Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #57

[CharlestonGal]

SBM. Dog’s son Duane Lee Chapman II is a licensed bail agent in FL. Licensee Detail

It doesn't matter. Independent bounty hunting is illegal in Florida. In order to bounty hunt there you must be an agent for the company that issued the bail bond. There is no issued bail bond or bail company for BL, so anyone "bounty hunting" him cannot detain, hold, or otherwise arrest him. All they can do is call LE, just like everyone else.

"In Florida, bail agents are restricted in who they are authorized to arrest. Bail agents must be employees of the company that issued the bail bond a fugitive has forfeited. Without this authorization from the company, the bail agent is not legally authorized to arrest the fugitive."

https://www.bountyhunteredu.org/florida/

 

[Katharine]

I’m following but there are a lot of posts so this may have been mentioned and I just missed it-

What role might covid masks be playing in his ability to hide? I’ve never believed BL was in the reserve, I’ve assumed from the start due to the inconsistent statements and position of his family that he is not where anyone in that circle has been pointing. With a face mask, hat and sunglasses, he could pretty easily avoid identification. He could get what he needed at the grocery store or gas station. And then head back to the woods. I do think his skill set, unavoidable costs of food and possibly fuel, and assumed financial limitations (since he’s probably planning on hiding for the long term) mean he is staying somewhere for free (Woods). But I think the face mask could be keeping this chase alive.

Excellent point about mask involvement in *hiding* an appearance.

 

[dacjess]

Could be part of a plan by Laundrie family. Buy a cell phone, leave car parked at Reserve, dump cell phone there and have someone else pick up Brian to allow him to run. All to mislead LE. MOO

This actually seems like the easiest answer to everything, IMO. Maybe he walked and nobody else picked him up, but it’s a simple solution to the confusing pieces. JMO.

 

[Crazyjster]

Honestly, I don't know why someone hasn't posted something on social media about hearing or seeing something at the dispersed camping area in WY.

My guess is that if there are any witness statements, LE has asked told them NOT to speak to anyone, just like anyone involved in the search and recovery of Gabby, or anyone else involved in this case. All statements and everything recovered is evidence. Since no one knows what happened and police are building a case, they don't want the information made public....just my thinking...

 

[Millhouse]

Honestly, I don't know why someone hasn't posted something on social media about hearing or seeing something at the dispersed camping area in WY. Any noises, shouting. commotion, gun shots, screams, anything. What are peoples' thoughts on why no witness has come forward? And also, why haven't the charges been added for murder or anything besides the unauthorized card usage? It's been some time now since GP was found. I'm wondering why it's taking so long to up the pressure and persuade someone to come forward. Just saying, if I had seen something, and knew the reward was out there, I would certainly be coming forward with the info.

National parks are huge, and they were at a dispersed camping area, seemingly not even in a designated, numbered spot. There's a chance there were no witnesses. And, we don't know the exact way she was killed. Perhaps a gun shot would have been heard, but I'm not convinced commotion or shouting would have been heard.

I went to Yellowstone this summer. Different park, I know, but the sheer vastness of these parks is really something else. Many people are going to escape and be out in nature, and there are many camping areas set up to enable that... and that could mean being very far away from where anyone else would hear something.

I can't imagine how long it could have been before they found her body without the video showing where their van was parked.

All IMO.

 

[Trebor5591]

What could possibly be funny?
Is Gabby's death funny to them?

Cops joke all the time. No telling what they are laughing about. Maybe mosquito bites? I feel certain they are not laughing about Gabby's death.

 

[Chicago54]

<modsnip>When he was out west, he ran straight home. Now he's going back out west? Seems very unlikely. I have a feeling this guy does not like unfamiliar places and would do very poorly all by himself. He doesn't seem ever to have been out on his own and independent: <modsnip>

I agree. He needs coddling. I’ve considered if he might have run to other family members. Not that I could believe, at this point, they would still harbor him.

I’ve been looking again at the timeline, as we know it, now with the latest changes, focusing on the week BL disappeared.
On the 17th there are 4 police interaction verified by the 911 records and the photo of the BL lookalike in the neighborhood.

I’ve been looking around articles and can’t find out if it’s been debunked, or the person photographed has come forward. Does anyone here know?

 

[SMK777]

I still wish there would be a way to trace large withdrawals from relatives' accounts between 1-10 Sept., possibly, as I mentioned before, in quantities of <10k to avoid bank alerts. But I'll probably never get my wish, will I.

Doesn’t it seem like there should be a way to do this? — and interest on the part of the FBI in doing this, considering the fugitive situation which isn’t getting resolved through nature reserve searches??

 

[Crazyjster]

This was precisely the thought I had when I heard that DTBH joined the search. IMOO I dont think them searching is any different than you or I going out to search for someone.

I apologize if I missed half the conversation but BL isn't skipping bail, he is wanted on charges that he has not even been formally charged in court with or arrested for even...he's wanted for arrest...they have not even come close to bail...although I think after a conversation with him the charges will be amended to something that bail will not be an option.

 

[Loveallmyhorsesdogsandcats]

Honestly, I don't know why someone hasn't posted something on social media about hearing or seeing something at the dispersed camping area in WY. Any noises, shouting. commotion, gun shots, screams, anything. What are peoples' thoughts on why no witness has come forward? And also, why haven't the charges been added for murder or anything besides the unauthorized card usage? It's been some time now since GP was found. I'm wondering why it's taking so long to up the pressure and persuade someone to come forward. Just saying, if I had seen something, and knew the reward was out there, I would certainly be coming forward with the info.

There may not have been any commotion, screams, the camp site was off the beaten trail, about a 5 minute walk. Per Aletha, there is no reason to charge him with murder right now, it will not help find him any faster. They have the fraud charge to detain him and will add the murder charge when it best benefits LE timeframe.

 

[JuneRose]

There are so many unknowns. I’m sure LE’s aware of more facts, but that’s for them to know and not share, til if and / or when the time is right. Hopefully they get it all figured out soon. Hopefully if BL is dead, he was guilty, because otherwise that would mean two families lost their kids. If one was a bad person it would be a little easier it would seem. It also means that if he didn’t there is another person out there hurting campers and others could be in danger in those areas.

All JMO on a complete outsider just reading up on all this long after the fact. Not having followed from the beginning I am probably missing a lot but also am not emotionally involved at all having no time to form opinions between pieces of info.[/QUOTE] <snipped by me for space>
I understand there is many ways to look at this case and many scenarios you could think up on what could happen, although i agree they didnt always fight and it probably got worse due to the tight space they were currently in, i see no way a man should take a vehicle, no matter if they were fighting, no matter if he thought she had another friend, it just doesnt make sense that he thought she would be fine 3500 miles from home with no vehicle and no money, it just doesnt. Not to mention that not only can they not find Gabby,s phone they cant find BL phone either,thats one thing that is clearly wrong in my way of seeing it. I understand some think someone else killed Gabby after BL left with her van and maybe the person that killed her did away with her phone but so where is Brians if he was already gone? Too many things point straight towards him and i believe that while we may not know the whole story, we have the perp. right in this!

 

[Sassafrass]

I think it was panic and inability to think rationally, which for me points to the idea that this wasn't premeditated. I feel like they had an emotionally controlling and abusive relationship that got more and more amped up, and more and more physical over time, and it escalated really quickly and horrifically. It really seems like BL doesn't/didn't (since I'm kind of 50/50 on them finding him alive) have a whole lot of emotional intelligence and coping skills to be able to manage his actions and the consequences. MOO

I agree with this.
I also think that even someone with a whole lot of emotional intelligence and coping skills could find it difficult to manage his post-"event" actions and consequences

 

[stx722]

National parks are huge, and they were at a dispersed camping area, seemingly not even in a designated, numbered spot. There's a chance there were no witnesses. And, we don't know the exact way she was killed. Perhaps a gun shot would have been heard, but I'm not convinced commotion or shouting would have been heard.

I went to Yellowstone this summer. Different park, I know, but the sheer vastness of these parks is really something else. Many people are going to escape and be out in nature, and there are many camping areas set up to enable that... and that could mean being very far away from where anyone else would hear something.

I can't imagine how long it could have been before they found her body without the video showing where their van was parked.

All IMO.

With you 100%, but I guess my thing is the time that passed from when it's believed she was killed to the time she was found. It's possible they do have witness statements and someone did see/hear something. I'm just surprised there's been no peep of anything on social media.

 

[Crazyjster]

I'm just wondering how long it will take Baez to represent this case after BL is found...it's right up his alley

 

[cady]

It doesn't matter. Independent bounty hunting is illegal in Florida. In order to bounty hunt there you must be an agent for the company that issued the bail bond. There is no issued bail bond or bail company for BL, so anyone "bounty hunting" him cannot detain, hold, or otherwise arrest him. All they can do is call LE, just like everyone else.

"In Florida, bail agents are restricted in who they are authorized to arrest. Bail agents must be employees of the company that issued the bail bond a fugitive has forfeited. Without this authorization from the company, the bail agent is not legally authorized to arrest the fugitive."

https://www.bountyhunteredu.org/florida/

Personally, I'm over the DOG fandom intruding on the meager actual facts of this case. If he has a great lead, down the road, he should notify the case managers, namely, the FBI. jmo

 

[JuneRose]

SBM. Dog’s son Duane Lee Chapman II is a licensed bail agent in FL. Licensee Detail

so i guess they can continue on their honeymoon now! lol

 

[TheGardener]

We should talk survival skills. Please remember that the Moab body cam video informed us that the master survivalist managed to run out of the most essential element to maintain human life - water. He and Gabby were thirsty as heck, without stored water and no money available (remember, for the motel). The cops were stocked up. Why not the master survivalist? Huh. So, we're supposed to believe the guy who runs out of water on a good day among the civilized is going the Louis Pasteur route with water so foul alligators spend half their day out of it.
Then, there's the meat of the matter...or NOT the meat of the matter. As a holder of high environmental, vegetarian ideals, all animal life is safe from BL's appetite. Which leaves edible native plants he's willing to wrestle away from all animal comers. Imagine him yanking water plants out of the mouth of a lost and hungry, stray manatee. Well, hard times require drastic measures...ok...let's grab a fish with our bare hands, bite of it's head and go the sushi route. No campfire, because where there's smoke - there's Brian (literally). Above all, please remember that the lore and legend of this master survivalist begins with...him and ends with anyone easily buffaloed by him.

On to murder. Let's see if there's even a molecule of practical, survivalist, wisdom rattling around in the murderer's fevered brain. With the deed done, there's no effort to hide the body. No concern that birds of prey are drawn to dead things like bees to honey. No fear of circling scavengers screaming, "Something dead over here!" No concern a happy camper from down the road a piece is out and about collecting flowers, nice rocks, or, God forbid a human skull. A dead body can be sniffed out from a great distance, because it has the unique characteristic of smelling like a sewer has exploded somewhere in the neighborhood. Seasoned detectives claim the odor is seared into their memory like a branding iron. So, no effort to bury or conceal his handiwork. Very survivalist-like...not.

On to finances. Our murderer isn't as astute a financial survivalist as Warren Buffett. He doesn't plan ahead (see water). He's broke, but his victim isn't. His choice? Let's compound the crime. Let's grab the money, the card, the van...after all, she doesn't need that stuff anymore - and I do! Another bad choice. Surely, a survivalist understands the concept of escape. Is it off to the hills to live among the nameless wanderers of those hills who really don't care much about what you've ever done in your entire life? No. Our POI chooses hotfooting it to his last known address. You know, a place where noone would know to look for him. Shrewd. Maybe, you can even make believe the whole thing never happened! OK...let's mow lawns, clean evidence out of the van, walk around the neighborhood creating an alibi (what? she's where? I was mowing the lawn!), go for a family powwow (say goodbye to Uncle Bri!) and celebrate with a snootful of smores.

No, this person is unable to operate independently, because he makes ginormous errors of judgement. And those factors fly in the face of most of the BL survivalist myth and the tale being spun from guess which side of the saga. So, I believe BL is NOT communing with nature and NOT going it alone.
MOO

 

[JaneEyre]

Not being discussed? There have been pages and pages about the sighting where he is supposedly headed to "California" via back roads. Pages and pages about Dog's "leads" on islands.

Yes, there is repetition on other topics, but there's been plenty of repetition about supposed sightings as well. I would suggest that there has been sleuthing, but most sleuths came to the conclusion that these were unlikely leads. Probably the FBI did as well.

I didn't mean to imply it wasn't at one point value added beause they obviously had leads that he may be at the Reserve....so it makes sense that they need to investigate this area thoroughly.

I just hope the FBI is on top of these other potential sightings....I mean, this forum usually tries to pull up clues in MSM to where a missing person may be...but I find this forum is still focused on their roadtrip, the Reserve, etc. The potential sightings and possibilities of where he is heading and why are not even being discussed. Where are all the sleuths?

MOO - the video of their trip to Santa Monica California looked like great fun. (I know, I know....it is all an Internet show - but, maybe not.) Maybe that was a trip that was so great it got them thinking about Vanlife....and.....in his grief, he wants to head back to a place they were happy and in-love. Plus the winter weather wouldn't be bad either.

 

[Hyway]

My take of the “plan” BL had after he killed GP: He fled immediately after killing her out of panic and fear. He thought she would be discovered and he was fleeing then so as not to be caught, as well as from the horror of what he had done. He carefully checked news sources while hiking further north, and after a day or so realized, no news, and likely her body was not found and he was not being hunted down. So, he carefully hitchhiked back to the van and her body, making sure there were witnesses left behind that could repeat the story that he had left her behind and was out camping for the last few days. He refused to allow his ride to drive him back up to the van, because he was still wary that there would be LE and perhaps a trap to catch him. When he got back to the van, and saw for himself that her body had not been discovered, he panicked again. All that planning to say he left her and someone else must have found her alone and killed her… that story would only work if someone else discovered her. And no one had, nor was he willing to insert himself at that point and call LE to report a murder. He had nowhere to go and no way to plan an escape. It was at this point he decided to go home and enlist assistance from his parents. He isn’t very bright, and he doesn’t plan well, especially under pressure. He took the van because it was the easiest way to get home, and he probably thought it would be less likely that anyone would discover her body if the van was not around to “point to her”. I think he does a lot of self-soothing using somewhat delusional thinking that maybe if no one finds her, he could get away with it. He was probably more than a little depressed as well, and thinking “whatever happens, happens”. I think he is still in that mindset, and still just thinking to himself that this is all going to just go away. He is not bright, nor very rational, imho. I think he had significant help from his parents making a plan to avoid capture. And I think it is also possible he did commit suicide. And as for the parents, I can imagine that they may not find that to be the worst option at this point. THIS IS ALL MY OPINION

MOO
I fully agree with most of this except the part where he called his parents and set in motion a plan to get away with murder or at least escape. I see no signs of a great plan other than he hasn't been found. And that can easily be explained by his being dead or holed up in a single location that has provisions and no reason to go out. I do think that BL's parents have been completely complicit in his actions ever since GBs family called asking about the kids.

 

[SMK777]

If he was in the reserve, he's dead. Let's hope that he was never in the reserve for more than a few hours. If he's just out there somewhere in this HUGE country, he'll be found. jmo

Hope you’re right, but fugitives have been known to evade capture for years…