GABBY Petito’s cause of death may be “being withheld” as cops struggle to find clues from her body left in the wilderness for weeks, experts fear after the reveal that Brian Laundrie bought a burner phone.
FBI agents and cops found Gabby’s remains in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19, and a preliminary autopsy ruled the manner of her death as a homicide.
Joseph Giacalone, a criminal justice professor at the City University of New York, told Insider: “If she’s strangled, the evidence is going to be limited.
“In the respect that you’re not going to have blood everywhere and, you know, hair fibers or all that other stuff.”
Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating reports of a burner phone bought when Brian Laundrie went missing.
A source told TMZ that Brian purchased a phone at the AT&T store on September 14 with an “older woman,” which was the last day Brian’s parents Chris and Roberta say they saw their son when he went off for a hike.
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the latest news and updates…
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911 CALL FROM HIKER RELEASED (continued)
Although Davis planned to sleep in a parking lot that night, the strange encounter scared him, so he decided against it.
Driving west on the highway, Davis said it hit him that this could have been Laundrie. He pulled over and looked up pictures of the 23-year-old.
“The very first picture I pulled up was that portrait view of him with that black beard and mustache,” Davis said. “And right at that minute, I said this is him.”
That’s when he decided to call the Haywood County, North Carolina sheriff’s office to tell them of his encounter.
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911 CALL FROM HIKER RELEASED
A 911 call from a hiker who is convinced he saw Gabby Petito’s fugitive fiancé Brian Laundrie was looking disheveled on the Appalachian Trail had been released.
On October 2, 2021, Dennis Davis was making a three-point turn on Waterville Road in Hartford, Tennessee, and he spotted a man in a white pickup truck was flashing his lights and waving.
Davis, 53, described the driver as looking “messed up” at around 12:35 AM local Time and recalled how the man he believes to be Laundrie admitted that he was lost and looking to see Petito.
The hiker told Fox & Friends First: “And I said, ‘Well, I’m not from around here. Where are you trying to go?'”
At this point, the mystery man told Davis that he was trying to go to California and said: “‘My girlfriend and I got into a fight, but she called me and told me that she loved me — and I’ve got to get to California to see her.'”
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WHERE TO SEND DONATIONS IN MEMORY OF GABBY
Instead of flowers, Gabby’s family is asking for donations to the future Gabby Petito Foundation.
Attorney Richard Stafford says donations can be made electronically at: https://Johnnymacfoundation.org.
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GABBY’S STEPPARENTS SEND TRIBUTE MESSAGES
Gabby’s stepmother, Tara Petito, posted a picture of them together, captioned: “Gabby, I will love you to the moon and back always and forever.”
While her stepfather, Jim Schmidt, tweeted a picture of Gabby as a little girl, saying: “It still seems surreal. Miss you, Gabs.”
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LAUNDRIE FAMILY’S LATEST STATEMENT THROUGH LAWYER
The Laundrie family has remained quiet as the search for Brian continues and as a memorial and protests take place outside their Florida home.
On Friday, October 1, the family made a statement through their attorney, saying they believe Brian is still in Florida.
“They are concerned but hopeful that he is found alive,” the Laundries’ family attorney Steve Bertolino said.
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GABBY’S MOM BELIEVES SHE IS ‘SENDING SIGNS’ OF COMFORT
Nichole Schmidt, Gabby’s mom, said that the family was driving behind a car with a Wyoming sticker and the letters “GBZ” on the license plate.
Gabby’s body was found in Wyoming, and the letter refers to a nickname for Gabby – “gabz.”
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IS BRIAN LAUNDRIE THE ONLY PERSON OF INTEREST?
Currently, Brian Laundrie is the only person of interest in the case,
He has not cooperated with the police since he returned to Florida without Gabby, and he went missing himself less than a week after Gabby’s family reported her missing.
Laundrie’s family said he went hiking on September 14 and never returned.
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HOW DID GABBY PETITO DIE?
Pictures of Gabby Petito and her boyfriend/fiance before her disappearance On September 23, coroners in Wyoming listed her likely cause of death due to a homicide in a preliminary report.
That same day, a federal arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie was issued, accusing him of swiping more than $1,000 of a debit card that is believed to be Gabby’s sometime between August 30 and September 1, according to the indictment.
Laundrie’s parents have said that their 23-year-old son left their Florida home back on September 14 to head for a hike at the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota but failed to return.
When Brian failed to come back, they reported him missing to North Port police three days later.
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WHEN DID GABBY AND BRIAN START DATING?
According to posts on her Instagram page, Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie began dating in March 2019.
According to a family spokesperson, the two attended the same high school in Long Island, New York, but didn’t begin dating until after graduation.
Gabby wrote on Instagram that they had gotten engaged in July 2020.
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GABBY PETITO FOUNDATION SHARES DONATION LINK
The Gabby Petito Foundation recently got an official Twitter presence, and on Monday, it shared a donation link for readers.
“Here it is! Our very own PayPal donate button!” the post read.
“This is the first step, and we will make it easier to donate in the future, but for now, if you are interested in donating directly to us, here is the link. Thank you all so much!”
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GABBY MAY HAVE ‘VISIBLE TRAUMA,’ EXPERT SAYS
“I would assume there was visible trauma consistent with some attack (i.e., gunshot wounds, knife wounds, obvious signs of strangulation, etc.),” Shen added while speaking to Central Recorder.
“The official cause of death and the autopsy report will likely take weeks to release.”
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TATTOOS IN GABBY’S HONOR
Gabby’s family revealed matching tattoos on Tuesday in tribute to the 22-year-old vlogger.
Mom Nicole told a press conference that they got the tattoos as she wanted Gabby “with me all the time.”
“I wanted to have her with me all the time,” her mother told the briefing after being asked about the tattoos.
“I hope she inspires people.”
Nicole, Gabby’s dad Joe Petito, and their spouses said they all went together to receive the tattoos on Monday night.
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HOW IS GABBY’S FAMILY HONORING HER?
Her stepdad, James Schmidt, left a cross made of stones and a bouquet of flowers while visiting the Wyoming campground where her body was found over the weekend.
Instead of flowers, Gabby’s family is asking for donations to the Gabby Petito Foundation.
Attorney Richard Stafford says donations can be made electronically at: https://Johnnymacfoundation.org.
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‘TIME IS OF ESSENCE’
According to Bryanna Fox, a former FBI agent and associate professor in the criminology department at the University of South Florida, investigators are fighting against Time to collect the forenTimeevidence needed to build a case.
She told CNN: “Time is that one thing, this Time are constantly fighting in law enforcement.
“The odds of finding it gets slimmer every day, so time is really of the essence,” she added.
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JOE PETITO TWEETS ABOUT GABBY PETITO FOUNDATION
“The Gabby Petito Foundation Twitter has been set up, the Foundation is set up, and now we are making moves that will hopefully help individuals and make a difference,” Joe Petito wrote on Twitter.
“Stay tuned.”
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GABBY’S FAMILY SLAMS LAUNDRIES
Gabby’s family called on Brian Laundrie to hand himself into the FBI or the closest law enforcement as they also blasted his parents for failing to help in the search for Gabby.
“The Laundries did not help us find Gabby; they will not help us find Brian,” they said.
Dad Joe refused to even speak about Brian when asked.
The FBI has reportedly asked the family not to comment on their relationship with the Laundries any further.
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WHY HASN’T GABBY’S CAUSE OF DEATH BEEN REVEALED?
After Gabby Petito’s remains were found on September 19 in Wyoming, her death has quickly ruled a homicide.
A retired San Diego Police Department Crime Laboratory Director, Jennifer Shen, spoke to Central Recorder about why authorities may not have revealed an official cause of death yet.
“The death was referred to as a homicide very quickly after her body was found,” she said. “This generally indicates the cause of death was pretty apparent to those that found her.”
“I would assume there was visible trauma consistent with some attack (i.e., gunshot wounds, knife wounds, apparent signs of strangulation, etc.).
“The official cause of death and the autopsy report will likely take weeks to release.”
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HOW IS GABBY’S FAMILY PAYING TRIBUTE TO HER?
Her stepdad, James Schmidt, left a cross made of stones and a bouquet while visiting the Wyoming campground where her body was found over the weekend.
Instead of flowers, Gabby’s family is asking for donations to the Gabby Petito Foundation.
Attorney Richard Stafford says donations can be made electronically at: https://Johnnymacfoundation.org.
Gabby’s father tweeted the service information and said, “Thank you to all for your support and love.”
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JOE PETITO ENCOURAGES TO ‘GET UP AND GO’ AT DAUGHTER’S FUNERAL
At his daughter’s funeral, Joe also encouraged anyone to go on a trip to get up and leave.
“If there’s a trip you guys want to take, take it. Please do it now while you’ve got the Time. If there’s a relationship you’re in that might not be the Time thing for you, leave it now,” he said.
“Gabby is the most amazing person I’ve ever met, so if you’re going to leave here today, I’m asking you to be inspired by the way she treated people,” the father added.
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WHAT DOES THE MOAB BODYCAM FOOTAGE SHOW?
Despite a 911 dispatcher reporting a man hitting a woman, the cops who pulled over their van in Moab, Utah, decided Brian was the victim of an attack by Gabby.
Body-worn camera footage shows Gabby was visibly distressed when they spoke to her, while Laundrie laughed and chatted with the officers.
Gabby, 22 — who had what appears to be a bruise on her face — tearfully apologized and told them she’d hit Laundrie during a “fight.”
Laundrie, 23, who had scratches on his arms and hands, admitted he pushed Gabby several times to fend her off.
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OFFICERS MISSED ‘RED FLAGS,’ SAYS PSYCHIATRIST
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Ziv Evra Cohen has said Gabby looks “scared and very overwhelmed” in the footage from Moab PD body cameras.
The “imbalance” between sobbing Gabby and calm Laundrie should have “raised a red flag” for the officers.
Cohen told Fox News: “She was emoting so much that it was evident that there had been an incident and there had been a problem of some kind that she was struggling with.”
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DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER: ‘I DON’T CALL THE POLICE
The dog said: “After 45 years, I don’t call the police; they’re usually called on me – so I don’t know what they’re doing.”
The bounty hunter remains under fire from online sleuths, social media users, and private investigators as he continues his search for Brian Laundrie.
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DOG’ ISN’T SHARING TIPS WITH COPS’
Reality TV star Dog, real name Duane Chapman, says he has received more than 2,000 potential leads as he joined the search to find Laundrie last weekend.
He told NewsMax Thursday that he hasn’t been sharing his tips with cops and FBI detectives after critics accused him of joining the search for “publicity.”
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WHERE TO SEND DONATIONS IN MEMORY OF GABBY
Instead of flowers, Gabby’s family is asking for donations to the future Gabby Petito Foundation.
Attorney Richard Stafford says donations can be made electronically at: https://Johnnymacfoundation.org.
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TARA PETITO ALSO SHARES THE GABBY PETITO FOUNDATION PAGETara Petito also shared the Gabby Petito Foundation Twitter page on her account on the social media platform.
“Please follow the Gabby Petito Foundation page and stay tuned for the changes that will make a difference,” she wrote.