Police in the United States continue frantically searching for Gabby Petito, who disappeared last month during a cross-country trip with her boyfriend. Here is what is known about the case:
June 2021
Gabby, 22, and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, start their trip from North Port, Florida. They plan to visit numerous state national parks on their way, but their final destination is the West Coast of the United States.
According to Police Chief Todd Garrison, the young woman was excited about the upcoming trip and wanted to share the details of it with her family and friends. And she did. The family told Mr Garrison that Gabby was in regular contact with them during that time.
August 2021
In August, the couple posted a video about their journey titled "Van Life". The 8-minute clip shows the couple beaming with joy as they travel from one place to another.
24 August: Gabby made a video call to her mother and told her that the couple was in Utah and planned to head to Teton Range, Wyoming.
25 August: The 22-year-old texted her mother. The family believes she and Brian were in Grand Teton National Park at that time.
27 August: There were more texts between the young woman and her relatives. They say they believe the couple was still in Wyoming.
30 August: The family receives the last message from Gabby: "No service in Yosemite [National Park in California]". They claim someone else and not Gabby wrote that text.
25 August: The 22-year-old texted her mother. The family believes she and Brian were in Grand Teton National Park at that time.
27 August: There were more texts between the young woman and her relatives. They say they believe the couple was still in Wyoming.
30 August: The family receives the last message from Gabby: "No service in Yosemite [National Park in California]". They claim someone else and not Gabby wrote that text.
September 2021
According to Florida police, Brian Laundrie returned to the couple's home in Florida on the first day of the month. Gabby was not with him.
11 September: Gabby Petito's family reports her missing in New York, where they live. Florida law enforcement officers went to Brian Laundrie's home and that of his parents to speak to them about Gabby. However, neither Brian nor his family agreed to talk about her disappearance and gave the police information for their attorney.
That same day law enforcement recovered the white van the couple travelled in. It was searched and police discovered "some material in there", which they say needs further examination.
11 September: Gabby Petito's family reports her missing in New York, where they live. Florida law enforcement officers went to Brian Laundrie's home and that of his parents to speak to them about Gabby. However, neither Brian nor his family agreed to talk about her disappearance and gave the police information for their attorney.
That same day law enforcement recovered the white van the couple travelled in. It was searched and police discovered "some material in there", which they say needs further examination.
14 September: An attorney for the Laundries releases a statement saying the family is "remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment" on the advice of counsel.
16 September: Gabby Petito's family releases a statement asking Brian and his family to cooperate with law enforcement in order to find their daughter. They also pleaded with the young man to explain "why he left Gabby all alone and drove her van to Florida".
"Please, if you or your family have any decency left, please, tell us where Gabby is located. We beg you to tell us. As a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us? As a parent, how could you put Gabby's younger brothers and sisters through this?", reads the statement written by the Petito family.
17 September: And then there were two missing persons… The family of Brian Laundrie told the police that the young man disappeared nearly a week ago.
"We've been trying all week to talk to his family, to talk to Brian, and now they've called us here on Friday, we've gone to the home, and they're saying now they have not seen their son. So, we are working through those details as we speak. It is another twist in this story", said North Port Police spokersperson Josh Taylor.
Altercation in Utah
After the Petito family filed a missing persons report, it became known that two weeks before the 22-year-old disappeared, police in Moab, Utah, were called to a purported domestic violence incident. The officers who arrived at the scene described the incident as the couple having "engaged in some sort of altercation".
Police released bodycam footage, which shows Gabby crying as she tells the officer about her argument with Brian and complains about her mental problems. She also said the two had been arguing more often. The police report described the young woman as "confused and emotional and manic".
Police released bodycam footage, which shows Gabby crying as she tells the officer about her argument with Brian and complains about her mental problems. She also said the two had been arguing more often. The police report described the young woman as "confused and emotional and manic".
Brian Laundrie told officers that the couple had been travelling together for "the last 4 or 5 months".
"After evaluating the totality of the circumstances, I do not believe the situation escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much as that of a mental health crisis", Officer Daniel Robbins wrote in the report.
The FBI has set up a national hotline, 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324), to receive any information that might be relevant to the case.
"So far, we have received hundreds of tips which are being vetted through multiple agencies. If anyone has seen the van photographed and information which might be helpful, please let us know", law enforcement said.
"So far, we have received hundreds of tips which are being vetted through multiple agencies. If anyone has seen the van photographed and information which might be helpful, please let us know", law enforcement said.