Killing of Gabby Petito
In August 2021, 22-year-old American woman Gabrielle Venora Petito was killed by her fiancé Brian Christopher Laundrie while they were traveling together on a vanlife journey across the United States. The trip was planned to last for four months and began on July 2, 2021, but Petito disappeared on August 27.
| Killing of Gabby Petito | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bridger–Teton National Forest, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Date | Killing of Petito: Uncertain day in late August 2021 (3–4 weeks prior to discovery of remains on September 19) Laundrie's suicide: c. September 21, 2021 |
Attack type | Homicide by blunt trauma and strangulation Murder-suicide |
| Deaths | 2 (including perpetrator) |
| Victim | Gabby Petito |
| Perpetrator | Brian Laundrie |
| Motive | Unknown |
After Petito's disappearance, Laundrie raised suspicion when he drove the van from Wyoming back to his parents' Florida home and refused to discuss her whereabouts. He was deemed a person of interest in the case and an arrest warrant was issued on charges of him making withdrawals using her debit card. He left his home on September 13 and was reported missing four days later.
On September 19, Petito's remains were found in Wyoming's Bridger–Teton National Forest. An autopsy found that she was killed by blunt-force injuries to her head and neck and manual strangulation. After a month of speculation around Laundrie's whereabouts, and an extended search of the area around his home, his skeletal remains were discovered in Florida's Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20. It was confirmed by an autopsy on November 23 that Laundrie had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and the FBI later announced that he had admitted to killing Petito in his notebook, which was found near his remains.
The case gained widespread attention due to the couple's documenting of their travels on social media, leaked police body camera video footage, 9-1-1 emergency dispatch call recordings, eyewitness accounts, the actions of Laundrie's parents, and the extensive media coverage.