shady, and refused to give back the cash.

 

[cady]

Yep. How did the witness even notice this was going on if it was all so subdued? There is no question the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, but I'm not taking the manager's account as gospel at all. It just doesn't add up.

Nina Angelo said that BL was arguing with the waitress before they left. jmo

 

[LRinCA]

This is a short clip of what the Insta. woman said about the incident at Merry Piglets.

Witness
All I remember is that they were sitting at the table directly next to us. We were eating, we were in the middle of our meal. We weren't paying attention to anybody else around us. We only took notice of them when they got up and we're leaving. I'm almost positive that they were eating, because I remember questioning "Did they even pay, did they even get the bill. Did they".....you know it was so fast. They just...our waitress was also their waitress. We shared a waitress and she was visibly upset. So I know she was...she was a part of it. She has to have more information than I do.........

Interesting, Allabouttrial.

This also caught my eye:

"We only took notice of them when they got up and were leaving."

 

[ExpectingUnicorns]

I think one or both of them were unhappy with the food. The witness did say it seemed like the argument might have something to do with the staff, or that she couldn't tell what they were arguing about.

They may have confronted the server and maybe Brian argued with her. Maybe they weren't happy with the outcome, ended up with food that was not satisfying, and they decided to leave. That would explain Gabby asking for her money back.

That would also be something the manager might not want to go into detail about.

IMO

Yes; this is what I'm trying to bring forward. Gabby & Brian might have had a valid complaint that it wasn't in Merry Piglets' favor to share.
If the staff at Merry's isn't transparent, I cannot give their comments any more weight than I can give the tick-tockers' account.

 

[customCF]

“The manager, who didn’t want to be on camera, said there were no loud voices, no one got angry and no fit was thrown. The manager said Petito and Laundrie left the restaurant without paying so a server followed them outside. The pair then paid the bill out on the street, with the server noting that Laundrie was calm.

Laundrie and Petito then went back inside the restaurant together with Petito asking for her money back, the manager said. The restaurant said they were not going to give the money back, so the pair left, the manager said. Surveillance video of the interaction has since been deleted.” Timeline: Petito's final days

This is almost exactly what he said live.

Edit: Spelling

Could the manager be lying or "wrong" about what happened and is just trying to protect the reputation of the business?

This story is confusing IMO

 

[cady]

I just realized that if that witness had not spoken up, LE may not have ever learned that GP and BL were at Merry Piglets.

I'm starting to think that the witness' story is a bit more truthful than the manager's. Maybe no one is supposed to talk about it. Managers story was bare-bones. There has to be more to this. jmo
Brian was reportedly arguing with the waitress before he and Gabby got up and left. Manager wouldn't necessarily have seen that. Manager probably only told Entin what she absolutely knew as a fact and not what she heard thru the restaurant grapevine. jmo

 

[kaybee]

Every dine and dash table I had when I worked in food service started with one person at the table going to the bathroom while the other asked for something that would send me back to the kitchen.

The probability of them accidentally walking out on the bill is approaching zero, especially in light of Gabby returning and asking for a refund. "Oops, I thought he payed. But now that you mention it, the food was bad so I want my money back." Get out of here.

I have strong feelings about people who feel entitled to a free meal while endangering their server's livelihood. Not saying that's what happened here. But it kind of makes sense why the restaurant didn't comment publicly earlier. Their story reflects poorly on Gabby and Brian, and they might have gotten some blowback from.the public for speaking ill of the missing/dead.

Just to be fair, mistakes can happen. Not sure if that's what happened here with Gabby/Brian, but it has happened to me. My husband and I accidentally left a bar without paying for our bill. I went to the restroom after the bill came and assumed he had paid, and he thought I had paid when I left the table to use the facilities. We walked out completely unaware. Luckily my coworkers were there and covered our bill - the waitress was very upset. When my coworkers texted me to let me know that we didn't pay, I immediately drove the 15 minutes back to the bar (friends were gone at that point) and profusely apologized to the waitress and gave her a massive tip. I didn't tell her this detail, but at that time I worked for the police department, and this bar was in their jurisdiction. I have NEVER stolen anything in my life, but if I were to do something shady/crappy like that it most certainly would not be in the same jurisdiction of the police department where I was employed - they would have reported the theft to the officers I worked with. The waitress didn't believe me, she just said "Yeah, sure . . . okay." and took the money while giving me massive stink eye. Although I'm sure you've seen it all, sometimes honest mistakes do happen.

 

[customCF]

Theory here:

IF BL went on a "hike" after the MP incident and left Gabby at the campsite with the tent; this could fit somehow IMO.

If you go off of Miranda Baker's (saying it's true) hitch-hiking story about how BL was camping for days without Gabby and she was at the van alone; could he have gone off after a fight to "separate themselves" could someone else have killed Gabby?


Speculation