On Tuesday, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed that the human emains found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming belong to 22-year-old Gabby Petito, who had been missing since the end of August.
In a news release tweeted on Tuesday, FBI Denver said that the coroner has ruled the manner of death to be homicide. A cause of death will be issued pending final autopsy results.
#FBIDenver appreciates the collaboration of all agencies and personnel who assisted in the search, recovery, and identification efforts. @NatlParkService @forestservice @GrandTetonNPS @BridgerTetonNF pic.twitter.com/2CWXNBMUn2
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 21, 2021
“The FBI’s commitment to justice is at the forefront of each and every investigation,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider. “The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for pr complicit in Ms. Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions.
“Mr. Brian Laundrie has been named a person of interest. Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI,” Schneider added.
The FBI is also searching for anyone who may have camped in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area, may have had contact with Petito or Laundrie, or may have seen their vehicle between the dates of Aug. 27 and Aug. 30.
Petito had been missing since late August. On Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to North Port, Florida in their van without Petito.
Petito’s family filed a missing person’s report on Sept. 11, after Laundrie refused to talk to her family or authorities about the incident.
Last week, Laundrie’s family reported that Laundrie went missing on Tuesday, with police searching the Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Florida area for him. His whereabouts is still unknown. Petito’s family claims he’s “hiding,” not missing.
On Monday, FBI agents showed up at the Laundrie residence with a search warrant, placing Laundrie’s parents in a van while they carried out their search warrant.
It was revealed on Monday that on Aug. 12, a 911 caller reported a “domestic dispute” between Laundrie and Petito in Moab, Utah, who told a dispatcher that “the gentleman was slapping the girl” and hitting her.
The audio of the call, obtained by Fox News, contradicts what police wrote in their report that day.
“The driver of the van, a male, had some sort of argument with the female, Gabbie,” a responding officer wrote in a police report, citing conversations he had with Petito, Laundrie, and the witness. A responding officer first wrote that he believes “it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female,” but later wrote that “no one reported that the male struck the female.”
One of the responding officers said the incident can be “more accurately categorized as a mental/emotional health ‘break’ than a domestic assault,” and that “no significant injuries” were reported.
