This case moved people far beyond the borders of the United States. A young couple from Florida embarked on a tour of the States in the summer of 2021. But the adventure trip turned into a horror trip. In the end both are dead…
It was previously unclear whether Brian Laundrie († 23) killed his fiancée Gabby Petito († 22) during the trip. On Friday, the US investigative agency FBI revealed the last missing piece of the puzzle in this murder case. Before his suicide, Laundrie wrote a confession in his notebook!
While on tour in a converted white Ford van, Gabby Petito disappeared and her fiancé returned home alone. For weeks, the police searched feverishly for the missing young woman. Her body was discovered in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming in mid-September. Forensic pathologists determined that she had been strangled.
On August 12, the Utah police spoke to a dissolved Gabby Peitito († 22). An officer’s bodycam footage shows her crying in the back of the patrol car. Photo: /AP
Returning home alone, Laundrie remained silent about Gabby’s whereabouts before disappearing without a trace. His body was found on October 20 near his childhood home in a Florida wildlife sanctuary. He had shot himself in the head with a revolver. With his remains, the notebook was also secured and examined.
“All investigative steps have been completed in this case,” said Michael Schneider, FBI Special Agent in Denver. “The investigation has not identified anyone other than Brian Laundrie who was directly involved in Gabby Petito’s tragic death.” After strangling his fiancé, Laundrie sent text messages between his cell phone and Petito’s cell phone, according to the FBI, in an attempt to “fool law enforcement by… he gave the impression that she was still alive.”
Snapped by Brian Laundrie during the couple’s US tour. Before his death, he confessed to the murder of his fiancee, written in his notebook (front)Photo: Instagram/Gabby Petito
It is no longer clear what exactly happened during the trip. It is clear, however, that the couple had argued: in one incident in August in the state of Utah, the police were even called. A police officer’s body camera footage shows Petito crying, saying she hit her fiancé during an argument and he grabbed her.
Petito’s death also caused such a stir because the couple shared their experiences in the adventure originally planned for four months on the online services Instagram and Youtube. Shots showed a smiling couple and stunning landscapes.
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