| Show Notes |
Episode Title: What We Know About the Petito and Laundrie Case
Episode summary:
The Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie case has encapsulated the media for months. Gabby and Brian decided to go on a cross-country drive in Gabby’s van in July of 2021. The couple travelled to many national parks and posted their adventures on Instagram. Months later, Brian returned with Gabby’s van, but without Gabby. She was reported missing by her parents, Brian and his family refused to talk, and a state-wide search was issued for Gabby. In this episode, I will be answering your question: What happened to Gabby Petito?
Topics discussed in this episode:
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Elamroussi, Aya, and Christina Maxouris. “Family of Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito's Fiancé, Tell Police They Have Not Seen Him since Tuesday.” CNN, Cable News Network, 18 Sept. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/us/gabby-petito-missing-friday/index.html.
Lampen, Claire. “What We Know about the Disappearance of Gabby Petito.” The Cut, The Cut, 24 Nov. 2021, www.thecut.com/2021/11/disappearance-of-gabby-petito-what-we-know.html.
Pei-Sze Cheng, Jennifer Vazquez. “Brian Laundrie's Autopsy Update Reveals Death by Suicide: Family Attorney.” NBC New York, NBC New York, 23 Nov. 2021, www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/brian-laundries-autopsy-update-reveals-death-by-suicide-attorney/3416992/.
Transcript:
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another episode of Grey Speaks. I’m your host, Greyson Schleimer, and today we are going to be discussing the Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie case. Now, if you haven’t heard about this case then buckle up! It’s going to be a wild ride.
Gabby Petito was a 22-year-old travel influencer who lived with her 23-year-old fiancé, Brian Laundrie, and his parents in Blue Point, N.Y. Beginning in 2019, the couple traveled the country together, with Gabby documenting their trips on social media. In July of 2021, the couple decided to go on a cross-country drive, living out of Gabby’s van, and posting from national parks and other beautiful landscapes under the hashtag #vanlife. On August 12, police in Moab, Utah, stopped Gabby and Brian after a witness called 911 about a “domestic problem” that the couple allegedly had outside the Moonflower Community Cooperative. According to a police report that was listed on The Cut, Gabby was “crying uncontrollably” when the police pulled them over. One officer said, “At no point in my investigation did Gabrielle stop crying, breathing heavily, or compose a sentence without needing to wipe away tears, wipe her nose, or rub her knees with her hands.” However, Brian told the officer that “emotional strain” had been placed on the couple because they were spending so much time together inside of the van. Because of this, the officer took Brian to a hotel and let Gabby cool off in the van for the night to give the couple time apart to “relax their emotions and regain control of their anxiety.” Over two weeks later, on Sept. 1, Brian arrives back in Florida without Gabby. On Sept. 11, Gabby’s parents reported her missing, and on that same day, North Port investigators found the van at Brian’s parents’ house. As the last known person to have seen Gabby, Brian became the person of interest in the case, but he wasn’t talking. He did not make himself available to be interviewed by investigators or provide any helpful details to police. North Port police Chief Todd Garrison released a statement on Twitter saying, “We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past few weeks.” Gabby’s family also wrote a letter to the Laundries begging for information in addition to a statement claiming “the one person that can help find Gabby refuses to help” in reference to Brian. Gabby’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, said the last video chat she had with her daughter was August 24 or 25 and exchanged text messages for a few days following. Nichole has since said she is unsure if it was Gabby who was sending those texts. However, before that last communication, Gabby was believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. But if Brian returned to Florida days later, where was Gabby Petito?
Gabby Petito has now been reported missing for several days, and her family and police were pleading with Brian Laundrie’s family to cooperate in the investigation. Then, on Sept. 17, Brian’s parents request the police come to their home since they haven’t seen Brian since Sept. 14. Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, tells CNN “the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown.” This kicked off a search for the 23-year-old, so the FBI was now looking for both Gabby and Brian. Just two days later, human remains were discovered in Teton County that were consistent with the description of Petito. On Sept. 21, the Teton County coroner confirmed that the human remains were, unfortunately, those of Petito, but the cause of death was still pending final autopsy results. Finally, on October 12, Gabby’s death was determined to be strangulation. However, Brian still remained missing.
Weeks into the search for Brian Laundrie at Florida’s Carlton Reserve, investigators found what appeared to be human remains along with personal items including a backpack and notebook belonging to Brian. The items were found in an area that had previously been underwater, which is why they weren’t discovered before. According to a CNN article, the FBI announced on October 21 that dental records confirmed that the remains were, in fact, Brian Laundrie’s. It was said the skeletal remains had been out there for some time, but the cause of death was unknown. However, on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, the attorney for the Laundrie family confirmed Brian died by suicide, according to an NBC New York article. Gabby and Brian had been on a cross-country road trip in the summer of 2021, but only Brian returned home in September, driving Gabby’s van. Gabby was reported missing, but after weeks of searching, her remains were found. Gabby Petito’s death was ruled homicide by strangulation. During the search for Gabby, Brian was also reported missing, but his remains were found weeks later. Brian Laundrie’s death was ruled a suicide.
Overall, this story is very unfortunate and so sad to hear. With that being said, I would like to thank those who helped in this investigation. Well, that’s all I have for you guys today! Thanks for listening! And don’t forget to subscribe to hear more episodes on Grey Speaks.
Episode summary:
The Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie case has encapsulated the media for months. Gabby and Brian decided to go on a cross-country drive in Gabby’s van in July of 2021. The couple travelled to many national parks and posted their adventures on Instagram. Months later, Brian returned with Gabby’s van, but without Gabby. She was reported missing by her parents, Brian and his family refused to talk, and a state-wide search was issued for Gabby. In this episode, I will be answering your question: What happened to Gabby Petito?
Topics discussed in this episode:
- Who are Gabby and Brian and is this case about?
- Where was Gabby?
- What happened to Brian in the end?
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Elamroussi, Aya, and Christina Maxouris. “Family of Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito's Fiancé, Tell Police They Have Not Seen Him since Tuesday.” CNN, Cable News Network, 18 Sept. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/us/gabby-petito-missing-friday/index.html.
Lampen, Claire. “What We Know about the Disappearance of Gabby Petito.” The Cut, The Cut, 24 Nov. 2021, www.thecut.com/2021/11/disappearance-of-gabby-petito-what-we-know.html.
Pei-Sze Cheng, Jennifer Vazquez. “Brian Laundrie's Autopsy Update Reveals Death by Suicide: Family Attorney.” NBC New York, NBC New York, 23 Nov. 2021, www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/brian-laundries-autopsy-update-reveals-death-by-suicide-attorney/3416992/.
Transcript:
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another episode of Grey Speaks. I’m your host, Greyson Schleimer, and today we are going to be discussing the Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie case. Now, if you haven’t heard about this case then buckle up! It’s going to be a wild ride.
Gabby Petito was a 22-year-old travel influencer who lived with her 23-year-old fiancé, Brian Laundrie, and his parents in Blue Point, N.Y. Beginning in 2019, the couple traveled the country together, with Gabby documenting their trips on social media. In July of 2021, the couple decided to go on a cross-country drive, living out of Gabby’s van, and posting from national parks and other beautiful landscapes under the hashtag #vanlife. On August 12, police in Moab, Utah, stopped Gabby and Brian after a witness called 911 about a “domestic problem” that the couple allegedly had outside the Moonflower Community Cooperative. According to a police report that was listed on The Cut, Gabby was “crying uncontrollably” when the police pulled them over. One officer said, “At no point in my investigation did Gabrielle stop crying, breathing heavily, or compose a sentence without needing to wipe away tears, wipe her nose, or rub her knees with her hands.” However, Brian told the officer that “emotional strain” had been placed on the couple because they were spending so much time together inside of the van. Because of this, the officer took Brian to a hotel and let Gabby cool off in the van for the night to give the couple time apart to “relax their emotions and regain control of their anxiety.” Over two weeks later, on Sept. 1, Brian arrives back in Florida without Gabby. On Sept. 11, Gabby’s parents reported her missing, and on that same day, North Port investigators found the van at Brian’s parents’ house. As the last known person to have seen Gabby, Brian became the person of interest in the case, but he wasn’t talking. He did not make himself available to be interviewed by investigators or provide any helpful details to police. North Port police Chief Todd Garrison released a statement on Twitter saying, “We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past few weeks.” Gabby’s family also wrote a letter to the Laundries begging for information in addition to a statement claiming “the one person that can help find Gabby refuses to help” in reference to Brian. Gabby’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, said the last video chat she had with her daughter was August 24 or 25 and exchanged text messages for a few days following. Nichole has since said she is unsure if it was Gabby who was sending those texts. However, before that last communication, Gabby was believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. But if Brian returned to Florida days later, where was Gabby Petito?
Gabby Petito has now been reported missing for several days, and her family and police were pleading with Brian Laundrie’s family to cooperate in the investigation. Then, on Sept. 17, Brian’s parents request the police come to their home since they haven’t seen Brian since Sept. 14. Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, tells CNN “the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown.” This kicked off a search for the 23-year-old, so the FBI was now looking for both Gabby and Brian. Just two days later, human remains were discovered in Teton County that were consistent with the description of Petito. On Sept. 21, the Teton County coroner confirmed that the human remains were, unfortunately, those of Petito, but the cause of death was still pending final autopsy results. Finally, on October 12, Gabby’s death was determined to be strangulation. However, Brian still remained missing.
Weeks into the search for Brian Laundrie at Florida’s Carlton Reserve, investigators found what appeared to be human remains along with personal items including a backpack and notebook belonging to Brian. The items were found in an area that had previously been underwater, which is why they weren’t discovered before. According to a CNN article, the FBI announced on October 21 that dental records confirmed that the remains were, in fact, Brian Laundrie’s. It was said the skeletal remains had been out there for some time, but the cause of death was unknown. However, on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, the attorney for the Laundrie family confirmed Brian died by suicide, according to an NBC New York article. Gabby and Brian had been on a cross-country road trip in the summer of 2021, but only Brian returned home in September, driving Gabby’s van. Gabby was reported missing, but after weeks of searching, her remains were found. Gabby Petito’s death was ruled homicide by strangulation. During the search for Gabby, Brian was also reported missing, but his remains were found weeks later. Brian Laundrie’s death was ruled a suicide.
Overall, this story is very unfortunate and so sad to hear. With that being said, I would like to thank those who helped in this investigation. Well, that’s all I have for you guys today! Thanks for listening! And don’t forget to subscribe to hear more episodes on Grey Speaks.
