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

[dkryder]

maybe the fbi investigated the MP incident and asked all the principles for the truth and then asked the principles to not discuss the actual incident with press. so anybody asking questions now will get a semantically filtered generic story. so we get , yes they were here, left without paying, paid outside, then asked for refund. and the adjectives "screaming" "loud" "aggressive" were dropped because those words are kinda subjective anyway and replaced with "calm" , "upset" etc. which are also subjective. kinda like nothing to see here folks, move along. but i would think what the principles stated to fbi would be somewhat consistent with what really happened. so if interviewed alone the manger tells fbi a totally different story than the waitress and the other customer tells something different than either of the employees, that's gonna be a problem but if and until the case moves forward in some way we may never know. MOO.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Whatever the details about the conflict surrounding what appears to be the bill, it seems the screaming headlines about a blow-out or fight between GP & BL at the MP that afternoon can be put to rest. Both the SM witness (it seemed like they were asked to leave) and the manager (it was a dispute about the bill) indicate the incident was between the couple and the restaurant, not each other. jmo

 

[LeeJay55]

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

We don’t know anything about her at all!
Not a thing
Jmo

 

[Barbie619]

Sorry but I have 2 adult sons, and if faced with an identical situation- 1.) “I couldn’t stop him from leaving.” Then I would insist on accompanying them. 2.) “You’re not coming with me.” Then I would follow him.
They HAD to know things were dire at this point. How they could let him leave alone, knowing what likely had happened, is beyond my comprehension. Everyone reacts differently, but I personally, would fight with my very being, for the lives of my sons, whether they wanted me to or not. Totally MOO

Same with me and my 2 adult sons if the identical circumstances were in front of me. I could never let them go off by themselves like the L's did. We really don't know what happened in that house when BL wanted to leave and telling them he was taking a hike.

If my child was acting semi normal and said he was going for a walk to think, my first thought wouldn't be he's going out to kill himself. But if he's being irratic, talking crazy about just killing himself, I'd be like oh no you aren't and I'd follow him. jmo

 

[TL4S]

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

Because we have two differing stories describing the "incident" at MPs on the 27th, I feel like it's impossible to determine what really happened. There are two common threads between these stories, however. One is that GP and BL left and then came back in. The number of times and such differs, but it appears they did it at least once. The second involves possible payment issues. As @Allabouttrial posted last night, the IG woman even stated, "We only took notice of them when they got up and were 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..."

I would guess, at the very minimum, the waitress would have been visibly upset had she seen them leaving without paying. That alone could have drawn some attention from nearby patrons.

I have to admit, the idea of them pulling a dine-and-dash would not surprise me all that much. I'm not dogging on either of them, and of course I would never condone that kind of illegal activity, but IMO, there are other possible hints of this behavior elsewhere in their story. 1) On GP's IG, there are a couple instances of doings we are not allowed to discuss on WS (legal in some states, illegal in others). 2) IF they were indeed camping at Spread Creek, in the area she was found, they were camping (and having a fire) in an undesignated location, as well as parked in an undesignated parking spot. I know these are seemingly lesser infractions than walking out of a restaurant without paying, but my point is, do we truly know them enough to say GP would or would not dine-and-dash? Or BL? I would like to think not, but who knows?

But I'm also open to the idea that the MP "incident" was completely innocent on one or both sides. We just don't have enough information, imo.

 

[SkidRogue]

If I remember correctly LE told the MP staff not to speak of the incident. They followed that instruction until the story broke on social media. Then, they were left scrambling for a response. Do we confirm the incident, deny it, or just say it might have happened but we can't recall it. I wouldn't know what to do in that situation.

 

[Balthazar]

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.

Ted Bundy strangled many of his victims and I know of many other cases in which women was strangled by a stranger. Although, predominantly, women are strangled by their romantic partner, there are still plenty of cases where it was a stranger and in those cases, the motive is often sexual.

Right now, we don't know anything else about Gabby's murder. For example, we don't know if she was sexually assaulted. We don't know what physical evidence exists that ties BL to her murder, if any. There seems to be a strong circumstantial case against BL, but we just don't know what the physical evidence says yet. I think it is important to wait until we have much more of the evidence before deciding what happened for sure. Just as we learned last night with the information from the Merry Piglet's manager, things may not be quite what they seem.

 

[LeeJay55]

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

I’m not so sure it was about money!
Why order what u order if u can’t pay for it?
It was something else!
Jmo

 

[LeeJay55]

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?

Imo
They did not want to be apart!

 

[jjonez]

Dbm. Accidental duplicate

I understand your sentiments about "grain of salt" but why would Gabby's step-dad Jim have even talked about the boots being next to her? IIRC he said that LE/feds told him that.

I’ve never seen or heard that from JS. Do you have a link?

 

[lowes123]

Not sure who took it down, but Brian's instagram is now listed as user not found.

 

[LeeJay55]

If I remember correctly LE told the MP staff not to speak of the incident. They followed that instruction until the story broke on social media. Then, they were left scrambling for a response. Do we confirm the incident, deny it, or just say it might have happened but we can't recall it. I wouldn't know what to do in that situation.

Im pretty sure the manager and the waitstaff told LE and the FBI what happened!

I dont think the manager would go on the news and tell a different story!

 

[TrialLurking]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed> When I see their videos and pictures, I look at their body language. Something about it has always make me question their relationship. I think BL was in love with GP, but GP appears to be posing; not really wanting to get too close. It almost looks like something you might see in a travel brochure. He looks at her longer, and he leans in more. She on the other hand, looks at him sort of from the side or leans away. She has much more eye contact with the camera. Part of me believes there in lies a major part of their problems. GP wanted a travel buddy to project an image, and BL wanted to hike and be hidden away with just GP. Two people with different paths thinking they are on the same one, but just caused more problems for them.

After the new MP information, I question if it was even GP and BL , at all. It could very well have been another couple. No credit card info, no surveillance, and the manager sees many patrons each day. I don't question that a couple may have tried to walk out without paying their tab, but I wonder if it was another couple. We all know how similar BL looks.

I am questioning if GP was even alive on the 27th. She may have died August 26th at Spread Creek. Perhaps, the night of August 25 to early morning of August 26th. Whatever the date, I believe it was another fight similar to the one in Moab. This fight was in such a remote place that it escalated in GP's death. JMO

 

[x_files]

This completely contradicts the story that the girl who supposedly was a witness to it posted on Instagram… she said BL was agitated and went in and out of the restaurant at least four times. Maybe agitated wasn’t the exact word she used but she made it seem as though he was angry and belligerent, and GP was crying and apologetic.

Like everything else about this case, I wonder if we will ever know the truth.

Two different perspectives. The waitress might not have overheard their argument at the table because she/h was busy.
Sitting next to someone in a restaurant you can overhear conversations. Both might be true. One witnesses Brian'
s behavior as angry and loud, the server might not think anything about his odd about his behavior. But dining & dashing would stand out.

 

[TrialLurking]

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.

He must have been in such a blind rage that he had little concept of time.

 

[AdahJo]

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.

What if they were fighting and (in the spirit of what the LE in Moab suggested), Brian said he was going to take the tent and set up camp on the other side of the creek and she could have the van overnight. No communication until the morning so they could cool off. But she didnt want to spend the night separately and she followed him over and wouldnt leave and he got more and more frustrated. And it escalated to physical as it did the time in Moab. That would explain the evidence of a tent being there... JMO

 

[Bertha96]

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

I think that is common in the type of relationship they had. BL never showed his true character in public or only when he thought no one was watching. He saved the darker parts of his personality for private with GP. Just like when he spoke to LE. That's the side he showed to everyone but GP.

That is why, even though he had been slapping her (IMO) earlier, I doubt he made a scene in public at a restaurant. He would have saved it for shortly after they left the MP and were alone.
In those type of relationships, the aggressor makes their victim look crazy because he appears to be a nice guy. He even stated as much during his interaction with LE. IMO.

 

[acutename]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

they quit their jobs and GP wanted the blog to be her new job- I think? Am I wrong? Monetize it, make a living at it, so that would be serious, IMO. Maybe since the MP was popular, she wanted to blog about it, but once there is an incident- well, so much for that. I suspect, IMO, that BL did not so much want to live in the public eye - dress up, dine out, tidy up. So that is one of the tensions I imagine between these two- but IMO, I could be totally wrong.

 

[JudgeJudi]

I hope that he will walk from the van spot to the death spot and show us if he sees a fire ring and possible tent spot. jmo

Jim Schmidt told Dr Phil, ‘Her body was found — I guess it would be in front of a tent, if that’s what was there — or just in front of the fire ring… there was definitely a fire ring there’. Nichole said, ‘It wasn’t far from the van. It was a 5 minute walk’.



I'm wondering whether the area I've circled is where the tent may have been. There are some stones to the right of the bottom of the cross but I’m not sure if this is part of the fire ring he was referring to.

Gabby Petito's body was found 'a five-minute walk from her and Brian Laundrie's van' | Daily Mail Online

He told Dr. Phil that he hiked to the scene and started to collect rocks. “It was exactly where they found her. So, I laid the cross directly over where her torso was. I was told the direction in which her head was laying. That’s where I placed two flowers in the ground, right where her head was.”

Gabby Petito's family sharing more about how they are coping and moving forward

 

[Hyway]

they quit their jobs and GP wanted the blog to be her new job- I think? Am I wrong? Monetize it, make a living at it, so that would be serious, IMO. Maybe since the MP was popular, she wanted to blog about it, but once there is an incident- well, so much for that. I suspect, IMO, that BL did not so much want to live in the public eye - dress up, dine out, tidy up. So that is one of the tensions I imagine between these two- but IMO, I could be totally wrong.

MOO I think BL was willing to do anything she wanted as long as he still got time to play in the woods. I am sure it looked like a perfect opportunity for both of them. And it probably worked well when GP was just TikToking and Instagramming. Neither of those take as much time and effort as setting up a top notch youtube channel. Even after you get your actual page set up, you still have a ton of footage to edit and link together in an interesting story telling way. Its possible that all was well as long as they were just doing the less strenuous SM blogging, but the youtube channel was driving a wedge between them and eating into what he thought of as his equal share of the trip.