Gabby Petito Case
In this editorial, Anna will be talking about the Gabby Petito case that gripped the nation.
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Gabby Petito Case
Gabby Petito Case
By Anna Young
By Anna Young
On September 11, 2021, 22-year-old Gabby Petito, a potential victim of domestic violence, was reported missing by her family after going on a four-month long road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. In early September, Brian suspiciously returned to his home in Florida without Gabby. Two weeks later, Laundrie disappeared, creating a week-long search for him. Days later, authorities found Gabby’s remains in Wyoming and determined the cause of death to be strangulation with blunt force injuries to the head and neck.
Gabby Petito/Instagram Aug. 25, 2021
On July 2, 2021, Petito and Laundrie proceeded with their trip to the west coast to visit national parks. Petito wanted to share her adventure on social media, including Instagram and Youtube. According to her family, Gabby was excellent at keeping close contact while she was traveling, but that communication suddenly stopped at the end of August. On August 12, 2021, police came across Petito and Laundrie, where the officers described them as being “engaged in some sort of altercation.” As stated by a CNN news article by Christina Maxourls, The couple was described as getting into a physical fight, but Petito and Laundrie told authorities they loved each other and they did not want to be pressed with any charges. Authorities told them to separate for the night due to the altercations, and that there would be no charges filed.
Laundrie flew to Tampa, Florida alone on August 17, 2021 to pick up some items and to close their storage unit to save some money for their continued trip. He then flew back to Salt Lake City to meet up with Petito on August 23. A couple back in Louisiana reported on Aug 27 that they saw Brian and Gabby in a public disturbance while they were leaving a restaurant. The couple also reported an incident, but would not give anymore information on what happened. Petito was last known to be in Grand Teton National Park. Petito’s family last heard from Gabby on August 30, 2021 but they said they believed the message was not sent from her. Gabby’s family then reported her missing on September 11, 2021.
Laundrie was now a person of interest, since he was the last person known to have seen Petito before she was reported missing. Rangers and investigators from the National Park Service were working together to help search for Petito. On September 19, 2021, human remains believed to be that of Gabby Petito were found in a national forest in Wyoming. The remains were confirmed to be Petito’s on September 21, 2021. Her death was ruled as a homicide and it was identified that she had died due to strangulation. Investigators had said her body had been outside for about three to four weeks.
Remains were later found in Florida, along with a backpack and a notebook that authorities thought to be Laundrie’s. Dental records confirmed that the remains they found earlier were, in fact, Brian Laundrie’s. Authorities confirmed that they found skeletal remains and clothing that was also Laundrie’s. On November 23, 2021, examiners looked into Brian Laundrie’s death and determined that he had died due to suicide from a gunshot wound to the head. This year, in January 2022, the FBI reviewed the contents of the notebook they found by Laundrie’s remains. In the notebook, Laundrie had claimed responsibility for the death of Gabby Petito.
This case has highlighted the tragedies of what can happen when more people are not aware of domestic violence. If more people were aware of the signs of domestic violence, then tragedy could be prevented. If you need help, contact the domestic violence number:s 800-799-7233.
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