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

[EvieIvyOver]

This doesn't make sense to me either, BCSleuth. But neither does Brian taking Gabby's body over there and taking her boots off once he got there either. I can't logically put either scenario together in my mind. I can't imagine how it came about.

If they had pulled in there to camp, I don't see how they could have planned to sleep in the van--it was so small for two people. They must have walked to the area to scope out a tent site. Possibly they got into an argument about the conditions of the site (it didn't really look that appealing to me, add to that having to walk through water to get to it on a chilly night). But, it almost seems like someone had slept in the front seat at some point--or planned to, because in the video, there appeared to be a pillow up against the passenger door.

There is room for a different version of the events if Gabby refused to set up camp in that area, they got into a fight because she wanted to sleep in the van, and he left. She stayed and slept in the van and then at some point had an encounter with an unwanted visitor. Crazier things have happened.

 

[Nanceedroo]

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

Seems highly unlikely. Strangulation isn’t a typical way to kill a stranger. It’s a method that shows a lot of personal rage at the victim.

 

[Lilibeth]

It seems, at the very least, that some sort of conflict arose at the MP, and it seemed to revolve around money. It would be interesting to know how they shared expenses on the trip, and if this was a point of conflict between them. MOO

 

[witchway]

It seems, at the very least, that some sort of conflict arose at the MP, and it seemed to revolve around money. It would be interesting to know how they shared expenses on the trip, and if this was a point of conflict between them. MOO

. JMO I think shared budget was a big deal. JMO still should not lead to murder.

 

[witchway]

If they had pulled in there to camp, I don't see how they could have planned to sleep in the van--it was so small for two people. They must have walked to the area to scope out a tent site. Possibly they got into an argument about the conditions of the site (it didn't really look that appealing to me, add to that having to walk through water to get to it on a chilly night). But, it almost seems like someone had slept in the front seat at some point--or planned to, because in the video, there appeared to be a pillow up against the passenger door.

There is room for a different version of the events if Gabby refused to set up camp in that area, they got into a fight because she wanted to sleep in the van, and he left. She stayed and slept in the van and then at some point had an encounter with an unwanted visitor. Crazier things have happened.

.
Nope I have to respectfully disagree. In my opinion. They had a bad fight, building on many fights. He killed her and either during the event or after went into denial. Then when things caught up to him he suicided. JMO MOO. Again it's the simple answer to what happened. JMO. Sadly they were so young. JMO

 

[Sillybilly]

FYI .. there is an article circulating in tabloid land, purportedly about BL's ex-gf's social media. If it is even true, it appears to be nothing but social media drama and for now we'd like to leave it where it belongs .. out there in social media drama circles. If anything changes in that regard, we'll announce it on the thread.

Closing down for the night now folks.

Good Night and we'll see you all back in the morning.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Good Morning - The thread is now OPEN

 

[Barbie619]

I'm very bothered by the managers statement, not because I don't believe or do believe it. It just doesn't make sense to me that Gabby & BL walked out on their check. Then being chased by the waitress, paying the bill in the parking lot and Gabby returning to ask for a refund.

What bothers me is why they left without paying in the first place? That part doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I can only imagine why, but I can't imagine that Gabby & BL weren't upset, that just doesn't make sense to me and it's probably something that will never be clear to me.

I believe Gabby was upset and low and behold BL wasn't. Feels like the Moab stop all over again. Now we know for a fact that BL was able to control himself and his temper, like a light switch you can turn on and off.

Maybe it's just a guy thing, that I don't know. I know if I'm really worked up and upset I can't just switch it off and act like nothing ever happened. BL was able to do it twice in a matter of days. I believe he was behind not paying and then forcing Gabby to return for a refund while he waited outside. Did he actually get off on her pain? Was he really that cruel?

From Moonflower outside slapping and hitting Gabby to less than 10 minutes later acting as cool as a cucumber acting as if nothing had just happened. It's so bizarre to me and that's what makes no sense to me. Not that I expect BL to be wailing and crying, but the anger inside him that he could turn on and off. That's so scary to me that a person can do it like BL was able to do it. JMHO

 

[Kristin Esq.]

I watched too, but I didn’t take it that way. I heard like, if he carried her, it was was quite a distance, wouldn’t someone have seen him? Not a quote, not a fact, jmo.

The thought that Gabby might have been killed in the van and then carried to her resting place never crossed my mind. I guess I just always assumed that he killed her at that spot.

 

[Kristin Esq.]

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

I agree, seeing BE walk to the spot where she was found was too much for that van to get to. I think he killed her in the spot where she was found.

 

[64WhetstoneRoad]

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I vaguely remember when the whole MP thing first came out the manager downright dismissed the situation saying either she couldn’t recall or she wasn’t there and her servers hadn’t even mentioned an altercation, then she mentioned the lack of video due to it being deleted . Am I going crazy? MOO.

 

[Barbie619]

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..

Yes, that's very possible. I can think it possible that Gabby stepped into the restroom, seeing BL outside walked out.

I also think it's possible that once it became a issue outside, Gabby paid the bill. Returning to ask for a refund was most likely caused by a discussion with BL about why he left in the first place, then possibly agreeing with him, Gabby went back to ask for a refund.

I also believe employee's at the Merry Piglet didn't see anything going on outside, so therefore they didn't see Gabby crying and BL doing what he did best, being upset with Gabby for paying the bill. A argument ensued. JMO

 

[BellaVita]

I never bought into that theory either. IMO anyone in a relationship would need so much more than that to kill someone, unless BL had been routinely killing people who angered him throughout his life. I think that kind of "evil" for lack of a better word would have been apparent to Gabby and she wouldn't have wanted a guy like that for her fiance or even boyfriend. Something else that we don't know about happened between them that led to her murder, IMO. I don't believe the SM people except the helpful ones, the two women who picked up BL hitchhiking, and the Bethunes. I don't know about the rest... they seem to have their own agenda. Even and including Rose. JMO

I do believe BL killed her. I also believe he was capable of being the kind of person Gabby wanted to marry, because that is also true. There is just so much we don't know about them, and probably never will.

I never bought into that theory either. IMO anyone in a relationship would need so much more than that to kill someone, unless BL had been routinely killing people who angered him throughout his life.
Agree that it would take more than just one isolated incident, however, if the MP incident had actually taken place as originally reported, it would likely have been the last in a long string of incidents and broken the camel's back. The resentment and rage would have been building, building, building until it only took a spark to ignite disaster. I still believe it's likely that there may have been a lot more subtext to what happened at MP than what the manager knows.
I think that kind of "evil" for lack of a better word would have been apparent to Gabby and she wouldn't have wanted a guy like that for her fiance or even boyfriend.
So many cases where the "evil" wasn't apparent until it was too late: Hacking, Peterson, etc. MOO.

 

[64WhetstoneRoad]

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I vaguely remember when the whole MP thing first came out the manager downright dismissed the situation saying either she couldn’t recall or she wasn’t there and her servers hadn’t even mentioned an altercation, then she mentioned the lack of video due to it being deleted . Am I going crazy? MOO.

SO SO sorry for quoting myself BUT I found my answer, I was being lazy, sorry.
Here below is part of an article from somewhere around Sept 22nd regarding MP and the manager.

“A manager at the restaurant told Fox News that the business is "super busy during summer" and couldn’t recall the incident. Local police and the sheriff’s department deferred questions to the FBI, which declined to comment.”

Brian Laundrie argued in Wyoming restaurant hours before Gabby Petito vanished: eyewitnesses

 

[acutename]

Only sense I can make of it is if they paid cash outside, and then went inside and asked if they could have the cash back and put it on a card instead, and the place didn't want to deal with it any further.

when this incident was discussed beore

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I vaguely remember when the whole MP thing first came out the manager downright dismissed the situation saying either she couldn’t recall or she wasn’t there and her servers hadn’t even mentioned an altercation, then she mentioned the lack of video due to it being deleted . Am I going crazy? MOO.

there have been slightly different versions- and it points out what we do not know- was "the manager" interviewed the one on duty ? Does s/he know personally or is this what was told by staff? we get "'snippets" in news and social media, not a complete interview.

 

[Barbie619]

I'd love to know and yet I never will know, why BL was able to control his temper when needed for the public's sake, yet was able to manually strangle Gabby for 5 to 8 minutes without letting go of the pressure needed to do finish the act of killing. JMO That is so baffling to me.

 

[acutename]

This doesn't make sense to me either, BCSleuth. But neither does Brian taking Gabby's body over there and taking her boots off once he got there either. I can't logically put either scenario together in my mind. I can't imagine how it came about.

I could see them not wanting to sleep in the van together if they were arguing, the van is really small-

2012 Ford Transit Connect Dimensions - iSeeCars.com
https://www.iseecars.com › car › 2012-ford-transit_con...
Cargo Area Dimensions · Cargo Volume (ft³) 129.6 · Cargo Box (Area) Height (in) 53.7 · Cargo Box Width @ Wheelhousings (in) 48.1 · Cargo Area Width @ Beltline (in) ...

It was in the high 30Fs during the nights in question, so sleeping outside or inside would have been chilly. If GP were locked out of the van, she would have been hypothermic, IMHO, unless she had a great sleeping bag and a ground cover. I do keep wondering if BL was into "testing himself" - almost freezing, hiking really far, not eating much- and GP was just trying to live a happy life. (personal speculation)

 

[NCWatcher]

SO SO sorry for quoting myself BUT I found my answer, I was being lazy, sorry.
Here below is part of an article from somewhere around Sept 22nd regarding MP and the manager.

“A manager at the restaurant told Fox News that the business is "super busy during summer" and couldn’t recall the incident. Local police and the sheriff’s department deferred questions to the FBI, which declined to comment.”

Brian Laundrie argued in Wyoming restaurant hours before Gabby Petito vanished: eyewitnesses

I think the key is "a" manager. I am sure a restaurant like MP has more than one manager. No way just one person could be on duty all the needed hours. MP is open daily from 11:30am-10pm & obviously there is prep before opening and after closing.

I expect the security videotape overwrites itself unless it's kept from doing that. And MP had no way to know tape of GP & BL, two of probably hundreds of patrons served that week, should be preserved.
JMO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The move to refund the fees comes after The Salt Lake Tribune asked for an explanation of the costs, which appeared to violate Utah law. Agencies can only charge for “actual costs of providing a record,” public records law states.

“Even if one person were charged a fee,” city spokesperson Lisa Church said, “once that document is created, everybody else should not have been charged.”

The department charged $98 to 30 entities — mostly news organizations — that requested the footage, according to a document The Tribune obtained through an open records request. Those fees totaled $2,940.

A city budget document shows that in fiscal year 2021, Moab expected to receive $1,000 in records fees, and budgeted that same amount for fiscal year 2022.
Moab charged nearly $3K in fees for Gabby Petito bodycam footage — and now they’re giving it back

 

[Balthazar]

The idea that Gabby would have tried to not pay for her meal doesn't fit what we have come to know about her.

Gabby's personality does not seem to be that of someone who would "dine and dash"
With what her parents have said about her, that idea doesn't make sense.
MOO

Yet we saw BL easily lie to Moab LE and get a free hotel night from them. And we know they paid for 5 nights in a hotel for Gabby and 2 airline flights for BL less than a week later. This restaurant situation and the free hotel night makes me wonder what else was going on in the weeks of the trip prior to August. Did BL make a habit of this sort of thing?