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
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