Since the fall of 2021, the whole world tuned into the Gabby Petitio case.
To jog your memory, her family reported her missing on September 11th, a full ten days after her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, returned home early from their cross-country trip…without her.
Three days later, he was named a person of interest by the police. More and more information about the couple is being revealed, including body cam video of an incident between the couple on August 12 in Moab City, Utah.
On Friday, September 17, Laundrie’s parents reported him missing, when they allegedly hadn’t heard from him since Tuesday, September 14 when he went for a hike and never returned.
Two days later, on September 19, a body was found in Wyoming that was believed to be Gabby Petitio’s and later, autopsy results confirmed it was her. A cause of death has not yet been revealed and search is still underway for Laundrie.
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 resultshttps://t.co/EjiSsZ7kCW
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) September 21, 2021
On October 20, the FBI revealed that they had found human remains during their search for Brian Laundrie in Florida’s Carlton Reserve.
Michael McPherson of FBI Tampa also said in the press conference that along with the human remains, which they do not know who they belong to, personal belongings of Laundrie’s were found, “such as a backpack and notebook.” The area where the remains and the belongings were found had previously been underwater.
FBI Tampa Special Agent Michael McPherson says investigators found “human remains along with personal items, such as a backpack and notebook, belonging to Brian Laundrie” in Florida’s Carlton Reserve. pic.twitter.com/rVI4EDdMO7
— The Recount (@therecount) October 20, 2021
One day later, the FBI put out a press release with the news that the remains in fact did belong to Brian Laundrie.
#UPDATE: On October 21, 2021, a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found at the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve and Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park are those of Brian Laundrie. @FBITampa pic.twitter.com/ZnzbXiibTM
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) October 21, 2021
According to theDaily Mail, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman said in a public community meeting that Brian “by all accounts probably committed suicide.” And it probably took place before the search for him even began. At the time, experts said that it would be difficult to “pinpoint a cause of death” because his body was likely under water for several weeks. His remains were being examined by a forensic anthropologist to try to determine a cause of death.
But on November 23, the attorney for Brian Laundrie’s parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie, has released the following statement:
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide. Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families.”
The other family they are referring to is, of course, Gabby Petito’s family.
Now, Lifetime has revealed that they are set to release a movie about Gabby’s life – and death – in an upcoming movie directed by Thora Birch. She will also play Gabby’s mother, Nichole Schmidt.
https://twitter.com/1107miss/status/1522268828985528324
The project will be titled The Gabby Petito Story and is part of Lifetime’s Stop Violence Against Women public affairs initiative. The network aims to have it released later this year.