The Federal Bureau of Investigation has yet to confirm once DNA testing is confirmed whether the recently discovered remains do indeed belong to Gabby Petito.
Police also continue to search for the girl’s fiancé Brian Laundrie, who remains a person of interest in the case. On Monday, FBI agents were spotted entering Laundrie's parents' home on a “court authorised search warrant”.
The internet has been swamped by speculation on what could possibly have happened to the 22-year-old as new details about her disappearance emerge.
Broken Communication
Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, says she last spoke to her daughter on 25 August when Gabby phoned from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. This is the same day the last post appeared on her Instagram page with a ‘Happy Halloween’ caption.
Smiling Petito was pictured visiting the Monarch Wall in Ogden, Utah but it’s not quite clear when these photos were taken.
Gabby was last spotted alongside her boyfriend Laundrie at a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah on 24 August. Her mum says she texted Gabby on 30 August and apparently received the reply “No service in Yosemite”.
Schmidt now suspects that the message could have come from someone else.
Suspicions Around Missing Boyfriend
Internet sleuths have been scrutinising the social media accounts of Petito and Laundrie, searching for online hints that something could have changed between the two and whether the woman’s fiancé should be directly blamed for her disappearance – or possibly death.
A woman named Miranda Baker posted a video on TikTok claiming that she believes she and her boyfriend picked up a man looking like Laundrie at Grand Teton National Park on 29 August. The guy apparently told them that he had a fiancée who “was working on their social media page back at their van” and he had been camping alone for several days. The man reportedly offered them $200 for the ride but got out of the car very quickly when learning where exactly they were going.
Brian Laundrie returned to his house in Florida on 1 September in the Ford van the couple used for their cross-country road trip but his girlfriend wasn’t spotted.
Laundrie, 23, was named a “person of interest” in her disappearance but has reportedly refused to cooperate with police about Petito’s whereabouts since she was reported missing on 11 September.
Laundrie has simply issued a statement through his attorneys expressing hope that the search for his girlfriend will be “successful”.
On 17 September, his parents summoned officers to their home to announce that their son had been missing for three days. The search for him continues.
The police said the clip was filmed on 12 August after the officers pulled over the couple’s van in response to a potential domestic violence incident.
Gabby 'the Aggressor'?
Body-camera footage released by Moab City Police Department in Utah last week showed a crying Petito and Laundrie with scratches on his face after the two had apparently fought.
Police described Petito as “crying uncontrollably” and complaining of her mental health state. The girl was apparently described as “the aggressor” in the incident as it was revealed that she slapped her boyfriend after an argument, but none of them wanted to press charges.
“No one reported that the male struck the female, both the male and the female reported they are in love and engaged and to be married and desperately didn’t wish to see anyone charged with a crime," the report from the scene read. "There were no significant injuries reported and both agreed that Gabby suffers from serious anxiety.”
The police said they had separated the couple for the night, leaving Petito with the van’s key and taking Laundrie to a hotel. It’s unclear when they were reunited.
Petito and Laundrie embarked on a cross-country trip on 2 July and were heading to Yellowstone National Park, just north of Grand Teton where Petito's communication with the mother ended. The investigators have yet to determine whether the remains that have been discovered belong to Gabby Petito.
The cause of death hasn't been assessed yet as the newly found remains could be in poor condition because of excess heat in the region.