Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #13

[cady]

Just waking up after working a late shift...so if this has been asked, sorry. How does this timeline/area match up with the alleged tik tok hitchhiker? This Northeastern gal knows nothing about the western US (sadly).

Also, the van was spotted around 6 pm. Were the snapchat w friend and text to mom before or after 6pm?

 

[Tibeliz]

I can only speak for myself but I have never lost a client. I am actually concerned about the competence of his lawyer since his lawyer is not admitted to practice law in Florida and he practices REAL ESTATE in New York. So I don't know why he feels competent to advise a client in a jurisdiction in which he is not admitted in such a serious case involving a missing person. In much less serious matters I have recommended and facilitated a client hiring a local attorney who can help on the day-to-day issues in jurisdictions where I wasn't admitted or in cases outside of my core practice areas.

Being investigated for a potential homicide is not the time to cheap out and call a family friend. And it's borderline unethical for the attorney IMO.

I have started to wonder if BL never said anything to his parents and wouldn’t even answer them when asking about GP. I know the lawyer has made statements on behalf of the family, but is it possible it’s really only on behalf of the parents and their request for him to protect BL as much as possible even if not actually representing BL? Just a thought as I try to understand what the parents are doing and why the lawyer has had such strange statements for the family.

 

[I wonder]

A bigger vehicle means higher fuel costs. They thought they were the happiest and most loving couple in the world, who loved being together, so a small van would be perfectly reasonable for them.

 

[kittythehare]

FOX 35 Orlando on Twitter
UPDATE: The family of Gabby Petito said Sunday the FBI is aware of a video that shows a white van in Grand Teton National Park on Aug. 27. The last known place Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, were publicly known to be was leaving Utah on Aug. 24.
9:40 AM · Sep 19, 2021·True Anthem

SEP 19, 2021
Gabby Petito’s van spotted in stranger’s footage at Grand Teton National Park, family believes (fox35orlando.com)
[...]

On Sept. 18, the FBI field office in Denver said that agents were conducting ground surveys at Grand Teton National Park with help from the National Park Service and local law enforcement agencies.

[...]

Later that day, a video was posted to social media that appears to show Petito and Laundrie’s van in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area on Aug. 27. A family combing through their recorded footage spotted the white van.

"We were editing our sunday video, tonight and we were looking at footage from on August 27th, 2021 around 6:00pm to 6:30pm in Spread Creek Dispersed Camping," the caption reads on YouTube.

"We had passed by a white van with Florida Plates. We noticed it because we are originally from Florida and wanted to stop and say hi.

"When we passed the van, all the lights were off and it didn't look like anyone was there. We ended up leaving because we couldn't find a spot," the caption continued.

[...]

SS from the video:

Stickers added to the van after Aug 27:

Items outside the van:

?????

(Thank you to everyone who posted the still shots!)

so he went 'wallpapering' After she disappeared?
Did he also wallpaper himself with adhesive tattoos, I wonder?
Strange thing to do...

 

[Mom24]

Could not agree with you more - our lawyers never advise outside of their practice area. Maybe the first statement was ok but as soon as he saw this case turn - and most definitely by Friday when parents called LE- he should have told them to hire a FL bar certified attorney
JMO

It leads me to believe the Laundrie family is tight on cash, so they called a friend for advice and help.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Could not agree with you more - our lawyers never advise outside of their practice area. Maybe the first statement was ok but as soon as he saw this case turn - and most definitely by Friday when parents called LE- he should have told them to hire a FL bar certified attorney
JMO

Gabby’s missing persons report is out of the State of New York.

 

[PommyMommy]

Looking at the current video of the searching, the roadways are swamped with water. What a mess if he is in there. I think if he is, it'll be really hard to find him. There's lots of wildlife in that area I wouldn't be interested in chillin overnight with in Florida.

LIVE: Teams search for Brian Laundrie; Gabby Petito still missing | WFLA

Your post made me wonder if his hammock is missing from the home. It would be one way to stay out of the mud. Would that fit in his backpack? MOO

 

[hey-Debbie]

So this was on Aug 27th. Now it makes more sense that there are searches in that area. We know she spoke with her mom on the 25th and then they headed to Spread Lake and were there on the 27th. I'm guessing whatever happened, happened there. That is a really remote area and given a couple of days, he could have found a place around there to leave her.

But was Gabbie sighted there or just the van?

 

[strawberry]

So this was on Aug 27th. Now it makes more sense that there are searches in that area. We know she spoke with her mom on the 25th and then they headed to Spread Lake and were there on the 27th. I'm guessing whatever happened, happened there. That is a really remote area and given a couple of days, he could have found a place around there to leave her.

Thanks! And the hitchhiker was picked up in Grand Teton on the 29th from what i see. This van spotting is invaluable

 

[carbuff]

I think she's somewhere between Victor and Yellowstone on the West side or that's where things went horribly wrong. Maybe they were headed for Yellowstone and they got in a fight and he left Gabby. <modsnip> She was last seen on the 25th or 26th by a store owner in Victor, Wyoming. I think he hung in that area back and forth between the Teton area and Yellowstone. I think accidentally texted no cell service in Yosemite on accident on the 29th and meant Yellowstone stone. That way it would set off no alarms when she was supposed to call her friend on the 29th for her birthday.

I'm inclined to agree with you about where she's likely to be found.

I'm positive she's nowhere near anyplace he mentioned in his encounter with the people who gave him a ride to Jackson Dam area.

 

[Mike in WNY]

I couldn't agree more. Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars being spent looking for him why? Because he slipped out the back door and LE can't find him, knowing he holds the cards. I think there's going to be a few livid individuals to say the least, and I wouldn't blame them. IMO, they dropped the ball. As if Gabby's parents didn't have enough to worry about.

I'll go even further, I'm no longer convinced that the North Port coppers really thought that Laundrie had the magic key to the missing person... or even a significant key. For, if they did, offering one of their 17 officers overtime to mark the house would have been a given. At least, that's how I see it. This search, IMO, is more about damage control and repairing a tarnished image.

 

[Herat]

Here's a SS of the interior of the van from their traffic stop

View attachment 313308

Ah, so the bed is really in the front half of the van, not in the back?

So they would most likely enter the van using the back doors, not the side doors at all? ( I had the van interior turned around)

As people who had experience traveling already though, the van still seems like a weird decision. Like…a big upgrade would have been a large panel van. It’s just an odd choice.

She didn't have enough money for this van. Her dad had to contribute funds, so there really wasn't an option for a larger vehicle

Notice that I didn't say that BL or his family gave them any money for the van.

I also think the very small size made this more appealing as a VanLife project, not realizing how really really limited it was because of the size and not noting how other VanLife people had the larger version. That should have been a sign.
Their van is 12 inches longer than a standard minvan.

 

[R.U.Kidding!]

I would have anxiety over that mess too. It was so fixed up and pretty in their YouTube video.

LOL! Yes it was so neat and pretty ..........that was before trying to live in that tiny space for 2 months. The reality of everyday living , if you are a neat freak?? Boom!

 

[Hyway]

As people who had experience traveling already though, the van still seems like a weird decision. Like…a big upgrade would have been a large panel van. It’s just an odd choice.

Have you priced those big panel vans lately? They have skyrocket since covid started and vanlife trend became popular in social media (and maybe the Nomad movie). Not to meantion all teh people who now style them selves as van Conversion specialists buying them for resale. I can easily see a limited budget couple buying something smaller and more affordable now that the people with money are buying up all the Sprinters and Promasters.

 

[Mike in WNY]

Also from this, the thing on top of the van, is that a "Fantastic Fan"? I've seen those a lot in other vanlifers videos.

I don't *think* it's a fan-tastick, max-air, or dometic. looks like it;s to rectangular, rather than square.

 

[NJ Lawyer]

Realize FBI has not commented on all sightings but assuming BL was picked up while hitchhiking a bit north and east of Jackson Dam (see map) but his destination was back to the van which (unconfirmed reports) was apparently at the Spread Creek dispersed camping area (see map), what was he doing so far north of the camping area when he was picked up?

If he did anything to GP, then wouldn’t it have been between the camping area and the area he was picked up hitchhiking and he was just trying to get back to the van (which was empty) and then leave to go back to Florida? I would be most interested in searching between the two areas (camping area and where he was picked up, more north). I don’t know why it would make sense to do something to GB all the way down where the van was (camping area) and then head north in foot, the be asking for a ride to go back down south to the van at the camping area “return to Gabby”.

I think something happened between the camping area and the area further north where he was picked up.

 

[Rocky1]

They aren't really right next to the creek. The main channel is about 100 yards away.


Ah, so the bed is really in the front half of the van, not in the back?

So they would most likely enter the van using the back doors, not the side doors at all? ( I had the van interior turned around)

The way I saw it, the bed runs along the side door, so you can use the side door but I believe you'd have to step over the bed. The bed is more in the middle. There's a wall behind the seats, so you'd have to exit the front and use either the side door, or the rear doors. I think the rear doors would be much easier.

 

[JerseyGirl]

I'll go even further, I'm no longer convinced that the North Port coppers really thought that Laundrie had the magic key to the missing person... or even a significant key. For, if they did, offering one of their 17 officers overtime to mark the house would have been a given. At least, that's how I see it. This search, IMO, is more about damage control and repairing a tarnished image.

Thr North Port police wouldn’t even take a missing persons report from Gabby’s dad!

 

[Skigirl]

I would have anxiety over that mess too. It was so fixed up and pretty in their YouTube video.

Seriously, no wonder they were fighting about the state of the van and her attempts to straighten it out. He wanted to get going for the day after sitting around while she worked on her website. She wanted to bring things into some semblance of order before they took off. I'd be really irritated if my partner sat around while I worked instead of organizing that mess.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I think given the revelation from the family who spotted the van, and the hitchhiking episode, LE now has a very good lead on what patch of territory to search for Gabby. I know they are going to find her, despite the difficult terrain.

As for BL, I hope his parents will come to their senses and cooperate with LE. By not doing so, they are increasing the odds of a very bad outcome for their son. Who knows what BL told his parents. Perhaps he portrayed a regrettable "accident" and they think they are protecting him. If this is the case, they should let an attorney work that out, and they should start cooperating immediately. Their son *could* possibly (amateur opinion and speculation), be a roaming threat to society, and himself. They don't want to know they enabled a horrific outcome if something goes wrong during a self imposed exit, or capture.

Let us hope they can get some clarity in the midst of this nightmare that no parent wants to have to wake up to.
Very sad all around.

Amateur opinion and speculation