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

[Cecelia]

I dont know how that male policeman was doing what he thought was right by talking to Brian about his toxic ex wife and laughing when he said that Gabby was crazy. He brought his own personal bias into it. He did not ask Brian about the slapping outside the cafe.

I would really like to think...really, I hope this is all it was...that he was "bro'ing up" BL in an effort to make BL reveal whether or how abusive he may really have been. "Women, they're all crazy you-know-whats, amirite? Sometimes you need to give 'em a slap...right my man?" That kind of thing. After all, these police officers know they are wearing body cameras. They have to know there's always a chance the public will see what they are doing up close.

I really hope that's all it was.

 

[penguinface]

For sure. Interesting to me that (presumably) they only found a single drive. serious photographers and videographers (and, by extension, YouTubers) typically utilize two or three 'backup' drives... usually somehow kept apart from each other. But, who knows what logic may exist.

Maybe they had backup drives back home, or, having only just started out making videos longer than short insta posts, had not got round to/not thought of the importance of backups yet?

 

[mitzy]

For sure. Interesting to me that (presumably) they only found a single drive. serious photographers and videographers (and, by extension, YouTubers) typically utilize two or three 'backup' drives... usually somehow kept apart from each other. But, who knows what logic may exist.

5TB is plenty of space for a road trip. I don’t see why Gabby would need more than one external hard drive for a trip like that, even with video and photos she took. We don’t even know if she shot in raw or not and that affects file size.

I don’t know… I’m trying not to get offended by what people say online, but there’s a tone I’m sensing with “serious photographers do this and that” that I don’t like. I don’t think it’s fair to Gabby, who IMO took her newfound career path seriously, to compare her to people who have been doing this for years.

Professional photographers drag whole suitcases of gear on shoots… and they can also only carry a camera or two. Depending on the project.

As a photographer I have several external drives, but I only ever use one at a time. IMO Gabby’s 5TB of space was more than enough for her needs on the road and maybe in general, since she was a beginner (no one buys a truckload of equipment when starting out).

MOO

edit: typo

 

[wanderingalong]

It appears that GP was filming / controlling / cataloging / editing the media. Management of any media is a big job, especially without a lot of experience. Video is even more cumbersome to catalog, review & edit than photos. There could be A LOT on that hard drive that BL never saw. Evidence?

Evidence is my thought; but I’m thinking he’d have a sense of what types of interactions she’d gotten on film. And if there’s anything remotely incriminating (I’m talking about small verbal spats, but enough that it looks bad), he’d grab the drive and trash it ASAP. Unless he deleted the files and (wrongly) assumed that would be enough. MOO.

 

[Mike in WNY]

Not to be rude, but would Rose get compensated for these interviews? I mean no disrespect to her personally, I’m more so curious in a general sense. I’ve actually been wondering ever since Brian’s sister did the GMA segment.

Also not to be rude or insensitive, but fact is there's big money in this story. Clicks = $$$. It's the world in which we live... and that reality should always be in mind. I'd be interested to see what the rating and share of publicized programming is for the last week or so... and going into next week.

 

[adh1117]

There is really no reason to have two people's names on a vehicle title. I've been married for nine years and we have never put both of our names on titles to any of the vehicles we have owned...

 

[dtowndetective411]

1) People who picked him up hitchhiking said he seemed panicked (my words)
And him getting the van and driving straight home makes me think he was scared. (fleeing to safety of home)

2) planning prior to killing? (million dollar question). If he did, I doubt he thought he would be so scared/panicked. (If I am right in #1)

3) If there was planning involved after, I don't think he would have been so scared. (If I am right with my answer to #1). Nor would he have used her bank card. Nor would he kill her on federal land (unless he is just a total idiot). And no need to run home if pre planned. (had to go home to figure out what to do now...)

4) It could all mean he lost control or it was accidental? Could have been both.

very good questions!!!

Great points!! I appreciate the different options. I plan on writing sort of a profile for each scenario and what those behaviors would mean and what that would look like. I think it’s safe to assume it was a very complicated emotional situation for him (if he is not a total antisocial sociopath) so his behaviors can definitely be judged from a wide variety of scenarios and I want to take the time to go through each scenario carefully and present it, taking into account the different possibilities for how it played out and what that would feel like and therefore what his actions would look like. Basically, how A would lead to B would lead to C and now D, for each different A/B/C/D. “If this, then that” throwing all my psych training and case research into the mix

 

[dkryder]

i thought i read or listened to a news report earlier this week that stated LE had brought in a portable cell tower to aid in communications but i can't find any news article at the moment. anyway, i'll speculate that they did. one benefit other than aid LE is that it due the power of the signal it forces cellphone devices in the area to connect so over the course of a few hours any device within a certain radius is connected to the portable cell. then it's possible to map the radius. it's also possible to exclude known friendly devices like any LE that are within the area from the map. so it's possible to have a map of any unknown devices in pretty much real time. so if LE blocked off the nature reserve area from public traffic in a certain radius in theory only LE devices should be in the area. if you eliminate known friendlies then there should be no devices in the blocked off area. i'm guessing some unknowns showed up at some point early on. my thinking is dogs convinced them the first day or so that brian went into the reserve then because of water lost the track but something else keeps them there. not saying the signal is continuous or always in same location. i also think it's possible they want him just give up in one way or another. just some speculation and MOO.

 

[passionflower]

If Gabby's intent was truly to 'share everything' with BL, his name would have been on the vehicle title, the vehicle insurance (there's been no proof offered that he is listed as a rated or occasional driver on the insurance), or as an approved user on the credit card.
I speculate that she wisely kept his name off the two items that she needed if she were ever to make a clean break from BL; her vehicle and her credit card.

And no wedding date set? Ring? Did they just say they were engaged to look better

 

[Michaellan]

Try using ANYBODY's bank card after they have died.

Doesn't matter how much you share with them.

Federal offense.

But if his story will be that he left her alone but alive, he will say he had no reason to believe she was dead when he used.

 

[Mom24]

I respectfully disagree. I do not believe for one minute that - if he did kill GP - it was premeditated in any way.

He and GP were in a pressure cooker environment being confined to that tiny van, each gradually losing tolerance with the other for whatever reasons.

If GP got upset or stressed it appeared she would cry, lash out, smack and scratch (as documented in the police stop footage, and admitted by her and confirmed by BL and a separate witness to police).

If BL got upset he would try to distance himself from her, create space between them and reason with her. I believe on the police stop footage it was described by him as him saying for her to take a "time out".

Whilst we don't know if this was the pattern each and every time they had an argument, it does make me wonder what happened when BL was in a position where he couldn't physically create that distance from her, or there wasn't space for a time out. Where was his outlet for that anger and frustration?

If he'd been bottling it all this time throughout their roadtrip then it's an absolutely tenable premise that he did snap and retaliate.

There has been criticism on here of people using the word 'snapped' - almost as if it's being used to try and defend or justify BL's actions. It's not, at all, and if that is what happened and what caused BL to attack GP, then his actions are neither justified or excusable whatsoever.

I'm just trying to think of the WHYs this may have happened, because I do not believe he set out to kill her.

What would be the motive!?

MOO

And by the 911 call we know Brian hit Gabby. I'm sure this wasn't the first time, since he hit her in public in plain view of others. I do think Brian had begun to hate her. The statements he made about her to LE were incredibly hard to hear, and they're not statements someone makes when they love someone. These were not people who had not spent inordinate amounts of time together before. They lived together for some time in a home with his parents. If that isn't a pressure cooker, I don't know what is. I'd rather be homeless with my husband than live in our in-law's house. Ugh. And we've all been in pressure cooker situations with people we love and haven't murdered them.

Had Brian alerted authorities, even after coming home, it would have shown some level of remorse. But he hasn't. He refused to even furnish any information as to where they last were. He used his murdered fiance's credit/debit cards to fund his trip home and then gave himself a financial cushion. He went on the run. He involved his parents in the mess. At this point he's shown that Gabby is nothing more than an obstacle in his life, a piece of garbage that means nothing to him. That's not a sentiment that comes from a momentary break, it's who he is.

 

[anthro_phys]

Following this case but I haven't posted until now. There's just too little evidence to ascertain 1) if BL remains alive, 2) his location, 3) full timeline, 4) role of parents in BL's disappearance. I have only speculation based on my own judgment as a scientist who works with (non-forensic) evidence.

So, MOO, on an aspect of the first question only:

If he is alive, it's only because he's had help. For example: He is staying with a family friend. Or, if he's on his own, it's because he has adequate resources for now and the weather remains mild. For example: he's staying an abandoned structure in TN (not GA) such as a barn in/near the AT with access to fresh water and some dried food supplies that he brought. As I write this, I think it sounds completely absurd. And it isn't sustainable by any measure. It's just my best guess for the "alive, on his own" scenario, which is advanced more often in posts than "he is dead." I strongly suspect he doesn't have the ability to survive for long on his own w/out both warm shelter and food drops. Because he can't survive for long on his own does not imply he's dead. There isn't enough evidence to come to any conclusion.

Like everyone else, I wait for more evidence and information.

 

[EmmieA]

I respectfully disagree. I do not believe for one minute that - if he did kill GP - it was premeditated in any way.

He and GP were in a pressure cooker environment being confined to that tiny van, each gradually losing tolerance with the other for whatever reasons.

If GP got upset or stressed it appeared she would cry, lash out, smack and scratch (as documented in the police stop footage, and admitted by her and confirmed by BL and a separate witness to police).

If BL got upset he would try to distance himself from her, create space between them and reason with her. I believe on the police stop footage it was described by him as him saying for her to take a "time out".

Whilst we don't know if this was the pattern each and every time they had an argument, it does make me wonder what happened when BL was in a position where he couldn't physically create that distance from her, or there wasn't space for a time out. Where was his outlet for that anger and frustration?

If he'd been bottling it all this time throughout their roadtrip then it's an absolutely tenable premise that he did snap and retaliate.

There has been criticism on here of people using the word 'snapped' - almost as if it's being used to try and defend or justify BL's actions. It's not, at all, and if that is what happened and what caused BL to attack GP, then his actions are neither justified or excusable whatsoever.

I'm just trying to think of the WHYs this may have happened, because I do not believe he set out to kill her.

What would be the motive!?

MOO

I agree with everything you said here. IMO it could be just as simple as the culmination of stress of the trip, coupled with one last fight or comment that he didn’t like. GP crying frequently tells me this wasn’t the dream trip either of them envisioned.

 

[GRT]

There is really no reason to have two people's names on a vehicle title. I've been married for nine years and we have never put both of our names on titles to any of the vehicles we have owned...

If you're married, that's one thing. But, if you're not, your partner may not be able to take title if you pass away. Laws of intestacy succession vary by state, but some states don't recognize common law marriages and the remaining partner may be shut out of the vehicles.

 

[JayWill]

JMOO--too often couples who are not married intend to share everything but they never get around to the details. We bought a house at auction where the man had died in a car accident and his live-in girlfriend of 30 years was denied the chance to take over the mortgage payments in her name. It was a sad situation and we gave her plenty of time to leave but she said they'd always meant to get around to it.

A couple as young as BL and GP may have thought the same thing. JMOO

And as the woman in that story shows, the law does not care what she 'meant' to do.

 

[Boxer]

I respectfully disagree. I do not believe for one minute that - if he did kill GP - it was premeditated in any way.

He and GP were in a pressure cooker environment being confined to that tiny van, each gradually losing tolerance with the other for whatever reasons.

If GP got upset or stressed it appeared she would cry, lash out, smack and scratch (as documented in the police stop footage, and admitted by her and confirmed by BL and a separate witness to police).

If BL got upset he would try to distance himself from her, create space between them and reason with her. I believe on the police stop footage it was described by him as him saying for her to take a "time out".

Whilst we don't know if this was the pattern each and every time they had an argument, it does make me wonder what happened when BL was in a position where he couldn't physically create that distance from her, or there wasn't space for a time out. Where was his outlet for that anger and frustration?

If he'd been bottling it all this time throughout their roadtrip then it's an absolutely tenable premise that he did snap and retaliate.

There has been criticism on here of people using the word 'snapped' - almost as if it's being used to try and defend or justify BL's actions. It's not, at all, and if that is what happened and what caused BL to attack GP, then his actions are neither justified or excusable whatsoever.

I'm just trying to think of the WHYs this may have happened, because I do not believe he set out to kill her.

What would be the motive!?

MOO

MOO bottling up rage as a characteristic is not "retaliating" when the person "snaps," they are proactively laying in wait for the right circumstances to "justify" outbursts of violence.

Murderers think of themselves as victims.

 

[Sorelle19]

Some have wondered who owned the Nissan Sentra that Gabby and Brian drove around the west for their prior trip, in 2020. According to her dad, JP, he leased the Sentra for her and Brian to drive.

Also, I don't believe the Mustang is Brian's. Their friend Rose said the van was their only vehicle.
Missing “Van Life” Woman’s Father Speaks Out: The Dr. Phil Interview

 

[Devil In The Details]

If Gabby's intent was truly to 'share everything' with BL, his name would have been on the vehicle title, the vehicle insurance

This is not indicative of her not wanting to share. He very well may had a driving record which made obtaining insurance cost prohibitive.

 

[TheGardener]

Playing devil's advocate here. Let's say BL is either apprehended or turns himself in. A well known defense attorney replaces his current, ineffective council. They go to court and the new story is...
Brian and Gabby, as they had done so many times before, kissed and made up. He decides to go off on his own to hunt berries or camera shots and leaves Gabby near the van to update the website. Upon his return, Gabby is nowhere to be seen, so he peers through the thicket to see if she's exploring the creek bed. Suddenly, he sees two men menacing and beating her. He panics, throws on his backpack and beats it out of there. He's so terrified that he offers $200 to the first campers he meets to get him the hell out of dodge. He's conflicted, he doesn't know if she needs help, she's dead, whatever. Once he reaches Jackson, he develops a conscience, decides to hitch a ride back to the vicinity of the van, stealthily works his way back to the crime scene and finds the assailants gone and Gabby dead. He KNOWS the Moab PD has him and her together battling. He KNOWS he's the last identifiable person to be seen with her. He panics further, leaves her dead body out in the open, grabs the van and books for Florida where he withholds this info from his parents - only relating that something terrifying happened out on the road and he might have either been followed or is in mortal danger. They spot him $5K, drive him to parts unknown and tell him to lose himself.
Johnny Cochran once said, "Sometimes, the one who wins is the one with the best narrative."

Reasonable doubt? Does Brian walk?

 

[x_files]

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?

There are unfortunately corrupt attorneys out there.