Gabby Petito And Brian Laundrie: What Do We Know About The ... - BBC

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HomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWhat happened to Gabby Petito?17 February 2025ShareSaveShareSave

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Blogger Gabby Petito was reported missing during a road trip in July 2021, and her body later found in a national park. Authorities blamed her boyfriend and travel companion Brian Laundrie, who went missing and shot himself.

The agonising search for Ms Petito has been chronicled in a new Netflix series, which also charts a campaign launched by her parents to prevent similar things happening.

Here is a recap of the case.

What happened to Gabby Petito?

Ms Petito, 22, set off on a road trip from her hometown in Long Island, New York, with Mr Laundrie, 23, in July 2021. They had got engaged a year prior, according to their social media.

The two high school sweethearts documented their nomadic "van life" through national parks in the American West on Instagram and YouTube.

It is still unclear what happened when Ms Petito, and later, Mr Laundrie, went missing, but details emerged from the weeks prior.

On 12 August, police in the southern Utah town of Moab were called to a possible domestic violence incident involving the couple.

Bodycam footage - which features in full in the Netflix programme - showed Ms Petito crying and complaining about her mental health to officers. She also said the couple had been arguing.

A police report of the incident said Mr Laundrie claimed Ms Petito hit him after an argument. The officers recommended they spend the night apart but did not file any charges.

Regular social media updates from the couple on Instagram abruptly ended later that month, when Ms Petito was last seen alive.

Their journey was reportedly originally intended to last four months, but Mr Laundrie returned home to Florida alone on 1 September. Ms Petito's family reported her missing 10 days later.

On 19 September, human remains were found in western Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest. A post-mortem examination confirmed that they belonged to Ms Petito.

In his preliminary findings, the coroner ruled her death a homicide.

What happened to Brian Laundrie?

Mr Laundrie's family reported his disappearance on 17 September of the same year.

Before vanishing, he eluded authorities and did not share any information with police. The FBI also issued a federal arrest warrant, charging him with fraudulently using a debit card after Ms Petito's death.

During their search, federal agents also conducted a nearly eight-hour search of his parents' home in North Port, Florida, where Mr Laundrie and Ms Petito had moved in 2019.

Teams spent weeks scouring the Carlton Reserve - a 24,000-acre park in Florida's Sarasota County - with police dogs, drones and all-terrain vehicles, before Mr Laundrie's remains were discovered.

His family's lawyer said he took his own life.

What was the outcome of the legal cases?

The Laundries were not accused of any crime in connection with Ms Petito's death, but they found themselves the subject of legal action from Ms Petito's parents.

In 2022, the two sides reached a $3m (£2.4m) settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit, which claimed Mr Laundrie was liable for damages.

In another case, settled in 2024, the Petitos alleged that the Laundries had inflicted emotional distress with their actions.

They alleged that the other family knew Ms Petito to be dead even while saying publicly that they hoped she would be found - something the Laundries denied.

The new docuseries charts the transformation of her parents into campaigners against domestic violence.

Addressing viewers, her mother Nichole said: "When you're watching a documentary like this, remember that it's not just a story. It's not just entertainment for you; it's not just 'true crime'.

"Remember that there are always real lives involved and that these things can happen to anyone."

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