New dispatch audio shows that the Utah police who pulled Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie over in August were told that the now-missing boyfriend was the alleged aggressor.
“RP (reporting party) states seeing a male hit a female, domestic,” the dispatcher is heard saying on the day of the incident, according to Fox News, which cited police audio obtained by Fox 13 Utah.
“He got into a white Ford Transit van, has a black ladder on the back, Florida plate,” the dispatcher adds.
Police questioned the couple following a report of a domestic incident at the Moonflower Community Cooperative and pulled the pair over outside of Arches National Park on Aug. 12. A 911 caller told dispatchers he saw a man slapping a woman outside the co-op.
But the officers considered charges against Petito after seeing scratches on Laundrie’s face.
The Moab City Police Department is now under investigation for its handling of the “domestic dispute” between the couple as a “breach of police department policy.”
The agency has come under fire after stopping the pair on reports of a possible domestic assault — separating them for the night but allowing them to continue on their cross-country trip.
Petito, 22, disappeared about two weeks later and her remains were found in Wyoming on Sept. 19.
Laundrie, who returned to Florida without his girlfriend in their van on Sept. 1, is now the subject of a massive manhunt.
The audio obtained by Fox 13 also shows that when one cop asks for the witness’ phone number, the dispatcher again indicates that Laundrie had hit the Long Island native, who was seen hysterical and in tears in the bodycam footage.
The Moab City PD has come under investigation for its handling of the domestic violence call between Laundrie and Petito.Moab City Police Department
“Phone number is [redacted], name’s [redacted],” the dispatcher says. “I’m not sure [inaudible], but the female who got hit, they both, the male and the female, both got into the van and headed north.”
Under Utah law, police must make an arrest or issue a citation when they have “probable cause to believe that an act of domestic violence has been committed,” Fox News reported.
Brett Tolman, a former US attorney in Utah, told Fox News on Sunday that the officers will probably face disciplinary action.
“I think they will find that they sort of manipulated the situation to not take someone into custody,” he told the network. “I think the fact that they had another eyewitness that is not involved in it, and is objective, and said ‘he hit her’ … you’re going to have a majority of officers take him into custody.”
Moab police did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News.
According to phone records, the police dispatcher told the officers that Brian Laundrie hit Gabby Petito.Moab City Police Department
Meanwhile, the search for Laundrie in Florida’s 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve will be scaled back, according to Fox News.
“I don’t think you’re going to see those large-scale types of efforts this week,” Josh Taylor, a spokesman for the North Port Police Department, told the news outlet late Sunday.
“The FBI is now leading the search. I’m told it will be scaled back and targeted based on intelligence. Hopefully, water will lower in areas hard to currently access,” he added.
Last week, Laundrie was indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly using Petito’s debit card in Wyoming in the days after she vanished.
On Sunday, two FBI agents arrived at his parents’ North Port home to gather Laundrie’s personal belongings for DNA testing, the family’s lawyer confirmed to The Post.
NORTH PORT, Florida (WABC) — Brian Laundrie remained missing Friday after an arrest warrant was issued Wednesday, related to Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabby Petito.
In Florida, searchers on spent a sixth day searching for Laundrie in the forbidding wilderness preserve near his parents’ home.
The search at the Carlton Reserve park began after Laundrie told his parents he was going there, several days after returning alone Sept. 1 from his trip out west with Petito.
The U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued an arrest warrant and indictment on Thursday. The indictment charge is related to Laundrie’s unauthorized use of a Capital One debit card and pin code with “intent to defraud” between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 in Wyoming and elsewhere with a value of $1,000 or more.
Commander Joseph Fussell, leading the search in Florida, says the warrant for Laundrie doesn’t really change anything for them and that they’re still working as hard as they can to find him if he’s still in the Carlton Reserve area.
“We’re looking through wooded areas, through bodies of water. We’re looking through swampy areas and we’re deploying the resources to be able to do that,” he said. “We are not wasting our time out here. We are doing our due diligence to find Brian in an area that intelligence has led us to believe he could possibly be in.”
Meanwhile, back on Long Island, a funeral for Petito will be held Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Moloney’s Holbrook Funeral Home.
The service open to the public, and the family has also given its blessing for the media to be there.
Petito, 22, was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after they she did not respond to calls and texts for several days while the couple visited parks in the West during their cross-country road trip.
Her body was discovered Sunday at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. A coroner ruled her death a homicide.
City of Moab, UT launches investigation into police handling of domestic incident
The City of Moab, Utah has launched an investigation into the police’s handling of the Petito and Laundrie domestic incident that was caught on body cam on August 12.
In a statement from Moab City Police Chief Bret Edge, he says “an outside party filed a request with the Moab City Police Department asking for a formal investigation into the Aug. 12 incident in Moab involving Gabrielle Petito and Brian Laundrie.”
He goes on to say, “At this time, the City of Moab is unaware of any breach of Police Department policy during this incident. However, the City will conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate.”
Couple seen in explosive argument at Wyoming restaurant in Wyoming
A woman named Nina Celie Angelo took to her Instagram, saying she was there that day and witnessed the couple get into an explosive argument at the restaurant.
Angelo says Laundrie was screaming at the hostess and Petito was in tears and apologizing.
The Blue-Collar Restaurant Group confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that they believe Petito and Laundrie were at their Merry Piglet restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on August 27.
“Friday, August 27th, 1 p.m. sitting right next to them, they got kicked out of the restaurant and were fighting with the hostess. They were fighting with the hostess — she was hysterically crying and she walked out and she was crying and she was staying on the sidewalk,” Angelo said on her Instagram stories.
Meanwhile, divers joined in the search for 23-year-old Laundrie in Florida on Wednesday.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they sent members of their Sheriff’s Underwater Recovery Force to Carlton Reserve.
We continue to respond to requests for mutual aid from neighboring law enforcement agencies & federal partners. To confirm, yes, members of our Sheriff’s Underwater Recovery Force have responded to Carlton Reserve. This in addition to our Emergency Response Team, Air-1 & patrol. pic.twitter.com/LcagDcofLL
— SarasotaSheriff (@SarasotaSheriff) September 22, 2021
The search for Laundrie is centered on a massive reserve near North Port where investigators said he returned to his family’s home on Sept. 1 without his fiancee Gabby Petito, 22, but driving her 2012 Ford Transit.
Officials said large bodies of water are located in the reserve and deploying the dive team does not mean anything has been found. It’s a part of the overall search process.
Laundrie has been named by police as a “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance. He has refused to speak to the police and has not been seen since Tuesday, Sept. 14, according to law enforcement officials.
Investigators first searched the 25,000-acre Carolton Reserve over the weekend without success. They focused on the area after Laundrie’s parents told police he may have gone there.
The search moved to the Venice area of the reserve on Tuesday, where they remained on Wednesday. Authorities have also deployed dogs, multiple all-terrain vehicles and drones in their search.
Laundrie neighbor recalls seeing Brian after his return
A neighbor of the Laundrie’s in North Port, Florida says she saw Brian Laundrie after his return home.
Karyn Aberts told Kristin Thorne that she saw him walking with his parents but thought nothing of it. She described the current situation as “very surreal.”
The full interview is below.
2nd witness corroborates domestic dispute between couple
Police have released a written statement from a person who witnessed the domestic dispute between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie in August.
In the statement reported on August 12, the witness, named Chris, claims that the couple appeared to have some sort of dispute and recalls Petito punching Laundrie in the arm and face.
Another witness who called 911 claimed he witnessed Brian Laundrie “slapping” Gabby Petito and chasing her up and down a sidewalk.
Moab Police Department in Utah responded to the incident that day, located the van and pulled the couple over.
Why isn’t there an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie?
ABC News Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams explained why there hasn’t been an arrest warrant issued for Brian Laundrie in the Gabby Petito case and why the cause of death for Petito has yet to be released.
“They want to find him. Period. They are now devoting all of their resources as if there was an arrest warrant out for him. But there’s still not officially an arrest warrant,” Abrams said. “I think that they want to gather all of the evidence so that they don’t get accused in a trial later of making mistakes.”
A warrant could change the obligations of Brian Laundrie’s parents, he added.
You can watch the full interview here.
Man seen on video in Panhandle was not him
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has positively identified the individual whose image was captured on a deer trail camera near Baker and shared on social media, sparking nationwide speculation that it was Laundrie.
The OCSO has confirmed the man is an Okaloosa County resident who acknowledged he was the one walking on the deer trail carrying his backpack. Several OCSO deputies familiar with the individual noticed the resemblance to the photo of the person spotted on the deer trail, as well as the presence of a neck tattoo.
The private citizen was located and a positive identification has been made.
During its search and investigation, the OCSO found no indications that Brian Laundrie is, or was, in Okaloosa County.
Gabby Petito’s coroner report
Gabby Petito died by homicide, a coroner concluded on Tuesday while also confirming that the human remains found recently at a Wyoming national park were those of the 22-year-old woman.
Her body was discovered at a Wyoming national park over the weekend, months after the couple, originally from Long Island, set out on a cross-country road trip. Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said the cause of her death remains pending final autopsy results.
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. pic.twitter.com/JoHenMZ9UU
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 21, 2021
Growing memorial for Gabby Petito’s hometown
Neighbors have put up teal ribbons around the Petito family home in Blue Point, New York on Long Island. It’s a show of support to remember and pay tribute to Gabby’s memory.
In Wyoming, someone set up a makeshift cross with river rocks from the slowly disappearing Spread Creek. The location is where Petito’s remains are believed to have been found.
An attorney for the Petito family released a statement promising a statement from the family when “Gabby comes home.”
RELATED | Gabby Petito disappearance timeline: What we know so far
The FBI said investigators are still seeking information from anyone who may have seen the couple around Grand Teton.
ALSO READ: ABC Exclusive: Full interview with Brian Laundrie’s sister on Gabby Petito
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NORTH PORT, Florida (WABC) — A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Brian Laundrie in connection with his activities after the death of Gabby Petito.
The U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued the warrant and indictment on Wednesday, related to Laundrie’s activities following the death of Petito, the young woman who authorities say was killed while on a cross-country trip with him.
The indictment charge is related to Laundrie’s unauthorized use of a Capital One debit card and pin code with “intent to defraud” between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 in Wyoming and elsewhere with a value of $1,000 or more.
FBI Denver released a statement Thursday on Twitter:
“While this arrest warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundriem the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide. We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.”
On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito. pic.twitter.com/SSrBVbAeBs
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 23, 2021
Search continues for Laundrie at Florida wilderness park
Meanwhile, a fifth day of searching at a massive wilderness park lead to no new results Thursday.
Petito, 22, was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after they she did not respond to calls and texts for several days while the couple visited parks in the West.
Her body was discovered Sunday at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. A coroner ruled her death a homicide.
The search for Laundrie in a massive reserve, which includes thousands of acres of forbidding, swampy subtropical terrain replete with alligators, snakes, turkey, deer and other wild creatures.
There are more than 100 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails.
City of Moab, UT launches investigation into police handling of domestic incident
The City of Moab, Utah has launched an investigation into the police’s handling of the Petito and Laundrie domestic incident that was caught on body cam on August 12.
In a statement from Moab City Police Chief Bret Edge, he says “an outside party filed a request with the Moab City Police Department asking for a formal investigation into the Aug. 12 incident in Moab involving Gabrielle Petito and Brian Laundrie.”
He goes on to say, “At this time, the City of Moab is unaware of any breach of Police Department policy during this incident. However, the City will conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate.”
Couple seen in explosive argument at Wyoming restaurant in Wyoming
A woman named Nina Celie Angelo took to her Instagram, saying she was there that day and witnessed the couple get into an explosive argument at the restaurant.
Angelo says Laundrie was screaming at the hostess and Petito was in tears and apologizing.
The Blue-Collar Restaurant Group confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that they believe Petito and Laundrie were at their Merry Piglet restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on August 27.
“Friday, August 27th, 1 p.m. sitting right next to them, they got kicked out of the restaurant and were fighting with the hostess. They were fighting with the hostess — she was hysterically crying and she walked out and she was crying and she was staying on the sidewalk,” Angelo said on her Instagram stories.
Meanwhile, divers joined in the search for 23-year-old Laundrie in Florida on Wednesday.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they sent members of their Sheriff’s Underwater Recovery Force to Carlton Reserve.
We continue to respond to requests for mutual aid from neighboring law enforcement agencies & federal partners. To confirm, yes, members of our Sheriff’s Underwater Recovery Force have responded to Carlton Reserve. This in addition to our Emergency Response Team, Air-1 & patrol. pic.twitter.com/LcagDcofLL
— SarasotaSheriff (@SarasotaSheriff) September 22, 2021
The search for Laundrie is centered on a massive reserve near North Port where investigators said he returned to his family’s home on Sept. 1 without his fiancee Gabby Petito, 22, but driving her 2012 Ford Transit.
Officials said large bodies of water are located in the reserve and deploying the dive team does not mean anything has been found. It’s a part of the overall search process.
Laundrie has been named by police as a “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance. He has refused to speak to the police and has not been seen since Tuesday, Sept. 14, according to law enforcement officials.
Investigators first searched the 25,000-acre Carolton Reserve over the weekend without success. They focused on the area after Laundrie’s parents told police he may have gone there.
The search moved to the Venice area of the reserve on Tuesday, where they remained on Wednesday. Authorities have also deployed dogs, multiple all-terrain vehicles and drones in their search.
Laundrie neighbor recalls seeing Brian after his return
A neighbor of the Laundrie’s in North Port, Florida says she saw Brian Laundrie after his return home.
Karyn Aberts told Kristin Thorne that she saw him walking with his parents but thought nothing of it. She described the current situation as “very surreal.”
The full interview is below.
2nd witness corroborates domestic dispute between couple
Police have released a written statement from a person who witnessed the domestic dispute between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie in August.
In the statement reported on August 12, the witness, named Chris, claims that the couple appeared to have some sort of dispute and recalls Petito punching Laundrie in the arm and face.
Another witness who called 911 claimed he witnessed Brian Laundrie “slapping” Gabby Petito and chasing her up and down a sidewalk.
Moab Police Department in Utah responded to the incident that day, located the van and pulled the couple over.
Why isn’t there an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie?
ABC News Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams explained why there hasn’t been an arrest warrant issued for Brian Laundrie in the Gabby Petito case and why the cause of death for Petito has yet to be released.
“They want to find him. Period. They are now devoting all of their resources as if there was an arrest warrant out for him. But there’s still not officially an arrest warrant,” Abrams said. “I think that they want to gather all of the evidence so that they don’t get accused in a trial later of making mistakes.”
A warrant could change the obligations of Brian Laundrie’s parents, he added.
You can watch the full interview here.
Man seen on video in Panhandle was not him
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has positively identified the individual whose image was captured on a deer trail camera near Baker and shared on social media, sparking nationwide speculation that it was Laundrie.
The OCSO has confirmed the man is an Okaloosa County resident who acknowledged he was the one walking on the deer trail carrying his backpack. Several OCSO deputies familiar with the individual noticed the resemblance to the photo of the person spotted on the deer trail, as well as the presence of a neck tattoo.
The private citizen was located and a positive identification has been made.
During its search and investigation, the OCSO found no indications that Brian Laundrie is, or was, in Okaloosa County.
Gabby Petito’s coroner report
Gabby Petito died by homicide, a coroner concluded on Tuesday while also confirming that the human remains found recently at a Wyoming national park were those of the 22-year-old woman.
Her body was discovered at a Wyoming national park over the weekend, months after the couple, originally from Long Island, set out on a cross-country road trip. Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said the cause of her death remains pending final autopsy results.
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. pic.twitter.com/JoHenMZ9UU
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 21, 2021
Growing memorial for Gabby Petito’s hometown
Neighbors have put up teal ribbons around the Petito family home in Blue Point, New York on Long Island. It’s a show of support to remember and pay tribute to Gabby’s memory.
In Wyoming, someone set up a makeshift cross with river rocks from the slowly disappearing Spread Creek. The location is where Petito’s remains are believed to have been found.
An attorney for the Petito family released a statement promising a statement from the family when “Gabby comes home.”
RELATED | Gabby Petito disappearance timeline: What we know so far
The FBI said investigators are still seeking information from anyone who may have seen the couple around Grand Teton.
ALSO READ: ABC Exclusive: Full interview with Brian Laundrie’s sister on Gabby Petito
———- * More Long Island news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a News Tip
The City of Moab, Utah, tells Fox News on Thursday that it is launching an investigation into how police handled an Aug. 12 incident between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie.
“With the weeks-long search for Ms. Petito across the western U.S., news that a call to Grand County Dispatch on Aug. 12 reported a possible domestic dispute between Ms. Petito and Brian Laundrie here in Moab has naturally led to questions from the media and the public about the call,” the city of Moab said Thursday. “During the past week, our police officers have been both praised and criticized for their response and their resolution of the incident involving Ms. Petito and Mr. Laundrie.”
“At this time, the City of Moab is unaware of any breach of Police Department policy during this incident,” their statement continued. “However, the City will conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate.”
Gabby Petito, left, and Brian Laundrie are seen in bodycam footage released by the Moab City Police Department in Utah. (Moab City Police Department)
SEARCH FOR BRIAN LAUNDRIE: LIVE UPDATES
The city also said “we understand that individuals can view the same situation in very different ways, and we recognize how the death of Ms. Petito more than two weeks later in Wyoming might lead to speculation, in hindsight, about actions taken during the incident in Moab.”
Moab City Police Chief Bret Edge, in a statement provided to Fox News on Thursday, said an outside party filed a request with the department to conduct an investigation and that it will “identify an unaffiliated law enforcement agency to conduct the formal investigation on our behalf.”
“Should the investigation identify areas for improvement we will take that information to heart, learn from it, and make changes if needed to ensure we are providing the best response and service to our community,” Edge added.
A witness to the domestic incident between Petito and Laundrie believed that the couple was fighting over a phone and that Laundrie may have been trying to ditch his fiancée, according to a witness statement obtained by Fox News earlier this week.
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“They were talking aggressively [at] each other [and] something definitely seemed off,” the witness, identified only as Christopher, wrote in the Aug. 12 statement. “At one point, they were sort of fighting over a phone – I think the male took the female’s phone. It appeared that he didn’t want her in the white van.”
Petito’s body later was found in Wyoming on Sunday while Brian Laundrie who is a person of interest, remains missing.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
NORTH PORT, Fla. — The FBI and police on Tuesday will resume the search for Brian Laundrie in a 25,000-acre Florida reserve — just one day after calling it off.
Authorities will return to the Carlton Reserve where Laundrie, 23, is believed to have vanished on a hike a week ago after being named a person of interest in his girlfriend Gabby Petito’s disappearance.
The FBI is now leading the criminal investigation, North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor said in a statement.
“A weekend ground search and aerial search Monday of the 25,000-acre [39-square-mile] preserve has yet to yield any answers, but we must press on,” Taylor said.
“Please be aware, the Carlton Reserve is a vast and unforgiving location at times. It is currently waist-deep in water in many areas.
“This is dangerous work for the search crews as they are wading through gator- and snake-infested swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails.”
The FBI plans to continue to search the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie.Dennis A. ClarkPolice abruptly ended the search of Carlton Reserve, where Laundrie was last known to be, on September 20, 2021.Dennis A. ClarkFlorida police and the FBI swarmed Laundrie’s parents’ house, seizing evidence.Dennis A. Clark
Authorities suddenly called off the search for Laundrie in Carlton Reserve first thing Monday. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the renewed search efforts in the area.
FBI agents swarmed Laundrie’s home Monday and declared it a “crime scene” before hauling out his parents.
Laundrie was reported missing by his family on Friday after setting off on the hike three days earlier.
According to Laundrie’s parents, Brian has not been seen since he went on a hike on September 14, 2021, after he was named a person of interest in the disappearance of Gabby Petito.InstagramLaundrie’s parents reported him missing on September 17, 2021, after he didn’t return from his hike.Instagram
A body believed to belong to his 22-year-old girlfriend was discovered in Bridger-Teton National Park in Wyoming near where her van was spotted late last month.
Petito was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11 after Laundrie returned to his Florida home without her 10 days earlier.
NORTH PORT, Florida (WABC) — An autopsy is set to be performed on Gabby Petito’s body and the results could be released to the public. Meantime, Brian Laundrie remains missing one day after his family’s home was searched by FBI agents.
Sunday, a body believed to be 22-year-old Petito was apparently discovered at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
The FBI escorted Laundrie’s parents out of their home into a waiting van in their driveway at 10:00 Monday morning.
They were in the car for about 10 minutes before going back inside.
Investigators were inside the home with the family all day.
Around 2:30 in the afternoon they towed Laundrie’s silver mustang from the driveway. They also removed evidence boxes. The search warrant indicated they were looking for Laundrie’s computer.
Laundrie and Petito had been living with his parents before making the trek.
WATCH | Eyewitness News Special Report on Gabby Petito case
Last Text Message from Gabby Petito
According to a separate warrant filed in a Sarasota County, FL Court, Gabby Petito’s mother received a “odd text” on August 27th – a message which is described as “the last communication anyone had with” Gabby.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, said the last video chat she had with her daughter was August 24 or 25, though they exchanged text messages for a few days following. She said she is unsure if it was her daughter actually sent those text messages.
Florida police obtained the warrant to search a hard drive found in the white van that Petito and Brian Laundrie used at the time of her disappearance.
Kristin Thorne, who has been covering the case since the beginning, breaks down what’s next in the Gabby Petito case:
This warrant, filed by the North Port Police Department, is not associated to the activity at the Laundrie family’s home.
The detective wrote that Petito’s mother “received an ‘odd text’ from Gabby. The text message read ‘Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls.’ The reference to ‘Stan,’ was regarding her grandfather, but per the mother, she never calls him ‘Stan.’ The mother was concerned that something was wrong with her daughter.”
Her family said that final message was “not normal behavior” for Petito and became more worried about her, according to police.
Investigators searched the 2012 Ford Transit van on September 14. In the warrant application, police said crime scene technicians found an external hard drive which they believed “may contain viable digital forensic data that could assist in the location” of Petito.
Petito Investigation in Wyoming
Petito and Laundrie hit the road in July in a converted van to visit national parks in the West. They got into a fight along the way, and Laundrie was alone when he returned in the van to his parents’ home on Sept. 1, police said.
What’s believed to be Petito’s body was found on Sunday by investigators while searching campsites on the edge of Grand Teton National Park, which the couple had visited.
“Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified,” FBI Supervisory Special Agent Charles Jones said. “This is an incredibly difficult time for Petito’s family and friends.”
Authorities have shut down the isolated Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridget-Teton National Forest while they search for clues. They’re turning campers away from the popular camp ground, roughly 45 minutes outside of the town of Jackson.
Petito’s father Joseph, tweeted a heartbreaking message following the discovery, saying “she touched the world.”
The Laundrie family attorney released a statement on Sunday night saying “The news about Gabby Petito is heartbreaking. The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family.”
Separately on Monday, Brian’s sister Cassie Laundrie shared exclusively with “Good Morning America” the postcards she received from Petito while she was on her cross country road trip Brian Laundrie.
Cassie Laundrie also shared one of the last text messages she received from Petito on August 10.
Petito tells Cassie Laundrie she’s in Arches National Park in Utah with Brian and asked Cassie Laundrie to send her pictures of her children going back to school.
Cassie Laundrie also released a statement saying, “Right now my husband and I would like to express our condolences and prayers to the Petito family. Gabby was a fun and loving influence to” the boys” as she always referred to them. We will cherish all the time spent with her.”
The Search for Brian Laundrie
Laundrie has been named a person of interest in the case, but his whereabouts are unknown.
A weekend search of a Florida nature preserve failed to find Laundrie, North Port police said. They said in a statement that they “exhausted all avenues in searching the grounds” of the 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County.
Investigators had focused intently on the area after Laundrie’s parents told police he may have gone there.
WATCH | Chopper hovers over police search for Brian Laundrie at Carlton Reserve
RELATED | Gabby Petito disappearance timeline: What we know so far
Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on Long Island. His parents later moved to North Port, about 35 miles south of Sarasota.
The engaged couple had been documenting their trip on YouTube, and they were set to arrive in Portland in October.
They did have one encounter with police in Utah. Video released by the Moab Police department showed that an officer pulled the couple’s van over on Aug. 12 after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near the entrance to Arches National Park. The body-camera footage showed an upset Petito.
Laundrie said on the video that the couple had gotten into a scuffle after he climbed into the van with dirty feet. He said he did not want to pursue a domestic violence charge against Petito, who officers decided was the aggressor.
On Monday, officials released the 911 call that led to that investigation. The caller is heard saying “a gentleman was slapping the girl” before driving off in a white van.
Social Media Tips
Since her disappearance, tips on the case have emerged on social media. Miranda Baker said in a Tik Tok video she and her boyfriend picked up Laundrie who was hitchhiking around Teton Park on August 29.
About 45 seconds into to the Tik Tok video, Baker says “He offered to pay us like 200 dollars to give him a ride like 10 miles so that was kind of weird … without his fiancé.”
Jenn Bethune, who is traveling the country with her family, posted a YouTube video taken in Teton County on August 27th around 6:00 p.m. that shows a van that looks identical to Gabby’s but police have not confirmed it is hers.
The FBI said investigators are still seeking information from anyone who may have seen the couple around Grand Teton.
ALSO READ: ABC Exclusive: Full interview with Brian Laundrie’s sister on Gabby Petito
———- * More Long Island news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a News Tip
A National Parks Service law enforcement ranger who responded to a domestic incident between Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito in Utah last month warned the woman that her relationship with Laundrie seemed “toxic.”
“I was probably more candid with her than I should’ve been,” Melissa Hulls, the visitor and resource protection supervisor at Arches National Park, told the Deseret News in an interview about her conversation with Petito on Aug. 12.
By the time Hulls responded that day, Petito, 22, was sobbing in the back of a police cruiser and the ranger approached her knowing the Long Island native may have been more comfortable speaking with a woman during the emotional ordeal.
“I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship,” Hull told the newspaper, “asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life.”
Police responded to the scene after a 911 caller reported seeing a man “slapping” a woman in the face, according to new audio obtained from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.
Brian Laundrie speaks with police as they responded to an altercation between him and Gabby Petito.Moab City Police Department/AFP
The audio contradicts a police report that portrayed Petito as the aggressor, stating at one point she “began slapping” him after he told her to take a walk to calm down.
An officer wrote “it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female,” but later determined that “no one reported that the male struck the female.”
No charges were filed that day and the incident was classified by police as a “mental/emotional health break.”
The couple then reportedly agreed to spend the night separately.
“This wasn’t a good day for anybody. We thought we were making the right decision when we left them,” Hulls said in the interview.
Moab City Police respond to a domestic violence call with Brian Laundrie.Moab City Police Department/AFP
“I wouldn’t have called (the relationship) unsafe. If we had any reason to think any one of them was in danger, we would’ve separated them,” she said.
Police bodycam footage of the incident has been released by the Moab City Police Department.
Hulls was also wearing a body camera, but said she has not looked over the footage.
“It’s hard not to second-guess myself, and wish I said more, or wish I had found the right words to make her believe that she deserved more,” Hulls said.
Petito was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11 after Laundrie, 23, returned to his Florida home without her 10 days earlier.
The FBI said Sunday that remains “consistent with the description” of Petito had been uncovered in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.
NORTH PORT, Florida (WABC) — Police in Florida were continuing to search for Brian Laundrie on Monday after a body matching the description of Gabby Petito was found in Grand Teton on Sunday.
The tragic development came after the Teton County Coroner said authorities had responded to a body found at the Teton National Forest in Wyoming, the same general area where law enforcement had been searching for Gabby Petito.
FBI in Denver confirmed the discovery during a press conference Sunday night at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Grand Teton National Park.
They say full forensic identification has not been completed and they do not know the cause of death yet. An autopsy was set for Tuesday.
“Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified,” FBI Supervisory Special Agent Charles Jones said. “This is an incredibly difficult time for Petito’s family and friends.”
An undeveloped camping area on the east side of Grand Teton bordering national forest land will remain closed until further notice while the investigation continues, Jones said.
Petito’s father Joseph, tweeted a heartbreaking message following the discovery, saying “she touched the world.”
The Laundrie family attorney released a statement on Sunday night saying “The news about Gabby Petito is heartbreaking. The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family.”
The development in the Petito case comes as police in North Port concluded their search Sunday night for Brian Launderie, who remains missing.
North Port Police tweeted their condolences, saying they are “heartbroken to learn that Gabby has been found deceased.”
Saddened and heartbroken to learn that Gabby has been found deceased. Our focus from the start, along with the FBI, and national partners, has been to bring her home. We will continue to work with the FBI in the search for more answers.
— North Port Police (@NorthPortPolice) September 19, 2021
Just before the announcement by FBI, the North Port PD said they had nothing to report after another day searching a vast wildlife reserve for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Petito.
Local and federal law enforcement combed through a massive county park known as the Carlton Reserve, which spans more than 24,000 acres and is located just north of the home in which Laundrie and Petito shared with his parents.
Police readied ATV’s to be able to comb through as much of the reserve as possible, and blocked off all entrances to the public.
Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney told ABC News on Sunday that the family picked up the car, Brian Laundrie was using, on Thursday morning from the reserve after going out on Wednesday to look for their son.
Laundrie left the family home on Tuesday morning with a backpack. Bertolino said that the family went out to the reserve on Wednesday to look for him and spotted a note from the North Port Police Department on the car saying it needed to be removed.
The family left the car overnight “so he could drive back,” the attorney said. When Laundrie didn’t come home Thursday morning, the family went back to retrieve the car.
The family then called police on Friday to file a missing person report, authorities said on Saturday.
Before the discovery of a body, FBI in Denver said they were conducting ground surveys at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, with help from the National Park Service and local law enforcement agencies, seeking clues to Petito’s disappearance.
They also tweeted a map, asking anyone who was around the Spread Creek Dispersed camping area near Grand Teton National Park between August 27 and August 30 to call the FBI.
If you were in the area of Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area, as identified in the attached map, during the timeframe of August 27-30, 2021, and saw Gabby and/or her boyfriend or their vehicle, please provide that information to the FBI. pic.twitter.com/AN6KkxEeLl
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 19, 2021
Her last known contact with family members was from the national park known for its mountainous terrain.
The #FBIDenver Field Office and its Wyoming Resident Agencies, in coordination with the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Teton County Sheriff’s Office & Jackson Police Department, have been conducting ground surveys at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area. pic.twitter.com/95HjWcEuDU
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 19, 2021
Tips on the case began to pour in on social media like from Miranda Baker, who said in a Tik Tok video she and her boyfriend picked up Laundrie who was hitchhiking around Teton Park on August 29.
Former FBI agent, Brad Garrett, on the search for Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie:
About 45 seconds into to the Tik Tok video, Baker says “He offered to pay us like 200 dollars to give him a ride like 10 miles so that was kind of weird … without his fiancé.”
WATCH | Chopper hovers over police search for Brian Laundrie at Carlton Reserve
Petito’s family claims Laundrie is not missing but is in hiding.
The Petitos released the following statement through their attorney overnight Saturday:
All of Gabby’s family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing.
More than 50 police officers were accompanied by FBI agents, drones, K-9, and bloodhounds to search for Brian Laundrie, law enforcement said on Saturday.
Police shared new photos from the search for Laundrie around the Carlton Reserve area.
North Port, Florida police spokesperson Josh Taylor said at a news conference that a tip from the family drove law enforcement to the Carlton Reserve.
His family told police on Friday that they last saw the 23-year-old leaving on Tuesday with a backpack and told them he was going to the reserve.
Laundrie’s family told police about where he went after becoming “concerned about his whereabouts” and wanted to file a missing person’s report, according to Taylor.
He said that Laundrie’s vehicle was at the reserve and was found again at the family home but when pressed as to who or how the car would have gotten back without a sign of Laundrie, the spokesperson said “we are going by their family’s word.”
Laundrie’s family claims they have not seen Brian since Tuesday.
Investigators removed items from the Laundries’ house to assist in the search for him, according to his attorney Steven Bertolino.
RELATED | Gabby Petito disappearance timeline: What we know so far
Police said on Twitter that it was the first time the Laundrie family had spoken with them in detail about the case.
They reiterated that Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, but that they are “not currently working a crime investigation.”
Speaking to Good Morning America Saturday, North Port Police Public Information Officer Josh Taylor said police were “trying to corroborate everything they’ve been telling us.”
Taylor said detectives spoke with Chris and Roberta Laundrie in-person with their lawyer present over the phone.
“I wouldn’t say that it was, you know, a full conversation. Right now their focus was on us helping them find their son,” Taylor said.
Taylor said investigators were still working to piece together Brian’s trip from western states to their home in Florida.
“Certainly that truck did not drive from, you know, potentially, you know, the mountain west to here on one tank of gas so we know there were stops along the way. If people saw anything as far as those movements, we’re piecing that together, some parts of the time line we’ve solidified. We know her mother talked to her, saw her on facetime on the 25th of August,” Taylor said.
Watch the full GMA interview with Josh Taylor:
“We are happy they called the police in and they want to cooperate, but until…I’m not going to speculate, I don’t know what to believe,” said Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt.
A spokesperson for the department appeared on CNN later Friday night and said the department does have more details but they cannot be released just yet.
“I think that will come out here, very shortly, we just want to get our, our ducks in a row a little bit,” the spokesperson said. “This has been a very quickly developing situation here in just the last hour really for the most part. So we’re working through that. We want to make sure that we are accurate in everything that we’re saying.”
Petito, a 22-year-old woman originally from Long Island, disappeared on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie.
The Florida couple were traveling to Oregon when Petito stopped communicating with her family somewhere in Wyoming in late August.
Laundrie, who has been named a person of interest by police in North Port, Florida — returned to their Gulf Coast home in Petito’s 2012 white Ford Transit van on September 1, 10 days before Petito was reported missing by her family in Blue Point.
Police in North Port held a news conference last Thursday during which Petito’s father begged for her safe return and for Laundrie to speak up and stop hindering the investigation.
“What I need from everybody is help,” Joseph Petito said. “That goal is to bring Gabby home safely. I’m asking for help from everyone here. I’m asking for help from everyone at home. I’m asking for help from the parents of Brian, and I’m asking for help from the family members and friends of the Laundrie family as well.”
MORE: Police body cam video shows Gabby Petito, boyfriend after 911 call
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, said the last video chat she had with her daughter was August 24 or 25, though they exchanged text messages for a few days following.
She has since said she is unsure if it was her daughter actually sending those texts.
The engaged couple had been documenting their trip on YouTube, and they were set to arrive in Portland in October.
Detectives are asking anyone with information on the case to contact Suffolk County police at 1-800-220-TIPS, the North Port Police Department at 941-429-7382, or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 303-629-7171. Information can also be submitted online.
ALSO READ: ABC Exclusive: Full interview with Brian Laundrie’s sister on Gabby Petito
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