FBI: Remains found in Wyoming are Gabby Petito’s, autopsy confirms

By Dan Whitcomb | Reuters

A assemblage recovered successful a U.S. nationalist parkland successful Wyoming has been identified arsenic Gabby Petito, the young pistillate who went missing during a roadworthy travel with her fiance and that her decease was a homicide, the FBI said Tuesday.

The confirmation is the latest crook successful a communicative that has gripped Americans since Petito’s household reported the 22-year-old missing Sept. 11 — 10 days aft her fiance, Brian Laundrie, returned location from the cross-country travel without her.

“Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, day of commencement March 19, 1999. Coroner Blue’s archetypal determination for the mode of decease is homicide,” the FBI’s Denver bureau said connected Twitter. “The origin of decease remains pending last autopsy results.”

Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, day of commencement March 19, 1999. Coroner Blue’s archetypal determination for the mode of decease is homicide. The origin of decease remains pending last autopsy results. pic.twitter.com/JoHenMZ9UU

— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 21, 2021

Investigators person called Laundrie, 23, a “person of interest” successful the case. Laundrie has not been seen since leaving his family’s location successful North Port, Florida, past Tuesday. Before disappearing, Laundrie refused to talk with investigators and retained a lawyer.

Police and FBI agents connected Sunday said they recovered a assemblage that was “consistent” with the 5-foot-5, 110-pound Petito successful a distant country of Bridger-Teton National Forest, little than 1,000 feet from wherever a brace of question bloggers filmed the couple’s achromatic van parked on a ungraded roadworthy adjacent Spread Creek connected the evening of Aug. 27.

Petito’s father, Joseph, posted a photograph of his girl connected Twitter connected Sunday. The photo, which shows her lasting betwixt 2 painted wings, was captioned with a breached bosom and the words: “She touched the world.”

💔#GABBYPETITO she touched the world. pic.twitter.com/DukH7UCTPo

— joseph petito (@josephpetito) September 19, 2021

Laundrie’s parents told FBI agents they past saw him a week ago, erstwhile helium told them helium was readying to hike unsocial successful the adjacent 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve wilderness area. North Port constabulary said they learned from Laundrie’s household lone connected Friday that helium had been missing for 3 days.

North Port constabulary said Tuesday that they had resumed their hunt of the swampy reserve. The constabulary antecedently called disconnected the hunt aft “exhausting each avenues” to find Laundrie. Laundrie’s household said they believed helium entered the country past week, according to police.

Search warrant executed

On Monday, FBI agents searched the location of Laundrie’s parents, executing a hunt warrant astatine the residence, taking distant cardboard boxes and towing distant a metallic Ford Mustang.

Law enforcement officials connected Monday analyse a location successful North Port, Florida, successful the disappearance of Gabby Petito. Brian Laundrie, who was Petito’s fiancee, is wanted for questioning successful her disappearance.

The Laundrie family’s attorney, Steven Bertolino, has canceled a quality league scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, aggregate media outlets reported.

Petito and Laundrie near her location authorities of New York successful precocious June oregon aboriginal July, heading westbound successful the van with plans to sojourn nationalist parks on the mode and documenting their “van life” travel connected societal media.

Petito was past seen leaving a Salt Lake City edifice connected Aug. 24 and posted her past photograph to societal media the pursuing day. Her household believes she was headed to Grand Teton National Park successful Wyoming erstwhile they past heard from her.

In seeking hunt warrants, investigators person cited an Aug. 27 substance purportedly sent by Petito to her mother, Nicole Schmidt, which describes getting repeated calls and dependable messages from “Stan,” Petito’s grandfather.

Schmidt told investigators that connection was unusual due to the fact that the young pistillate would not usually notation to her gramps by his archetypal name. Petito’s household has said a 2nd substance connection besides seemed suspicious.

Last week, constabulary successful Moab, Utah, released assemblage camera footage of an Aug. 12 brushwood 2 of their officers had with the mates during a postulation stop.

In the video, Petito is sobbing arsenic she describes a quarrel with Laundrie that she says became carnal astatine times. The officers did not detain the mates but insisted they walk that nighttime separately, Petito successful the van and Laundrie astatine a hotel.

Reuters writer Rich McKay contributed to this report.