Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #26

[MaryG12]

I know this has been said before, but I’ll say it again because I can’t stop thinking about it. There has to be SOMETHING at the Carlton Reserve for them to be searching so long and using all of the resources available. I just don’t think BL’s parked car and his parents telling them that’s where he went to go hiking would be enough to keep up this intense search in this one area. I could be wrong though.

I swore up and down that I thought there was no way BL would kill himself because he’s a narc, however, if BL is there, I really don’t see him being alive at this point.

The Mabry Carlton reserve also covers 24,565 acres. It's a huge chunk of land with trails that start in Venice, FL, ending out to Myakka City (north trails; Venice-Arcadia Grade), southernmost, down to North Port. Not including the smaller preserves of Lincer and Cathedral Oak. I think someone mentioned the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park (have not yet been there) upthread. East of Myakkahatchee is Walton Ranch Preserve (been there). All these properties border each other. Then you have the Myakka River State Park. Big Slough Preserve. Huge, huge area where he could hide, assuming he is somewhere in there.

Google Maps

 

[scapa]

My family is Polish, and it's pretty normal to live near/around your parents and extended family until you have a family of your own. Being socialized in America, I too adapted the belief that I need to leave home at 18/etc. I don't regret living on my own (college offers an easy transition), but I think it's incredibly myopic and paternalistic to believe that living at home in your 20s is some kind of moral failure. Jobs are scarce, that "$15 wage" is barely minimum wage in most big cities, and renting/housing costs only continue to go up. If you have parents who are willing to help you, why would you instead choose to suffer? There's nothing honorable in suffering for the sake of doing so.

Tend to agree and don't think the fact that BL/GP lived with her/his parents is evidence of anything in particular, especially in these Covid years, when so much of the world stopped and exit strategies all but dried up.

This case seems to be in a sort of holding pattern pending a few key areas of movement:

- Clarification of the COD and possible events leading up to it
- Arrest or recovery of BL
- Any further information gleaned from digital or other direct data, parent interviews or credible tips from witnesses not preoccupied with monetizing their own SM ventures, etc.

IMO.

 

[sds71]

Before Mr. Laundrie went missing, Mr. Taylor had said the police had no reason to arrest him after he returned to Florida in the van, which is registered to Ms. Petito and had not been reported stolen.

“The reality of that situation is that it was a common-use vehicle between the two of them,” Mr. Taylor said. The state law does not allow the police to arrest Mr. Laundrie any more than it allows for the arrest of a teenager found driving his or her parents’ car, he said.

Police Search Florida Wilderness for ‘Person of Interest’ in Van Mystery

 

[jvikes]

He would be named as a suspect not POI if they found any postmortem DNA in the van when they collected it/searched it. So I think whatever happened was all outside near the creek. May have verbally started by the van but ended by the water. IMO

Maybe something happened the night after the restaurant altercation but she wasn't gone. Just incapacitated from a violent encounter while he struggled about what to do? It's a far stretch but it's really odd to me that she wasn't seen (but he was) for a couple days before he left and I can't imagine he's camped out by the body for a couple days. Dogs would have noticed if she was in the van deceased for any significant time. It's all strange.

 

[whirrledpeas]

So sad for the family... Did anyone else notice the date of death says 9/19? I wonder if the parents don't know the actual TOD yet or at least haven't been told, so they listed her date as the time she was found. Just interesting to note.

As someone up thread pointed out, date of death is usually when a body is found, not necessarily when they died. Though, this can be changed in some cases.

EXACT time of death is nearly impossible in this scenario by autopsy alone. Unless there is some digital forensic evidence out there, exact ToD will likely never be known.

 

[Cindizzi]

In my many years here, I don’t recall a wireless provider truck being brought in for a search…do we think this is to just generally boost a signal for LE or make a tossed cell phone’s ping stand out/easier to find?

I’ve seen it in couple of missing person searches on here.
Gannon Stauch Colorado 2020 they brought them into Douglas County during the search.
IMO it would have nothing to do with pinging a phone. It’s to boost signal strength for SAR and LE communications on their radios and other devices is the way I understand it.
JMO

 

[shotgun09]

Hmm...
I'm also wondering if LE are interested in any of the neighbor's doorbell/house security footage ??
Was BL seen in person --for sure ?
Or just assumed he was with the family for the trip ?
Although, at this point I trust their neighbors' account, much more than the Laundries.
Brians' parents give me major trust issues.
Just my .02.
Imo.

Exactly!
Their " Too bad, so sad" attitude with the "Here's my lawyer's card" to the parents of Gabby as well as the police, scream untrustworthy to me. Now add the possibility of a mysterious camping trip? Just prior to the LE taking the van? Nope

 

[kittythehare]

The ground search for Brian Laundrie has been halted for the evening. Nothing found.

We will be back out Thursday, similar operation.
https://twitter.com/northportpolice/status/1440815977298423809?s=21
https://twitter.com/northportpolice/status/1440815977298423809?s=21

The replies tho'!

 

[Figuring]

I also read on WS that she didn’t always post in real time. She would create content and perhaps schedule a posting for a later date.

Yes! From what I understand that appears to be somewhat common with Instagram, maybe for photo correction or something, I'm not sure!

 

[riolove77]

I think it’s relevant because it could lead to self defense theory.

That's not how self defense works. You can only use the same amount of force used against you. So if someone shoves you, you can shove back to get them away. You cannot murder them.

 

[Alethea]

The NPPD public information officer explained why they did not believe they could arrest BL for theft of the van. Even though the van was in Gabby's name, they were jointly using it. It was jointly controlled. NPPD felt under Florida law they could not sustain a charge for theft because it was jointly used and controlled.

I have not researched the law on possession, bailment, etc., in Florida and I don't practice there so I don't have a position but that is what NPPD said during a media interview.

ETA: Thank you @sds71 for posting the link, beat me to it: Police Search Florida Wilderness for ‘Person of Interest’ in Van Mystery

 

[Officer Dibble]

I watched the full bodycam video tonight on YT and one thing that struck me was when LE said they had to split up for 24 hours BL said GP could have the van and she had a driving licence, so police put him in a hotel (saying he was the victim of her violence), was when she said something along the lines of "Is it far to drive only I've never driven this van before." and at that point I wondered if BL had done it on purpose knowing she had never driven the van and didn't like to drive the van and maybe, possibly (JMO) knowing that she didn't feel safe spending a night in the van on her own? JMO MOO.

 

[DAWGmama]

Here's what I take from the neighbor video. BLs parents bought a camper van and were planning on going camping for Labor Day weekend 9/4, 9/5, 9/6. Friday Saturday and Sunday. Their 23 y/o comes back on 9/1 from what they were told was a breakup with his girlfriend/fiancé for the second time in a month and they take him along on the camping trip. they could not have traveled the following weekend otherwise they would not have been home when the police came. Frankly I found the whole cringy neighbor interview hard to watch and makes me think they wanted their 15 seconds of "fame." Edited because I always forget the MOO

BBM…it WAS cringy…which to me, says that they weren’t at all comfortable in front of the cameras and where most likely coaxed into telling their story by some news media that had been interviewing neighbors door to door. They said they had already spoken to LE so obviously LE didn’t ask them to stay quiet about what they saw… they said that camper appeared recently. And if you really look at it, it looks pretty pristine in condition. They said they went on a 3 day trip. If BL was home by 9/1, that next weekend woulda been Labor Day weekend right? 9/4-9/6 or 9/3 if they started out Friday. Or was it was the next weekend that would’ve been 9/10-9/12, and by then we know GP had been reported missing and media was starting to get involved AND they had lawyered up by then as well….Not even sure where the hell im going with this other than I guess those neighbors could be cringy and completely truthful at the same time. Side note…they DID give me MOTEL HELL vibes tho and only us older horror fans will even get that…lol

 

[Dexxie8]

The Mabry Carlton reserve also covers 24,565 acres. It's a huge chunk of land with trails that start in Venice, FL, ending out to Myakka City (north trails; Venice-Arcadia Grade), southernmost, down to North Port. Not including the smaller preserves of Lincer and Cathedral Oak. I think someone mentioned the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park (have not yet been there) upthread. East of Myakkahatchee is Walton Ranch Preserve (been there). All these properties border each other. Then you have the Myakka River State Park. Big Slough Preserve. Huge, huge area where he could hide, assuming he is somewhere in there.

Google Maps

I hope he is hiding and they find him. I. Wouldn’t want it any other way. Justice for Gabby

*Edited for leaving words out because I’m exhausted. Lol

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Hard to believe that , prior to this road trip, not a single person saw any warning signs that this young couple was in trouble. Did anyone ever try to step in ?

( Rhetorical question, I guess.)

 

[pittie_mcclure]

Now that Gabby is dead, the van goes to next of kin unless she has a will or other stipulation that states otherwise.

But before she was so declared, it was nebulous. Family did not demand van back— they may not even have known it was legally hers. They lived together and shared stuff so it was not easy to know what was whose. BL drove it most all of the time. She was not comfortable with it. A lot of reasons why it might be in her name rather than theirs

Exactly. I think it’s obvious he harmed her in a fit of rage and took off with the van but before anybody knew that- him having the van wouldn’t necessarily be THE red flag people say it was.

 

[oviedo]

One does have to wonder how long they continue this....
I hope he is found. However, at some point resources will indeed be scaled back unless they are finding signs he is actively moving around within the reserve. JMO

I agree - thinking about the searches for others I’ve followed there is a point when they just can’t keep deploying resources
JMO

 

[BellaVita]

I’m not saying that isn’t suspicious! But from their point of view that van was theirs (gabby and Brian’s) they both worked on it, put time into it, drove it and lived in it. It was also registered to the Laundrie’s home, no? Yes the title was in her name technically but I’m sure people who knew them saw it as theirs. And who knows what crazy story he told his parents! “She broke up with me again and ran off with a guy! She’s awful! She hurt me so badly! Now i have this stupid van and i don’t know what to do!” I’m not saying it’s believable, the truth, makes sense, none of that. But it could have happened. We DONT KNOW.

Well, the home in North Port was also GP's home. Of course, she would register it there. GP and BL can regard ownership however they want. Legally, the van belonged to her. Engagement is not a legal standing. The title was in her name. She owned it and had 100% legal rights. They weren't married, so she could call the police and report that he had stolen it/not authorized to have it and the police would back her up. If 2 people are legally married, the police will say it is a civil matter and will not interfere. BL's parents, as middle-aged adults, should have some comprehension of the legal ins and outs. I've known parents of people like BL. They know exactly what they have spawned but cannot face it. (Also reference George and Cindy). They're pathetic losers.

 

[derpderpy]

As someone up thread pointed out, date of death is usually when a body is found, not necessarily when they died. Though, this can be changed in some cases.

EXACT time of death is nearly impossible in this scenario by autopsy alone. Unless there is some digital forensic evidence out there, exact ToD will likely never be known.

Date of death is when it is officially pronounced by the ME or the Coroner. They couldn't have pronounced it any sooner, because they didn't get to her until the 19th.

 

[JayWill]

Yes, that's why i used the word 'many'.... I also work with high schoolers and see protective parents who are quick to say 'not my child'. As is mentioned i've also got a few of my own who struggle with the launch and is reflective of my own parenting and enabling , 2 are off and flying the other 2 need a bit of a nudge.
It is of course MHO and i am not disrespecting your age group, (apology for the offense taken). As well I would say other generations had far less support and opportunity.

Lol! And who gets the criticism and blame for just about anything? Boomers!