Gabby Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie confessed to her murder before taking his own life, according to the FBI.
The 22-year-old blogger was reported missing on September 11 2021. A body matching Gabby's description was then found on September 19, and was officially ruled as a homicide in October, sparking a manhunt for Laundrie.
However, his body was located a month later, along with a notebook, revolver and backpack, with investigators claiming he had committed suicide.
"A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms Petito's death," the FBI's Denver Field Office said in a statement released last week.
Details of what was written in the notebook were not revealed, but said that they did find texts between the couple sent after Gabby's death.
"The timing and content of these messages are indicative of Mr Laundrie attempting to deceive law enforcement by giving the impression that Ms Petito was still alive," the statement said.
Back in September, Gabby's body was found by search crews in a Wyoming National Park. It was then later confirmed that it belonged to the missing 22 year old. A coroner then determined that the cause of her death was homicide.
FBI Denver tweeted a statement, which included the following: “Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999. Coroner Blue’s initial determination for the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.”
The alleged offences are said to have taken place between January and February 2021.
Charles Jones, a spokesperson for the FBI, spoke to the media after the body was found, saying, “As every parent can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for her family. Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100 per cent but her family has been notified.”
Following the announcement, Gabby's father Joseph Petito shared a touching tribute to his daughter, tweeting, "#GABBYPETITO she touched the world," alongside a photo of Gabby.
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It is believed that Gabby and Brian embarked on their trip from New York in July earlier this year, in a converted camper van, which they documented on YouTube as ‘Our Van Life Journey’. The couple grew up in Long Island, New York, but had been living in Florida in recent years.
The last post on Gabby's Instagram is dated 26 August. Her mother, Nicole Schmidt, reported that the last time she spoke to Gabby, she was staying in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Gabby was last seen walking out of a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 24 August.
After Gabby was reported missing at the start of September, Brian Laundrie returned to his parent's house in Florida with the van he and Gabby had been travelling in. The van was seized by the North Port Police Department who told Insider: "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."
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Police in Utah released body camera footage of an encounter police officers had with Gabby and Brian during a traffic stop on 12 August. The footage shows Gabbie crying as she reports having an argument with Brian, which had become physical. Neither of the couple were detained, but officers insisted that they spend the night apart, with Petito in the van and Laundrie in a hotel.
Our thoughts are with Gabby's family and friends during this extremely sad and distressing time.
For more information or advice about domestic abuse, please visit Women's Aid's website or connect using their live chat.
Each woman killed is too many women lost to male violence.
