Gabby Petito: Behind the Perfect Posts
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
On July 2nd 2021, 22 year old Gabby Petito set out for a four-month road trip across the United States with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. The two documented their trip online through her blogs on social media platforms such as Instagram and Youtube.
On August 12th 2021, police in the southern town of Moab, Utah were called due to a possible domestic violence incident involving Petito and Laundrie. In the bodycam footage, Laundrie claimed Petito had hit him after an argument, while Petito was shown to be talking about troubles involving her mental health. However, no charges were made on this day.
Petito went missing on August 27th 2021. Weeks later, her body was discovered in Wyoming. The case drew nationwide attention and many people had concerns and questions regarding potential domestic violence, policing and media bias revolving around this case.
Who was Gabby Petito?
Gabby Petito was a 22 year old aspiring youtuber who enjoyed blogging her travels, specifically her road trips across the western areas of the United States.
After starting to date Brian Laundrie in 2019, the couple embarked on their first road trip together from New York to California. She posted her blogs on social media platforms such as Instagram and Youtube, describing her interests as “art, yoga and veggies”.
The Roadtrip
On June 17th 2021, Petito and Laundrie left Blue Point to embark on their planned 4 month long cross-country trip. She was in regular contact with her family members at the time.
On August 12th, the domestic violence incident involving the couple was reported in Moab, Utah. Bodycam footage showed Petito visibly distressed while Laundrie remained calm and cooperative. It also showed Petito admitting to hitting Laundrie first.
Police responded by suggesting the couple spend the night apart. They treated the incident as a mental health dispute rather than an abuse case, and no one was charged.
On August 17th, Laundrie flew from Salt Lake City to Tampa, Florida, with the intention of obtaining more items as the couple had planned to extend their trip.
During this period of time, Petito stayed at Fairfield Inn and Suites in Salt Lake City and reportedly checked out on August 24th, where Laundrie met her again.
Petito’s last contact was with her mother on August 25th, informing her of their upcoming plans to travel to Yellowstone national park. Her last instagram post was also posted on August 25th in Utah.
Another incident of the couple being in a heated argument was reported on August 27th in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Petito was seen to be visibly crying and upset and Laundrie appeared to be very angry.
A text was also sent to Petito’s mother on the same date, saying "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls.", which raised concerns as Petito never addressed her grandfather by his first name.
The was the last confirmed sighting of Petito was in Jackson, Wyoming, near Grand Teton National Park, where surveillance footage captured her and Laundrie at a Whole Foods store on August 27th.
The last message Petito’s family received from her was a simple text saying “No service in Yosemite”, however they doubt this was sent by her.
Furthermore, on August 29th, a conversation between Laundrie and his parents revealed that Laundrie had told his parents “Gabby’s gone” and that he may need a lawyer.
On September 1st, Laundrie returned alone to his house in Florida without Petito.
Ten days later her family reported her missing. Law enforcement launched a large scale search focused on Wyoming’s Grand Teton area.
The Investigation
After Petito’s parents reported her missing on September 11th, Laundrie was named a person of interest four days later. Police surveilled Laundrie’s house, till he was also reported missing on September 17th by his parents who had not seen him since September 13th.
Before his disappearance, Laundrie eluded the police on multiple occasions and refused to share any information with them.
The investigation relied heavily on digital evidence through Petito and Laundrie's blogs and online posts. Officers used Petito’s social media to form a timeline of Petito’s last known sighting as well as previous places visited to help their search for her body.
This allowed law enforcement to confirm that near her time of death, Petito was around Wyoming, providing officers with timestamps and geographical clues.
Petito’s cellphone also gave officers detailed insight into what may have actually happened. The cellphone provided officers with location data, which showed exactly where the couple had travelled.
Furthermore, they also discovered suspicious text messages sent through her phone, which was later revealed to be Laundrie texting, in an attempt to make it appear she was still alive.
Financial activity from Petito's debit card was also recovered, showing that Laundrie used Petito’s debit card after her death. On September 23rd, an arrest warrant was issued from the FBI for fraudulently using Petito’s debit card. It was reported he had taken over $1000 between August 30th and September 1st.
Another crucial breakthrough in the case was through a different independent travel blogger. After another couple travel Youtube channel (Red, White and Bethune) reviewed their own dashcam footage from around Grand Tenton National Park, they realised their dashcam had recorded Petito’s white Ford Transit van parked off the side of the road.
This was later submitted to the FBI, which further helped law enforcement in their search for Gabby Petito.
On September 19th, Petito's remains were discovered in Bridger-Teton National forest.
The post mortem examination showed that the cause of death was a homicide, due to blunt force injuries to the head and neck along with evidence of manual strangulation. The results of the examination estimated that these injuries had been caused 3-4 weeks before her remains were found.
The discovery of Petito’s remains and the autopsy revealed that her death was not an accident and was a homicide. The autopsy also provided evidence for an accurate time of death, which matched the timeline of Laundrie’s return home.
The disappearance of Brian Laundrie
During the investigation, Brian Laundrie was named person of interest on September 15th. However, he refused to cooperate with authorities.
On September 17th he was reported missing. This caused a nationwide manhunt and sparked controversy online about how law enforcement handled the situation.
Laundrie’s family joined the search for him, even going on the news to encourage him to come forward to police.
On October 20th, skeletal remains, later identified as Brian Laundrie, were found in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. This area had been underwater due to flooding, hindering the discovery of Laundrie’s remains. Authorities later confirmed that Laundrie died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On January 21st 2022, investigators revealed that a notebook found near Laundrie’s remains contained a written confession.
In the notebook, Laundrie admitted to killing Petito and sending messages from her phone to mislead her friends and family.
More details of this diary entry were shared in June of 2022 with Laundrie claiming he killed Petito after she had fallen in the water and injured herself. He claimed his actions were “merciful” as he believed she was suffering unbearable pain from falling into the water, though this was inconsistent with the autopsy.
Laundrie's Diary Entry
There were several diary entries written by Laundrie, confessing his guilt and reasoning behind killing Petito.
Page 6 of his diary stated that, "She would wake in pain, start her whole painful cycle again while furious that I was the one waking her. She wouldn't let me try to cross the creek, thought like me that the fire would go out in her sleep and she'd freeze. 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 I see now all the mistakes I made. I (illegible)., I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I couldn't go on without her."
Psychological Aspects
Domestic Violence - Violent or aggressive behaviour within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner.
Petito's relationship with Laundrie shows patterns of the cycle of abuse. In August 2021, police bodycam footage showed Petito crying and blaming herself during an argument with Laundrie and domestic violence was suspected.
Reflects a common pattern where the victim shows heightened anxiety after conflict, while the abuser may appear composed, which can mislead outsiders.
Domestic violence can start small and escalate quickly
Can be a warning sign for other violent tendencies
Victims may stay due to emotional attachment, fear, or hope for change.
Coercive Control - A form of psychological abuse where one partner dominates the other through manipulation, isolation, and control, rather than constant physical violence, making the abuse less visible but deeply impactful.
During the roadtrip, Laundrie reportedly controlled aspects of Petito’s surroundings and actions, such as access to the van and resources
Does not always involve physical violence
This control creates a sense of dependency that reduces the ability of the victim to leave
Can increase the risks of harm
Social Media:
Throughout the trip, Petito’s social media portrayed a happy lifestyle. Photos and videos that were posted showed a fun and carefree experience. However there was a significant conflict occurring behind the scenes.
People have a tendency of presenting an idealised version of their lives online and mask real problems in their lives
Social media can create a disconnect between reality and their online identity, this makes it harder for others to recognise dangerous situations online
Controversies of the Gabby Petito Case
Police handling of domestic violence:
The Moab road trip incident became a major point of criticism among discussions online. Officers did not make an arrest despite Utah domestic violence laws, which requires officers to determine the primary aggressor and potentially make an arrest. Officers seemingly ignored the danger signs of domestic violence.
Bodycam footage also showed evidence of officers “coaching” Petito into justifying not arresting Laundrie
Many people have argued that proper intervention here and the arrest may have prevented the death of Petito.
Media Bias:
The case received intense media coverage, sparking debate about racial bias, particularly the "Missing White Girl Syndrome".
The "Missing White Girl Syndrome" refers to the idea of missing white women receive far more attention than missing women of colour. Many missing persons cases, particularly ones involving people of colour, gain significantly less attention in the media.
Thousands of missing people cases rarely go reported on national media, despite black and indigenous women disappearing at higher rates but receiving little attention
Petito’s case received widespread attention from the media through social media, true-crime podcasts and cable news, becoming an example of racial bias in reporting crimes
Law Enforcement:
Authorities were criticised for failing to monitor Laundrie effectively, questioning how the police lost track of him, even mistaking a sighting of Laundrie for his mother on September 15th.
Despite being a person of interest, he was able to leave his home and disappear, delaying the investigation.
Legal Proceedings
Following the case in 2022, Petito’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Laundrie's estate, which was settled for $3 million USD.
Another lawsuit against Laundire’s parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, was also filed, alleging that they concealed Laundrie's confession to killing Petito, causing emotional distress and pain due to the witholding of information. The Laundrie parents denied this claim and the lawsuit was settled after a mediation on February 21st 2024.
There was additionally a $50 million USD lawsuit filed against the Moab Police Department for their response to a potential domestic violence incident, whereby they allowed the couple to resume their journey despite signs of domestic violence.
The lawsuit included evidence of officer, Eric Pratt, admitting that he knew Laundrie was a threat but decided to ignore it, going against the department’s Lethality Assessment Protocol.
The lawsuit was eventually dismissed under governmental immunity laws but Petito’s parents have appealed the dismissal, and are currently waiting to see if the lawsuit can move forward.
Timeline
July 2nd, 2021
Petito and Laundrie begin their cross-country road trip.
August 12th, 2021
Police respond to a domestic violence incident in Moab, Utah.
August 25th, 2021
Petito’s last confirmed contact with her family.
August 27th, 2021
Final sighting of Petito in Wyoming.
September 1st, 2021
Laundrie returns to Florida alone.
September 11th, 2021
Petito is reported missing.
September 19th, 2021
Petito's remains are found in Wyoming.
October 20th, 2021
Laundrie’s remains are discovered in Florida.
January 21st 2022
Laundrie's notebook confession is found.
2022 - Today
Multiple lawsuits filed on behalf of Petito's family
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