Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 *road trip w/bf*

[Curiousobserver]

10 years ago, I might have said, "Very good possibility he would just run!" But today, with all the bizarre variations in intimate partner crime/issues, I'm not so sure. He obviously stayed with the van (a big investment either for him or for both of them).

Lots of murderers try to choose the "not guilty-looking" option after some reflection. Let's go over the other options, though.

1. Gabby got lost in a NP or on a trail and BF failed to report it where it happened. (??? Why?)
2. Gabby got mad, made a definitive statement about leaving BF, and stalked off into...somewhere. Where? Trail head? Camp ground? Roadside? Hotel?
3. Gabby got mad, went to cool off, never returned (and BF failed to report it where it happened).
4. Gabby and BF were hiking, she fell or otherwise became incapacitated (and BF failed to report it when it happened).
5. Gabby told BF she would hitchhike home or take a bus home, after breaking up with him during the trip. BF doesn't call her family to check on her (is angry at her enough that he wants nothing more to do with her or her family?) and has not been heard of since. BF doesn't find it necessary to let the family know this, even now.
6. BF knows exactly where she is and that she's dead and not coming home and figures he needs a lawyer at his side while talking to LE, which he will do, one way or another, eventually (will he make LE get a subpoena?) For example, maybe she ran into a bad actor, BF knows this, but realizes he will himself be a suspect, as he can't identify the stranger.
7. BF knows exactly where she is, because he killed or harmed her, and therefore has lawyered up.

He may feel he needs to be on his home turf to cope with any of these scenarios. It will be treated as missing persons case in her old hometown, I would imagine (surely she had some kind of permanent address somewhere - although if completely off the grid, maybe not).

Of course the easiest way to look not guilty is for him to tell LE exactly what happened and where she might have gone. But he can't do that so my bet is #4, #6, or #7.

 

[tresptip]

Of course the easiest way to look not guilty is for him to tell LE exactly what happened and where she might have gone. But he can't do that so my bet is #4, #6, or #7.

If all he knew is that she left and hasn't heard from her there isn't much else he can say.They were probably bombarding him with hundreds of personal questions for hours.He wants them to focus on looking for her and not waste time on him because he doesn't know where she is.It was smart for him to get a lawyer.

 

[LeeJay55]

'Circumstances are odd' police say, after boyfriend of missing woman returns home, hires attorney

 

[K9Enzo]

Thread is moving fast, so I'm not sure if it was already posted. In case it wasn't here's Gabbi's TikTok.

TikTok

Thank you.

IMO, they both look light hearted and friendly. At a glance, I see what many people do on social media is create a vibe for their adventure to show everyone. I don't see any red flags, but this is surface level stuff. I feel terrible about her being missing for this long. Ugh....

 

[Seattle1]

IF they did break up, why does he get the van? It was HER van.

Thanks, good to know! Do you have a link, please.

The NP PD made this statement:

We currently have no definitive information that a crime took place here in North Port. With that said, the circumstances are odd. The vehicle she was traveling in was located here in North Port. So, we are actively gathering local details and any evidence to assist in finding needed answers.

LE cannot execute a search warrant without evidence of a crime so it would be very beneficial to the investigation if the van was in fact owned by Gabby.

 

[cocomod]

My god-daughter decided to take off with her husband and live out of a motorhome. They sold 2 cars to buy the motorhome and took off on their grand adventure. They had a grand adventure, but definitely got on each other's nerves. They are very social people, so they made friends along the way which helped break up some of the tension. They thought they could go across the country and back, but they did run out of money. Even cooking canned foods and being frugal, they ran out of money. She said it did cause some contention with them, but they BOTH made it back at the end of the trip. They had to stop and earn some dough to return home though.

This case looks terrible because if you love someone, you don't return home without your SO. IF it was a fight and she left, you call her parents and tell them what happened so they can check up on her. Also, IF she was lost or a she took off, there would be absolutely NO reason for her to not contact her parents. IF she committed suicide in front of him, he would have no reason not to report it. This one is unfortunately so easy to read - lawyering up, refusing to talk, putting time and distance between him and her... There is a LOT of ground to cover. Unfortunately, in YNP, there are the hot pots / geysers that are extremely hot! IF they made it to the Tetons, YNP isn't much further...

From Ogden to Teton's is around 4 hours. There is a lot of country to see between these two destinations. I sincerely hope the van is equipped with some GPS monitoring so they can see when it stopped, when the doors opened, etc. The case of Barry Morphew is incredible in the amount of information from a vehicle. I sincerely hope with the FBI working this case, they have enough to find her. He may think he is smart by not talking, but guilt can be a horrible horrible thing to live with. I sincerely hope he doesn't take the cowards way out before Gabby is found. I could NEVER help a child stay away from justice in a case like this. I hope that his parents help him do the right thing.

I follow a YNP FB page and her uncle posted about her on that page. Her family is obviously and extremely desperate. He says the van was impounded. That would make sense. Her happy and sweet demeanor has drawn me right in. She reminds me of my god-daughter in so many ways. I am praying for her to be found and for my suspicions to be soooo wrong. I am hoping and praying for you Gabby!

 

[steeltowngirl]

He doesn't know if she was kidnapped or what? He was probably hoping that she went somewhere and would return.

Unless he knew she left with someone else, she was on foot and alone - in or near a National Park where wildlife abound. I might buy that he’d think she went for a walk for an hour or so. By dark, he would be panicked and look for her and if he couldn’t find her, he would seek help.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Mom of missing Long Island woman: 'I believe she's going to come home'

“I believe a mother’s instinct is the most powerful,” Nicole Schmidt said during a press conference at her attorney’s office. “I believe she’s going to come home.”

Schmidt said Laundrie and her daughter attended high school together and later “rekindled” their relationship — and had been living together in Florida for 2 1/2 years.

She would not confirm reports that the two were engaged.

“As a mom, I had concerns about a daughter going on a road trip in general, but I felt safe, they were together,” she said. “They had a plan, an itinerary, and we were excited for them. Everyone wanted to be doing what they were doing.

“I think she was the kind of person who was free,” Schmidt added. “She went where the day took her. She didn’t have a plan. This was a plan, but what was next, we don’t know.”

Schmidt said the couple left from New York on July 2 and were due to wrap up their trip by visiting friends in Portland at the end of October.

Schmidt’s husband, Joe Petito, also sent their daughter a personal message.

“Gabby, we just want you to come home,” he said. “Call us. Let us know you’re OK. Come home, please.”

 

[swedeheart]

Thank you.

IMO, they both look light hearted and friendly. At a glance, I see what many people do on social media is create a vibe for their adventure to show everyone. I don't see any red flags, but this is surface level stuff. I feel terrible about her being missing for this long. Ugh....

I feel exactly the same, K9Enzo. Having a hard time seeing any major red flags with this one, and y'all know I always think it's the boyfriend. Lol.

The only thing that leaves a bad taste is him driving to Florida and hiring a lawyer. (That's a pretty big one, to be honest).

Maybe I just love their style and carefree natures, and don't want to believe anything nefarious is going on here. It's too depressing to ponder.

 

[Kapua]

I cannot imagine a scenario where a man’s fiancée is kidnapped and he would wait a few days to see if she returned. Nope.

Me, neither. I cannot imagine why anyone would fail to report that a loved one was missing. I also cannot imagine why a person would not make a monumental effort to find a missing loved one. But maybe some of you have better imaginations than I. Did BL even tell his parents that she was missing prior to returning to FL?

 

[samsmom]

I watched the YouTube video on their channel and the TikTok videos as well. They have an interesting dynamic. They seem more like really good friends or roommates rather than lovers but perhaps I'm just over analyzing it. I found that granola scene and the pacing with hands behind his back a little awkward to be honest. It's also entirely possible he just doesn't like being on camera. I get that. It said she was 22, I'm going to place him at 29-31. He doesn't look that much older than her but being bald is not helping his situation. I also noted Brian looks noticeably skinnier and also younger in that Reef Point, Utah scene as opposed to other photos posted earlier. I'm going to say money, food and space became a serious problem which lead to whatever happened here. Also that comment from Gabby's mother about not knowing where the relationship was heading and Gabby's father moving down to Vero Beach to be closer to her I find telling. This relationship wasn't as rose tinted as it appears me thinks.

Thank you for this information. I just saw this case in MSM and knew you Sleuthers would be on it!
I had been wondering if anyone saw a change in demeanor but I can’t really get a good timeline site. I’m a big Tok fan so I will figure out their name there. IMO

 

[JudgeJoe]

From GP’s dad:
He urged people across the country to be on the lookout for anything that seems “fishy.”

“The hard part is that it’s the van life. They can go anywhere they wanted, unfortunately, in this situation. It’s the entire damn country,” he said.

Gabby’s father said he was “familiar” with her boyfriend but declined to comment further about him.”

Long Island father begs for return of missing daughter

 

[lucky181]

They had a spotify account Nomadic Statik. It says songs were updated 14 days ago. I have no idea how spotify works or if it accurate with dates.

Selfconsumption

Nomadic Statik

 

[wyome]

Can anyone SM savvy find and link her spotify account? I understand from other sources that very interesting songs were added in August.

 

[Rocky Mountain Hi]

Very concerning!
She’s adorable and seems to be enjoying life!

sooooo boyfriend is not missing? But cannot be reached for comments? Or is he missing too??

BF is refusing to speak to LE, has hired lawyer.

 

[Leomoon80]

Photos of the van are on her Tik-Tok page under "Van Life"

You'd think the first thing the police did was take the van in for dusting and tests.
I'm sure they did. Just late with the news getting updated.

 

[wyome]

They had a spotify account Nomadic Statik. It says songs were updated 14 days ago. I have no idea how spotify works or if it accurate with dates.

Selfconsumption

Nomadic Statik

Thank you for this!

 

[samsmom]

Thread is moving fast, so I'm not sure if it was already posted. In case it wasn't here's Gabbi's TikTok.

TikTok

Thanks for that. Saved me time. I didn’t know we could even post the Tok here.

 

[gliving]

 

[Leomoon80]

He doesn't know if she was kidnapped or what? He was probably hoping that she went somewhere and would return.

Remembering the case around Bullhead City Az. with the two married people, and he says she "walked away" barefoot carrying an open can of beer to the van, and he never saw her again. Weird story too, and I don't think it was ever solved. They lived in that border city of Az, but were in the California desert not too far away. And yes, people did point to another missing woman nearby around the same time. Lots of people theorized she hitchhiked in the sweltering heat, barefoot & holding a beer can??