Gabby Petito: Her Tragic Real-Life Story

The following article includes references to domestic abuse and suicide.

In late 2021, the murder of travel influencer Gabby Petito at the hands of her own fiancé, Brian Laundrie, left the world shaken. Born Gabrielle Venora Petito on March 19, 1999 in Long Island, New York, Petito met Laundrie, who was just over a year older than her, in high school. Years later, in 2019, the duo began dating and moved into Laundrie's parents' North Port, Florida, home. By 2020, Petito had a ring gleaming on her finger. In July 2021, the couple embarked on a cross-country road trip – starting from Petito's hometown – in a white 2012 Ford Transit van that they had transformed into a camper. Unfortunately, the trip ended in Petito being killed and subsequently, Laundrie dying by suicide.

Thanks to Netflix's upcoming documentary, "American Murder: Gabby Petito," which is set to release on February 17, 2025, Petito's tragic death has once again been brought to the spotlight. Although Nicki Swift's team of writers has extensively covered the Petito case with dozens of articles published over the years, we felt the need to craft one single article that offers a comprehensive look at the events that shaped the case. Here's a detailed overview of the final days of Gabby Petito's tragic life, which was cut short due to reasons that remain unknown.

Although Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie seemed like a strong, happy couple (judging by Petito's Instagram grid), the reality turned out to be quite different. On August 12, 2021, Petito and Laundrie had a physical altercation in Moab, Utah, prompting a witness to call 911, reporting that they saw Laundrie slapping Petito. Another witness told the police (via CNN), "He was trying to grab her phone ... And then it seems like he had sort of walked to one side of the van and sort of wasn't letting her in ... I remember she sort of hit him a few times. And it wasn't, like, slugs in the face, but just kind of like two kids fighting."

Moments later, Moab police conducted a traffic stop on the van and had lengthy conversations with the duo, the bodycam footages of which were released after Petito was reported missing. As shown in one piece of footage, both Petito and Laundrie had small injuries on their faces. When confronted by police officers, Petito, who was still in tears, said, "I hit him first ... He didn't, like, punch me in the face or anything ... He, like, grabbed me with his nail ... I was cut right here [pointing to cheek]." At Petito's request, the police officers refrained from pressing charges against Laundrie but instructed the duo not to spend the night together. The couple complied, and police brought Laundrie to a hotel.

On August 17, 2021, Brian Laundrie took a flight from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Tampa, Florida, leaving Gabby Petito behind. He flew back to Utah six days later to resume the trip. Later on, in October 2021, the attorney hired by Laundrie's family told Business Insider, "[Laundrie visited Tampa] to obtain some items and empty and close the storage unit to save money as [Petito and Laundrie] contemplated extending the road trip."

On August 24, 2021, Petito spoke to her mother over FaceTime for the very last time, and the two exchanged messages the next day. Although Petito's mother got text messages from Petito's phone on August 27 and 30, she wasn't convinced they were actually from her daughter. The August 27 text read (via Daily Mail), "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls." The message seemed unusual to Petito's mother because Stan was Petito's grandfather, and she never called him by his first name. Even the August 30 text, which read, "No service in Yosemite," was deemed unusual by Petito's mother.

On August 27, 2021, a crying Petito and an enraged Laundrie were seen at a Jackson, Wyoming, restaurant called The Merry Piglets Tex-Mex. On the same day, the duo was recorded stopping by and shopping at a Whole Foods in Wyoming. That was the very last time Petito was seen alive. It's crucial to note that, on the evening of August 27, the couple's van was spotted isolated in Wyoming's Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area — the very same place Petito's body was recovered from a few weeks later.

Two days after Gabby Petito was last seen alive, Brian Laundrie spoke to his mother over the phone. Finding Laundrie a bit distraught, his mother asked his father to talk to him. When his father reached out to him over the phone, Laundrie reportedly told him Petito was gone and that he needed to find an attorney, without providing further explanations for his statements. On September 1, 2021, Laundrie drove the Ford van back to his parents' Florida home — without Petito. Five days after his return, Laundrie and his parents went on a two-day camping trip to Tierra Verde, Florida, which is undoubtedly surprising — and to some extent, suspicious — given the circumstances.

After relentlessly trying to track Petito down for over two weeks, Petito's family ultimately reported her missing on September 11, 2021. Four days later, Laundrie, who refused to help the police with Petito's whereabouts, was flagged as a person of interest by the authorities. However, the situation became unexpectedly complicated on September 17, 2021, when Laundrie's parents reported him missing, claiming he had disappeared on September 14.

The body of a young woman matching the description of Gabby Petito was recovered from the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming on September 19, 2021. Two days later, the body was identified as that of Petito, and it was declared that she was murdered. On October 12, 2021, the findings of Petito's autopsy report were made public. It was revealed that she died by strangulation, and her remains were discovered three to four weeks after her demise.

On October 20, 2021, skeletal remains of a human were discovered in Florida's Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, which had been submerged with water for days due to heavy rainfall before the remains were found. A day later, the remains were confirmed to be those of none but Brian Laundrie. On November 23, 2021, the disclosure of Laundrie's autopsy results revealed that he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

Alongside his remains, quite a few of Laundrie's personal belongings were recovered from the Florida park, including a backpack and a notebook. According to the final FBI update in the Gabby Petito case, which was released in January 2022, Laundrie had admitted to killing Petito in the notebook. The FBI press release also shed new light on Petito's death, claiming it was caused by "blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation."

In June 2022, Steve Bertolino, the lawyer Brian Laundrie's family had hired for the case, published Laundrie's bone-chilling confession from the said notebook in an attempt to purify the reputation of the Laundries. According to his confession, Gabby Petito had sustained severe injuries from a fall, prompting him to end her life and thus her suffering. "I don't know the extent of Gabby's injuries, only that she was in extreme pain. I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but now I see all the mistake I made," he wrote (via News 12). Laundrie went on to leave a suicide note as well. He noted, "I am ending my life, not because of fear of punishment, but rather because I can't stand to live another day without her."

However, multiple experts were quick to weigh in on the matter, and the general consensus was that Laundrie's confession was anything but convincing. Former NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar, for instance, said Laundrie was fearful of the aftermath of Petito's death and wrote the justification to somewhat avoid being held responsible for the murder. In another statement, forensics expert Lawrence Kobilinsky noted that Petito's death can be deemed anything but merciful.

In March 2022, Gabby Petito's parents filed a bombshell civil lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's parents, alleging they refused to cooperate with the police when Petito's disappearance was being investigated even though their son had confessed to murdering Petito to them before coming back to Florida. Although the Laundries denied the allegation, the civil lawsuit was mutually resolved on confidential terms in February 2024. Petito's family also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Laundries in May 2022. The lawsuit was settled after the Laundries paid Petito's family $3 million in damages in November 2022.

In 2022, Petito's family also filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Moab, Utah's police department, claiming they could have prevented Petito's murder by acting with due diligence when they pulled Petito and Laundrie's van over in Moab on August 12, 2021. Two years later, in November 2024, an Utah judge dismissed the case on grounds of the Government Immunity Act of Utah, saying the Moab police was, in no way, responsible for Petito's death. Petito's parents and attorney have said they will challenge the dismissal and take their case to the Utah Supreme Court to seek justice.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, or is struggling or in crisis, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.