Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #66

[simplemind]

After crossing the creek, her boots were probably wet, so she took them off

Good thinking. This could make sense of the boots at the scene. Still curious why they weren't gathered if killer packed up the rest of camp... of course we don't know that is actually the case yet

 

[kittythehare]

I could not agree more. I appreciate expert input to explain what is going on - like, say, explaining just what the police can and can't do when executing a search warrant, or just what exactly attorney-client privilege is. That depends on specialized expert knowledge, and is generally applicable.

But a retired FBI agents opinion on where BL is right now? That's just for clicks, IMO

I think it's just par for the course, they roll these out all the time. Doesn't do any harm but I wouldn't be taking any of them very seriously. Might be interesting but most likely it's not new.

And whereas it would be a fine thing to read an in depth article from NYT or Washpo, that's not gonna happen before he's caught and trialled.
Our angst is fed with tiny crumbs of nothingness constantly.
I feel like a baby bird whose mother is dead late returning home with the juicy fat worms...

 

[Bluebythec]

It seems obvious that a forensic autopsy, on a body out in the elements for 3+ weeks, is far from an exact science. Even if she was killed right after the restaurant, would her stomach contents be decomposed so much at that point to make it impossible to link to the restaurant? I would tend to think so, but I'm obviously no expert.

It seems a few people were expecting the autopsy to narrow down the TOD to the minute. Assuming BL did it (safe assumption, imo), we know the TOD was between the 27th and 30th. The autopsy didn't help narrow down that window any. I think the important thing is that (hopefully) nothing in the autopsy contradicts that window.

Personally, I'm a little skeptical of the autopsy window given (22nd to 29th (unofficial dates, I know)). It just seems pretty convenient how well it lines up with what was already known, or assumed.

Like, what if dr. Blue gave a window of the 26th thru the 2nd? There would be endless debates about how BL possibly COULDN'T have done it.

I'm not saying that the fix is in, or that there is something nefarious going on. I just think that the autopsy window would probably have been a little different if the TOD hadn't already been narrowed down (presumably) to a few days before the autopsy was even conducted. We are, after all, all human.

JMO

We’ve only heard what the portion of the autopsy that was released though, right? The forensic portions may narrow it down more with insect activity etc.

 

[moonflower1]

Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, who pioneered the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, says the argument between fugitive Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petitothat witnesses observed at a Wyoming restaurant on Aug. 27 may be the key to Petito's tragic fate.

One of the last times Petito, 22, was seen alive involved an explosive argument between Laundrie, 23, and wait staff at a Jackson Hole restaurant called Merry Piglets, witness Nina Celie Angelo told Fox News Digital in September.

"The restaurant incident … is the second and most important,”…
Brian Laundrie manhunt: Wyoming restaurant fight is key, FBI behavioral analyst says

*Eta:
"It looked as though they were like almost getting kicked out," Angelo told ABC News. "It wasn't necessarily between them, it was more so Gabby abruptly leaving the restaurant crying, and Brian was just evidently really upset, pissed off, I would say. I would say Gabby was upset, he was angry, and he was just being very temperamental towards the restaurant staff."

"He was just like going in on the hostess and the waitress and then eventually the manager. He exited and entered the restaurant on four different occasions within five minutes," she said. "He would walk out, walk again, walk out, walk back in. At one moment we thought he we thought they had walked out for good or he had walked out for good and he actually left for like ten minutes and then came back just to start the fight all over again."

"She seemed really upset. She was emotional. She was crying. She seemed kind of embarrassed. At one point, she walks back into the restaurant on one of his attempts to walk back. And I think she followed him and was trying to, I think, get him to leave and, like, drop the situation. I think she was being apologetic towards the restaurant staff for his behavior. Like, she just kind of wanted to diffuse the situation. She was like, I'm sorry, come on, let's just go. But she was visibly upset," Angelo said
Instagrammer details explosive argument between Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie at Wyoming restaurant

I think her apologizing for BL outburst might have even set him off with her more.

 

[simplemind]

Thanks. From the article:
“And the attorney has repeatedly said he's representing the Laundrie family and Brian. He would not represent someone that is not alive."

Bertolino has consistently referred to the Laundrie family as his clients and has served them for two decades.

On September 15, the attorney specifically confirmed that he was representing Brian.

The statement read: “In my experience, intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focuses their attention on in cases like this and the warning that 'any statement made will be used against you' is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito's disappearance.

“As such, on the advice of counsel, Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on this matter.

“This formality has not really changed the circumstances of Mr. Laundrie being the focus and attention of law enforcement and Mr. Laundrie will continue to remain silent on the advice of counsel."

Yes but as recently as the past week the family attorney acknowledges Mr Laundrie” is MIA.

“At this time Brian is still missing and when he is located…..”
Laundrie family attorney releases statement after Gabby Petito’s cause of death revealed

Remember SB has no obligation to tell the truth to anyone but LE. And he can choose silence with them.

 

[Which_pancake]

I have a question. On August 27, Red, White & Bethune saw the van and have a video of that. Then Elk Hunters spot the van August 29, per the timeline. Is the van in the same spot or had it moved? For some reason I have confused the Elk Hunters with the RW&B family, thinking they are the same. tia

I think it was the same area - this article that mentions the elk spotters says that investigators were questioning campers at spread Creek. This i believe was before the RW&B video and the fact that the investigation was already there was what spurred them to review their video. Something already lead police to spread Creek, IMO

Search intensifies for Gabby Petito; police respond to Laundrie home in Florida – KSLTV.com

 

[rosesfromangels]

So many details missing. For example, do the witnesses at Merry Piglets...any of them remember what Gabby was wearing, and comparing that to what she was wearing when found. Also, I think LE does have the technology to analyze food passing through the digestive track more than they have disclosed. Helpful to estimate time of death.

Mystery still ......why LE is still focused on Reserve....

BBM. It is puzzling. Given the harsh environment and the gators, I have a hard time believing BP would seek this as his hide out. Further, to me, his parents look far too relaxed for people worrying about their son getting mutilated by a massive reptile. Isn't adding up, based on their demeanor, IMO.

Where he is tucked away is likely determined by connections and past exposure to the location. Further, i would speculate the destination would be remote enough to hope for anonymity, but offer access to communications and supplies.

If Brian is tucked away somewhere cross boundary, other than Canada, he has two huge impediments. First, his language/accent will stand out, and second, I suspect his ability to function without decompensating is limited. (Opinion only).

As I type this out and think through my own reasoning, I still think the Adirondack area is a strong possibility, with quick access to Canada. If this is the case, he would have to be a hearty type that could survive in extreme outdoor conditions with the winter approaching. I'm not sure that characterizes BP, but IDK.

Why am I focusing on the Adirondacks? B/c there is association to his home state, they offer the seclusion we believe he has sought, plenty of hunting cabins, potentially associates/relatives of his family near by to help, and proximity to Canada.

Of course he could be anywhere, but this is my theory.
I have always thought the preserve was deflection; a red herring. Could be wrong on all points of course!

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[LinneaE]

Just thinking out loud, let’s say BL thought GP’s body wouldn’t be found for ages or ever, he drove home and has the epiphany if I use her cards on the journey home it leaves a trail, e.g she came home with me but we broke up I’ve not seen her since, I assumed she went back to her parents (cctv gone by the time he expects her to be found) could do this with the phone and then just dispose of the phone (maybe bike ride with mum), he could also maybe forge her signature and get the van in his name or say she said she would get it at some point as she doesn’t like driving it. JMO and thinking out loud.

If he left her body out in the open (unburied) he could have been hoping her remains would be scattered by animals., making it more difficult to find her.

As to the theft over 1,000 and unauthorized use charges - hard for him and a future defense to say she had given him permission to use the card/funds when she was deceased and unable to to do so.

 

[CharlestonGal]

That is the million dollar question...
I'll reiterate:
Why does LE keep focusing on the Reserve?
What info do they have?

My suspicion is that BL was either caught on a trail cam or there are eyewitnesses that placed him in the reserve the week of Sep 11th or they located an item/items of his in there. It's got to be more than just the parents' statement or location of the mustang. The mustang was parked 16 miles from where the search is happening, so that can't be the only lead. imo

 

[NCWatcher]

One more thought I had reflecting back on following the Mollie Tibbetts case. I had not heard of Web Sleuths until a few months ago, while the MT trial was ongoing. I knew a lot of the facts of the case because they were getting brought out in trial, but I was going through the WS threads from the beginning so I could see lots of discussions on evidence that turned out to be wrong, misguided, or unimportant.

I think we all know that we don't have all the facts publicly, but what I see as the bigger problem to overcome is the idea that the public facts are necessarily important. We can only discuss what we know, and that can take on outsized importance.

So just as an example in this case... The TikTok witness may be entirely accurate about what happened at Merry Piglets, but it could be that the event has nothing to do ultimately with the murder according to investigators.

(If you followed the MT threads, I'm thinking of the many multiple threads spent speculating about the red shirt!)

JMO

Very interesting post! And interesting you chose the Merry Piglets incident as an example.

I had read the TikTok account of the MP incident when it came out. At the time I felt unsure how accurate the account was. The blogger seemed awfully sure of some things yet was unable to provide details I expected her to be able to provide. For example, if BL was yelling as she said, and if she was seated close by as she said, why was she seeming to have to guess what the conflict was about? I guess the restaurant was super noisy?

At any rate, that incident has been discussed over and over again here as a trigger, mostly because GP apologized for BL.

But before I even read your post, when I read the post from @imstilla.grandma today (9:40am, # 815) I was struck by the fact the account of that apology is a bit vague. The blogger stated:

"I think she was being apologetic towards the restaurant staff for his behavior. Like, she just kind of wanted to diffuse the situation. She was like, I'm sorry, come on, let's just go."

First, she says "I think" and "like..." May be speech habits. May not be. Could be an indication of uncertainty or could be an indication she put her own interpretation on what she saw. Overall, it's not quite the apology scene the incident had morphed into in my own mind after reading so many posts about it.

But as you say, a dearth of facts allows what we do know or what we think we know to gain importance.
JMO

 

[LinneaE]

I know that is true legally, but the inference has been made that he was stealing her money. But, that's okay. FBI had their reasons to charge him for it.

She was already deceased when he used the card/funds. Hard to argue she gave him her permission after he had already killed her.

 

[Allabouttrial]

One more thought I had reflecting back on following the Mollie Tibbetts case. I had not heard of Web Sleuths until a few months ago, while the MT trial was ongoing. I knew a lot of the facts of the case because they were getting brought out in trial, but I was going through the WS threads from the beginning so I could see lots of discussions on evidence that turned out to be wrong, misguided, or unimportant.

I think we all know that we don't have all the facts publicly, but what I see as the bigger problem to overcome is the idea that the public facts are necessarily important. We can only discuss what we know, and that can take on outsized importance.

So just as an example in this case... The TikTok witness may be entirely accurate about what happened at Merry Piglets, but it could be that the event has nothing to do ultimately with the murder according to investigators.

(If you followed the MT threads, I'm thinking of the many multiple threads spent speculating about the red shirt!)

JMO

Totally agree. Even the Manager at the the Merry Piglet says he can't remember the exchange. He later goes on to say they were there though on their FB page.

 

[Cinna]

Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, who pioneered the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, says the argument between fugitive Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petitothat witnesses observed at a Wyoming restaurant on Aug. 27 may be the key to Petito's tragic fate.

One of the last times Petito, 22, was seen alive involved an explosive argument between Laundrie, 23, and wait staff at a Jackson Hole restaurant called Merry Piglets, witness Nina Celie Angelo told Fox News Digital in September.

"The restaurant incident … is the second and most important,”…
Brian Laundrie manhunt: Wyoming restaurant fight is key, FBI behavioral analyst says

*Eta:
"It looked as though they were like almost getting kicked out," Angelo told ABC News. "It wasn't necessarily between them, it was more so Gabby abruptly leaving the restaurant crying, and Brian was just evidently really upset, pissed off, I would say. I would say Gabby was upset, he was angry, and he was just being very temperamental towards the restaurant staff."

"He was just like going in on the hostess and the waitress and then eventually the manager. He exited and entered the restaurant on four different occasions within five minutes," she said. "He would walk out, walk again, walk out, walk back in. At one moment we thought he we thought they had walked out for good or he had walked out for good and he actually left for like ten minutes and then came back just to start the fight all over again."

"She seemed really upset. She was emotional. She was crying. She seemed kind of embarrassed. At one point, she walks back into the restaurant on one of his attempts to walk back. And I think she followed him and was trying to, I think, get him to leave and, like, drop the situation. I think she was being apologetic towards the restaurant staff for his behavior. Like, she just kind of wanted to diffuse the situation. She was like, I'm sorry, come on, let's just go. But she was visibly upset," Angelo said
Instagrammer details explosive argument between Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie at Wyoming restaurant

It almost sounds like the restaurant did something to upset Gabby and Brian was defending her. Just to give a different spin on things.

 

[kittythehare]

IMO she ran away from him barefoot, and he caught up to her.

But the imprint of a tent and a campfire were where her body lay.

 

[LinneaE]

He was stealing her money. It’s her account, her money.

Bingo!

 

[cady]

After crossing the creek, her boots were probably wet, so she took them off and put them beside a little fire that they built (my speculation only). Then it turned cold at night. I wonder if those conditions contributed to what happened.

As far as I know, only one person has said that there were boots next to her, and it was from an aerial photo, so there may or may not have been boots or hiking shoes. I'm taking descriptions of the area being a set-up camping scene, with a tent and campfire with a grain of salt. JMO

 

[LinneaE]

Maybe he signed her name.

Knowingly - she was dead and cannot have given him permission to use the cards/funds

 

[sarahboirin]

But the imprint of a tent and a campfire were where her body lay.

we don't know for certain if they relate to GP and/or BL imo

 

[SMK777]

BBM. It is puzzling. Given the harsh environment and the gators, I have a hard time believing BP would seek this as his hide out. Further, to me, his parents look far too relaxed for people worrying about their son getting mutilated by a massive reptile. Isn't adding up, based on their demeanor, IMO.

Where he is tucked away is likely determined by connections and past exposure to the location. Further, i would speculate the destination would be remote enough to hope for anonymity, but offer access to communications and supplies.

If Brian is tucked away somewhere cross boundary, other than Canada, he has two huge impediments. First, his language/accent will stand out, and second, I suspect his ability to function without decompensating is limited. (Opinion only).

As I type this out and think through my own reasoning, I still think the Adirondack area is a strong possibility, with quick access to Canada. If this is the case, he would have to be a hearty type that could survive in extreme outdoor conditions with the winter approaching. I'm not sure that characterizes BP, but IDK.

Why am I focusing on the Adirondacks? B/c there is association to his home state, they offer the seclusion we believe he has sought, plenty of hunting cabins, potentially associates/relatives of his family near by to help, and proximity to Canada.

Of course he could be anywhere, but this is my theory.
I have always thought the preserve was deflection; a red herring. Could be wrong on all points of course!

Amateur opinion and speculation

All very good thoughts. The only trouble for me is, I just cannot believe the FBI would spend the extensive time and resources at the Carlton reserve, unless some extremely important intelligence were guiding them. Sure hope I haven’t placed too much faith in them….

 

[CharlestonGal]

But the imprint of a tent and a campfire were where her body lay.

I've seen this mentioned a few times - that there was an imprint of a tent near Gabby's body. Do you have a link to that, by chance? All I've seen is the interview with Gabby's stepfather where he says there was an old fire ring and a flat spot with "space" for a tent, not that there was evidence a tent was actually there. tia!