Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #34

[JuneRose]

I don't know what to think....he seems to be impulsive, so he may have offed himself a long time ago. Maybe LE thinks that too and really just want to find his body or some tangible evidence that he was there. jmo

my only thing with people thinking he offed himself is why would he have went so far into the reserve to do that?

 

[SMK777]

Am I the only one who thinks he probably has killed himself? Just curious.

I had been thinking that from the time his parents reported him missing. It seemed certain to me.

I began to waver, though, when the neighbors reported about the parents stocking the camper and taking BL with them on a 3 day trip. It began to sound like a fugitive plan was set in motion.

Now I’m torn. They keep searching and coming up empty. And he’s not apprehended anywhere else. People say his parents don’t seem to be acting as though he has killed himself. They act as though they know where he is, seems to be the general opinion. I don’t know what to think now.

 

[PommyMommy]

Has the FBI formally asked for the public's help in this "search" in any manner whatsoever? If so, for what have they asked?

Please use this form to submit any images, videos, or other multimedia files you have related to the disappearance of Gabby Petito: FBI — Gabrielle Petito – Missing Person

If you do not have an attachment but have information to provide, please submit it at FBI - Tips.

You may also call the FBI Hotline at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

 

[Mike in WNY]

https://twitter.com/FBIDenver/status/1441155529393389568

OK. Thanks. I guess(?) that's a plea for help. Kinda indirect, IMO. Seems that if there was any strong interest in obtaining the help, it'd be worded a bit differently... like, maybe, beginning "We ask that the public...". In any case, they're not looking for the public to 'keep-their-eyes-open' for Laundrie, stay away from him due to some danger/threat, or anything like that. Interesting. Thanks, again.

 

[B4igo2it]

Also I wish we knew more about what this meeting with the family attorney was all about. It was important enough to meet face to face and for the Laundries to travel back and forth to Orlando.

Perhaps BL's parents need to sell their real estate to finance unplanned attorney retainers. It is a cruel world out there, especially with "trial by media," IMHO, it would be foolish to not have law protection & guidance at this time.

 

[GRT]

Not good enuff, IMO. Scratches don't match up to strangulation. Even if he's not built like a linebacker, he still had more power and less love than she did. Murder in the first, yes.
JMHO.

Well, maybe, but I'm guessing they won't get a Murder One conviction.

JMOO

 

[borndem]

It is tricky because you cannot participate in a crime. The crime-fraud exception to the attorney-client privilege would mean attorney-client communications were not privileged if they involved committing or covering up a crime. I think many attorneys would resign if they believed they were being involved in a crime if only to do their duty to preserve privilege.

I have only faced this a few times but when I had a client who was actively committing a fraud crime and tried to trick me into participating, I resigned on the spot and terminated our engagement. I obviously was not going to do what he asked me to do (it involved submitting forged documents) so I just explained I strongly advise him not to do it and I elected to terminate the engagement and immediately end my representation.

No client is worth getting yourself in professional trouble IMO.

Yep. But -- you're smart...

(And that's only one reason we love you.)

 

[Cecelia]

OK. Thanks. I guess(?) that's a plea for help. Kinda indirect, IMO. Seems that if there was any strong interest in obtaining the help, it'd be worded a bit differently... like, maybe, beginning "We ask that the public...". In any case, they're not looking for the public to 'keep-their-eyes-open' for Laundrie, stay away from him due to some danger/threat, or anything like that. Interesting. Thanks, again.

Well I think the wording is fairly strong: "We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI." (Emphasis mine.)

 

[GRT]

What happened after this incident??

Gabby's family in particular would like to know.

"We called Brian, we called the mom, we called the dad, we called the sister, we called every number that we could find,” Petito said. “No phone calls were picked up, no text messages were returned.”

"Petito said he wants Laundrie to be held accountable for whatever part he played in Gabby’s disappearance, along with his family for protecting him."

Gabby Petito autopsy: Coroner expected to examine remains found in Wyoming

I have a feeling we'll find a lot of that out as the trial progresses. If he's not dead, that is.

 

[kaybee]

Her own circle of friends and family did not even suspect DV. How could strangers who an hour of interaction with them suspect it?

Hindsight is always better than foresight...if the situation that afternoon had not been diffused by separating them, it could have happened that night. I don't think GP even knew how bad it was. Hopefully this will stand as a lesson to other DV victims.

Just from my experience of working for the police - as far as DV incidents go, I could see why the officers weren't super alarmed. They see cases where a person's face has been completely battered and bruised, sometimes broken noses and teeth, sometimes petechiae in the eyes from being choked. I could see where they may have just (mistakenly in retrospect) chalked this up as a "minor" incident brought on by too much time together in a small space. Hindsight is always 20/20.

 

[Veronica Sawyer]

Has the FBI formally asked for the public's help in this "search" in any manner whatsoever? If so, for what have they asked?

To find Brian? I don’t believe so. For any information relating to his involvement in Gabby’s death? Yes. And they are still seeking information from anyone who may have seen Gabby, Brian and/or the van during their stop in Wyoming.

 

[NCWatcher]

Weird aside - mosquitos don’t bite some people. My partner has never been bitten. Ever.
Me? I’ll get 100 bites in 10 seconds with repellant on.
I wonder if BL is one of those that just doesn’t attract skeeters

Some things that attract mosquitoes are high levels of emitted CO2, lactic acid and ammonia as part of body odor/vapor, and a higher body temperature. So someone with a lower temp, who emits less CO2, and who hasn't recently exercised will be bitten less. Even so, in a swamp with few live human bodies around, I'd expect BL to be a target if he's there. And often people who are rarely bitten when in a group (the others are bitten instead) are bitten when alone.

 

[OtisC]

Scratches are not equal to whatever he did to cause her death and I am not sure if who started it comes into a murder conviction.

The method of homicide will be critical in a self defense case. I think that approach will be difficult if the method of death is strangulation or stabbing. Blunt force trauma to the head could make it more plausible but still difficult.

I believe her death started as a fight that escalated into rage. I don't believe it was premeditated or a pattern of physical abuse. With the amount of time of the LE interview, I am sure they were looking for physical indications of abuse. I believe their relationship was highly emotional at times that progressively began to fall apart.

 

[wanderingalong]

I'll bet there could very well be later photo/video captures on her/their phone/camera... or whatever they were using to document the travel stops.

Sorry if this has been discussed, but is the hard drive that was taken as evidence definitely an external from the van? If so, that’s a strike against premeditated, right? I find it hard to believe there isn’t at least some raw footage on there that would capture moments of tension that he wouldn’t want others to see, so he’d dump it ASAP.

 

[stx722]

He was gone the Tuesday BEFORE they found Gabby's body.

IMO, all the movements with the Mustang, the bike ride, the camper are certainly subject to independent corroboration, and people remembering or misremembering events. I think it's all murky, and will stay that way for some time. What someone reports and what actually happened, are not always the same thing.

To illustrate what I mean, it was said that "he didn't take his wallet or his phone." The statement isn't "he didn't take A wallet or A phone." Also, you can take other things and not a wallet or phone. Did he take a back pack, food, tent, etc, etc? Nobody knows, or they aren't saying. I'm trying to think like the lawyer at this point.

Don't clarify, don't ask for BL to come home. Don't engage with reporters or take questions. Don't DO anything, except remain quiet. Just some rambling thoughts about why I think some things are the way they are in this case.

 

[cady]

my only thing with people thinking he offed himself is why would he have went so far into the reserve to do that?

To not likely be found plus, the drama he could inflict on society.

 

[Cardinal47]

Does your partner smoke? I used to live with a smoker and mosquitos did not like him.

There is a bar soap that makes you smell like Citrenella like the mosquito candles. They say it works!

 

[elmomom]

It is tricky because you cannot participate in a crime. The crime-fraud exception to the attorney-client privilege would mean attorney-client communications were not privileged if they involved committing or covering up a crime. I think many attorneys would resign if they believed they were being involved in a crime if only to do their duty to preserve privilege.

I have only faced this a few times but when I had a client who was actively committing a fraud crime and tried to trick me into participating, I resigned on the spot and terminated our engagement. I obviously was not going to do what he asked me to do (it involved submitting forged documents) so I just explained I strongly advise him not to do it and I elected to terminate the engagement and immediately end my representation.

No client is worth getting yourself in professional trouble IMO.

But, in your opinion, are there corrupt lawyers out there that would risk participating in a crime? Either because they stand to earn a ton of money, or because they have more than just a client-lawyer relationship? How much risk would Bertolino actually be taking if he knows BL’s location and/or is communicating with him, or even facilitating his being on the lam?

 

[Mike in WNY]

Well I think the wording is fairly strong: "We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI." (Emphasis mine.)

Yeah. I consider that wording pretty diluted... and would not cause me to necessarily take any action. I understand how others may read it differently. Different interpretations of that phrase, no doubt. TY.

 

[Alethea]

I'm not home at the moment to dig in, but I've been thinking a lot this morning on whether the attorney had had communications with BL. While we may never know the exact date he was retained, I'd be interested to know if he was retained to represent BL AND parents; if so, were they retained at the same time?

@Alethea or one of the other guys can weigh in because this is where I'm going with this: as a general rule, attorney-client privilege is waived when a third party is present. Now, the parents speaking to the same lawyer is covered by certain spousal privileges anyway, BUT even if he was retained at the same time, the parents aren't defendants on the indictment; therefore, if he had any discussions with BL AND the parents, wouldn't privilege be waived?

I would guess he represents all three. He may have even gotten a conflict waiver where all three agree there is no conflict and they want to be jointly represented. His engagement could cover "issues and any future investigations related to the disappearance of Miss Petito" and not be limited to the indictment.

Personally I would worry about a conflicts problem since I don't think the parents and BL have exactly the same legal interests but I think that's more of an attorney ethics problem then anything else.