What You Need to Know About Gabby Petito's Disappearance As Fiancé Becomes 'Person of Interest'
By Your Content Staff
Modified September 16, 2021
Gabby Petito embarked on her van trip with boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, and never returned in a mystery that riveted the nation.
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22-year-old Gabby Petito from New York's Long Island was reported missing on Saturday by her family after her fiancé returned home alone from a cross-country road trip the two had embarked on in early July, and here's what Your Content readers need to know about the situation that riveted the nation.
Gabby Petito, 22, embarked on her van trip with boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, and was documenting what appeared to be their happy adventure. He returned to their house in North Port, Florida, as did the van, but without her.
Police and Petito's family say the fiancé, Brian Laundrie, is refusing to speak to law enforcement, CBS New York reports.
Petito was last seen in Wyoming late last month, but Moab police were called to a domestic "incident" involving the woman and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie on Aug. 12, as they traversed the state in a van.
No arrests were made and no charges were filed after cops responded to the incident.
While Gabby never returned home, her fiancé did and has since made headlines after he reportedly hired an attorney and refused to work with the police.
In an Instagram post shared last year, Laundrie wrote: "My biggest fear is that one day I'll wake up and it will have all been a dream, because that is what every second has felt like since the moment we found each other.
"Till death do us part or until I wake up, I'm so happy the answer was yes, Love you hunny."
To make matters worse, Nicole Schmidt said she tried to contact the 22-year-old's boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, on September 10 – a day before Gabby was officially reported missing.
Schmidt last heard from her daughter on August 25 as Gabby and Laundrie were heading to Wyoming – weeks before the vlogger was reported missing.
She told MailOnline: "I texted Brian's mom that I was trying to get in touch with Gabby. I also texted Brian. I got no replies."
Petito often documented her travels on her Instagram and last shared a photo of herself on Aug. 25 holding a small pumpkin in front of the Monarch Mural in Ogden.
"We are thouroughly [sic] examining our security footage from the date of her post for any helpful information," the tourist destination, which features a mural of butterflies, said Tuesday.
Petito, who is from Blue Point, New York, had embarked in July on a tour of national parks in a converted van with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
The distraught mom said Brian's parents were caring towards Gabby and "treated her like one of the family".
Laundrie has since returned to Florida following the couple's road trip. He has been named as a person of interest in the case.
The missing YouTuber Gabby Petito and her fiance were reportedly arguing and hitting each other, according to a police report from Utah. The couple, who were on a road trip in Ms Petito's van, were spotted having an argument in Moab City, Utah on 12 August.
The police determined the incident was a "mental health break" rather than a domestic assault situation and separated the couple for the night.
On Wednesday, the North Port Police Department in Florida announced they were treating Ms Petito's fiance as a person of interest in their investigation. Ms Petito's family released a statement begging him to assist police in their search for the woman.
The 22-year-old New Yorker was last seen on August 24 after leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, with Laundries.