Last month, news came to light that a travel influencer in the US had gone missing. Sadly, just a few days after being reported missing by her family, Gabby Petito's body was found in a national park in the state of Wyoming.
Now, a coroner has officially ruled the 22-year-old's death as a homicide, citing the cause of death as strangulation. In a conference held on Tuesday 12 October, a medical examiner at the Teton County Coroner's Office confirmed the finding.
Speaking to the press Teton County Coroner, Brent Blue explained that under Wyoming state law he's unable to reveal any further details of the autopsy. He did, however, confirm that her body was outside for three to four weeks before it was discovered. Some media reporters also questioned whether Petito was pregnant at the time of her death, but Blue denied this.
Speaking to the media about the initial body discovery, FBI agent Charles Jones said: "As every parent can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for her family." After the news broke, Petito's father, Joseph, took to Twitter to share a photo of his daughter. "#GABBYPETITO she touched the world," he wrote.
Petito, a 22-year-old YouTube vlogger from Florida, had been travelling around the US with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, around the time she went missing. The couple set out on their trip from New York at the start of July in a converted camper van.
But Petito's family became concerned over her whereabouts after losing contact with her last month. When Petito last spoke to her mother in late August, the couple were staying in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
She was last seen checking out of a hotel with Laundrie in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 24 August. But Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, revealed the last text she received from her daughter implied she was in Yosemite [via Daily Mail], which is over 800-miles away from where she was last sighted.
Her family reported her missing to police at the start of September.
Just a few days later, Laundrie returned alone to his parental home in North Port, Florida, in the van he and Petito had been travelling in.
A spokesperson for the North Port Police Department confirmed they had seized the van. Speaking to Insider, the spokesperson said: "We showed up. We see the vehicle. We take the vehicle. We make an attempt to talk with Brian, and his family declined to make him available, and they gave us the information for his attorney."
Laundrie has since gone missing, with his family confirming they haven't seen or heard from him. Following the discovery of Petito's body, Laundrie's family released a statement. It read: "The news about Gabby Petito is heartbreaking. The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family."
In the days after Petito was reported missing, thousands of comments were left on Laundrie's Instagram and the couple's YouTube account. Protestors also gathered outside the Laundrie family home, chanting "where's Gabby?"
Our thoughts are with the Petito family at this sad time.
Jade Biggs (she/her) is Cosmopolitan UK's Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. She also works on first-person features and investigative long-reads, taking a deep-dive into mental health, celebrity culture and women's rights. Jade has been a journalist and content writer for ten years, and has interviewed leading researchers and doctors, high-profile influencers and fitness experts. She is a cat mum to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
