Why Gabby Petito's Friends Are Concerned They Will Never Have Answers

Gabby Petito set out on a cross-country road trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie, back in June. However, what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime ended up turning into a real-life nightmare just a few months later. According to CNN, Laundrie arrived to his home in Florida on September 1 — without Petito. He was driving the white van that the two had taken on their road trip, but Petito's whereabouts were unclear. On September 11, Petito's family reported her missing. Eight days later, her body was found in Grand Teton Nation Park in Wyoming. Meanwhile, Laundrie, who refused to talk to police, had gone missing.

Petito's cause of death was determined to be strangulation, according to CBS News, and the circumstances surrounding her death are still under investigation. Laundrie, who has been called a person of interest in the case, was sought by authorities after using an "unauthorized" debit card, according to the New York Daily News. On October 20, authorities confirmed that human remains were found in Florida's Carlton Reserve, the primary area where the search for Laundrie has taken place, according to NBC News. Now, Petito's friends are worried that they will never know what really happened to her. Keep reading to find out why.

At the time of this writing, authorities have not confirmed that the human remains found in Florida are those of Brian Laundrie. "Earlier today investigators found what appears to be human remains along with personal items, such as a backpack and notebook, belonging to Brian Laundrie," an FBI agent from the Tampa office said, according to NBC News. While just about everyone wants to know what happened to Gabby Petito — and want Laundrie to be found — Petito's friends are worried that they may never really know the truth if Laundrie is dead. "We'll never have answers. That's why I want him to be alive, because we won't get answers otherwise. It'll be a double tragedy for him to be dead," Petito's friend Alyssa Chen told People magazine. 

"If it's him, he didn't want to face the music. He had a lot of things he had to account for, and he can't do that if he's dead," Ben Matula, a high school friend of Petito and Laundrie's, told People. "I actually hope it's not him," Matula added, echoing Chen's concerns that they will never really know what happened to Petito if Laundrie is dead. If authorities determine that the body they found is indeed that of Laundrie's, a press conference will more than likely be held soon. Until then, those following the case, including those who were close to Petito, are still in a holding pattern.