Gabby Petito Case Part 4

Emily Pyskacek

Will cops and investigators find Laundrie? Will we ever find out what happened to Gabby Petito? We finally have answers. On September 19, The Teton County coroner announced that a body was recovered in the Bridger-Teton National Park. The FBI released a statement that said the human remains found were “consistent with the description” of Petito, but a full forensic ID had not been yet completed at this time, and the cause of death had not been determined yet. Petito’s parents were notified of the discovery right away and had since declined any media requests according to their lawyer. On this day, investigators were still searching for Laundrie, who was last seen in Florida. September 21, the day Petito’s family’s lives changed. The Teton County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the body found on the previous Sunday, unfortunately, was Petitos’ and that an initial determination showed she had died due to homicide. The cause of death was still undetermined at this time, and Laundrie was still just a person of suspect, but he was also hiding and could not be found. FBI Denver Special Agent in charge, Michael Schneider, claims “The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms. Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions.” In Florida, authorities continued their search for Laundrie without success. The North Port police department said that day’s search found “nothing of note.” On September 22, Laundrie finally gets recognition from the country, now knowing that he was allegedly the one who killed Ms. Petito. The U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie following a federal grand jury indictment. The warrant is “related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabby Petito.” Meaning that because he fled Gabby, came home and wouldn’t speak about the situation, and then “went missing” but is actually just hiding from the police, makes everybody believe he was the one and only who killed Gabby Petito. The indictment alleges Laundrie “knowingly and with intent to defraud” used an unauthorized debit card to purchase “things of value aggregating to $1,000 or more” between August 30 and September 1. If you look back in the timeline, Miranda Baker posted the TikTok claiming she gave Laundrie a ride to the vehicle on August 29. And Laundrie returned home on September 1st. So Laundrie made this purchase between these two dates, which has no information due to him not being seen in public in Teton County. FBI states “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.” On September 24, the North Port police department comes out with a statement saying “Investigators are continuing a major ground search for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve. He has been missing for 10 days. The search will continue through the weekend and will likely focus on other areas across from the reserve.” Nearly a month later on October 12, the Wyoming coroner, Dr. Brent Blue,  finally ruled Tuesday that the 22-year-old travel blogger died by strangulation. Laundrie has now been named by investigators as a person of interest in her death. He continues to be the subject of a nationwide search led by the FBI. Blue stated that Petito’s body had been in the wilderness for three to four weeks before being found, but did not release an exact day investigators believe she was killed. On October 20, police came out stating they had recovered apparent human remains, which haven’t been identified yet, while still searching for Brian Laundrie. FBI special agent in charge, Michael McPherson said authorities also found items belonging to Laundrie, including a backpack and a notebook. He added that the area where the items were found had previously been underwater and officials need several days to process the scene. Berolino, the Laundrie family’s lawyer, released a statement Wednesday morning that said Chris and Roberta Laundrie met with the FBI and North Port Police department to search for their son in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. “After a brief search of the trail that Brian frequented, some articles belonging to Brian were found. As of now, law enforcement is conducting a more thorough investigation of that area,” states Berolino. The very next day, October 21, the FBI confirmed Thursday that the human remains that were found at the Carlton Reserve on Wednesday were those of Brian Laundrie. Federal investigators confirmed Laundrie’s identity through dental records. Laundrie’s autopsy report, which came out on the 21, claims that Laundrie did die from a gunshot wound to the head. The remains had been under “up to three feet and possibly more” according to the medical examiner. The Gabby Petito Case is tragic and the media continues to pray for their family. As teenagers and young adults on social media, if you see something not normal, you should be conscious and safe.