Found Deceased WY - Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, 22, Grand Teton National Park, 25 Aug 2021 #81

[FindingJoLee]

And your knowledge is pointing out another great feature of this "van life", that so many of us never had a clue about!!

EVERYBODY wants to be a Youtube star. There are so many attempts and so many failures out there. Its just like anything else in this world..... only so many will ever get to the top.

And I think the "kissy-face" would have really died out.....
Some of us here may even remember the famous Loud family back in the 70s.....

An American Family - Wikipedia

I reallllly appreciate people who create content because there are places I will never go and things I never do...so I just vicariously enjoy. But I would never want to live for content. Having that line blurred would make a mess in my head I know I couldn't handle. I think that can happen to celebrities of all types...where does the person's celebrity stop and their own authentic life begin? That would be HARD (for me...)

 

[Sassafrass]

So...if this is true, why is Gabby's mom asking where Gabby's stuff is?

Bc GP was an adult, legally speaking, so if her stuff is in storage somewhere, it’s not like that automatically gets turned over to next of kin.

 

[ringbearer]

He may have said that. But to "change my address" when I've moved I have: rented an apartment, connected utilities, got a job (unless I moved because I already had a job in the new area), got a new driver's license if needed or changed my address on my old DL if still in the same state, registered to vote or changed my address on existing registration, and insured my car with new company if required, changed registration/bought new plates, etc.

So far as we know, neither GP nor BL did any of those things in NY. I think they were just visiting for GP's brother's high school graduation. They may not have intended to return to live with the Laundries but I don't think they were NY residents either.
JMO

They were probably planning to stay with her parents when they got back from the trip since neither of them had a steady source of income lined up. That would put all or almost all of the things on your list in the "worry about it later" column -- especially for van-lifer types in their early 20's. For the record, my DL still has the address from where I lived more than ten years ago. Never bothered to change it. And I didn't vote until I was well out of my 20's. One thing we can learn from this site is that everyone is very, very, very different.

I think it makes sense that they planned to move back to LI when they got back from their trip.

all jmo

 

[Sassafrass]

He may have said that. But to "change my address" when I've moved I have: rented an apartment, connected utilities, got a job (unless I moved because I already had a job in the new area), got a new driver's license if needed or changed my address on my old DL if still in the same state, registered to vote or changed my address on existing registration, and insured my car with new company if required, changed registration/bought new plates, etc.

So far as we know, neither GP nor BL did any of those things in NY. I think they were just visiting for GP's brother's high school graduation. They may not have intended to return to live with the Laundries but I don't think they were NY residents either.
JMO

Lol - when I - at the time a 30 yo professional - moved states, I took 8 years to get my new DL (no, that wasn’t cool legally, in my new state, and I got a ticket for it at some point…but it was still a couple more years before I took the admin/mental time to come into compliance).

Point being - maybe or maybe not the two of them had decided to move back to NY. But if they hadn't secured a new residence (bc they were going to vanlife it for a few months), I don't think it odd that they might not have done the administrative stuff for a relo.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I don't think so. Waitperson wouldn't chase them out for an extraneous tip. But if the tip was included in the bill, that was what the customer owed. Period. jmo

We don't know how relevant it was, only that it was an incident that took place just hours before he killed her. jmo

We definitely do not know this.

 

[Hyway]

Bc GP was an adult, legally speaking, so if her stuff is in storage somewhere, it’s not like that automatically gets turned over to next of kin.

Its possible that GP/BL had a shared storage locker and the reason he came home was that first time was they broke up and he moved his stuff out of the locker into his parents house. And now that they are both dead no one but the manager of the storage facility knows where the locker is. Maybe LE knows. but if they still have a locker, sooner or later someone will be getting a letter asking for payment.

 

[LeeJay55]

They were probably planning to stay with her parents when they got back from the trip since neither of them had a steady source of income lined up. That would put all or almost all of the things on your list in the "worry about it later" column -- especially for van-lifer types in their early 20's. For the record, my DL still has the address from where I lived more than ten years ago. Never bothered to change it. And I didn't vote until I was well out of my 20's. One thing we can learn from this site is that everyone is very, very, very different.

I think it makes sense that they planned to move back to LI when they got back from their trip.

all jmo

Didn t her.dad move.to.Florida.to be closer.to his daughter?

 

[Sassafrass]

Gabby told the police at Moab that she was from New York. That was a little confusing until now.

? She was from NY. She'd lived (I've read here) in NC and FL, but she was from NY and had lived there 90% of her life.

Let's not assume that every person - especially when stressed, anxious, pulled over by LE for frightening, embarrassing behavior - is going to maintain perfect control over their choice of words or express only the most pertinent, condensed info. For her to say "it's a FL license but I'm from NY" seems like a VERY reasonable thing for a young person to blab about in the situation.

 

[NCWatcher]

They were probably planning to stay with her parents when they got back from the trip since neither of them had a steady source of income lined up. That would put all or almost all of the things on your list in the "worry about it later" column -- especially for van-lifer types in their early 20's. For the record, my DL still has the address from where I lived more than ten years ago. Never bothered to change it. And I didn't vote until I was well out of my 20's. One thing we can learn from this site is that everyone is very, very, very different.

I think it makes sense that they planned to move back to LI when they got back from their trip.

all jmo

That's all true. But LE was talking about the two of them "changing their address" to NY. Without doing any of the kinds of things I listed (and of course with the van trip they wouldn't rent an apartment) I don't see how they would be considered NY residents. Instead it sounds more like it was just a matter of "yeah we might land there eventually. Maybe." (If LE is right, I wonder if JP knew they were intending to be NY residents. He said he moved to FL to be near GP.)

I do live in a state where penalties have always been big for not having a current physical address on a DL. And without a local address and/or in-state DL it's hard to do things that need to be done. Maybe it doesn't matter some places.
JMO

 

[ringbearer]

Didn t her.dad move.to.Florida.to be closer.to his daughter?

I've seen that posted here, but have no idea if it's true. It was also posted that he lives quite a distance from the Laundries. Vero Beach iirc, which is clear across the state. And that's consistent with the location of his twitter account - which I'm not sure we're allowed to post. Anyway -- so who knows the reason why he moved? Plus, I'm pretty sure Gabby grew up living primarily with her mom and stepdad, so I'm not sure how much what her bio dad did or didn't do would influence her decision-making process when it came to where to live. all jmo

 

[Sassafrass]

Its possible that GP/BL had a shared storage locker and the reason he came home was that first time was they broke up and he moved his stuff out of the locker into his parents house. And now that they are both dead no one but the manager of the storage facility knows where the locker is. Maybe LE knows. but if they still have a locker, sooner or later someone will be getting a letter asking for payment.

Yeah, or if it goes unpaid long enough, it could be sold auction-style.
That says, I'd assume the P/S family has, or has hired someone to, call any and all storage facilities in the area proximate to NP. Whether they can actually get info or access is another question. Storage facilities aren't, to my knowledge, bound by any specific regulations regarding disclosure of info, but they do have various obligations (contractual, common-law, maybe state, maybe federal) as far as access to someone's space/belongings.

 

[Sassafrass]

That's all true. But LE was talking about the two of them "changing their address" to NY. Without doing any of the kinds of things I listed (and of course with the van trip they wouldn't rent an apartment) I don't see how they would be considered NY residents. Instead it sounds more like it was just a matter of "yeah we might land there eventually. Maybe." (If LE is right, I wonder if JP knew they were intending to be NY residents. He said he moved to FL to be near GP.)

I do live in a state where penalties have always been big for not having a current physical address on a DL. And without a local address and/or in-state DL it's hard to do things that need to be done. Maybe it doesn't matter some places.
JMO

*N.B.: they were traveling the country, so whether it's hard in NY to do things as a new resident before you have an in-state DL probably wasn't a current concern.

And fwiw, I moved to NYC from out of state and had no trouble renting an apartment, setting up utilities, everything, before I was an actual resident or had a NY license.

 

[ringbearer]

That's all true. But LE was talking about the two of them "changing their address" to NY. Without doing any of the kinds of things I listed (and of course with the van trip they wouldn't rent an apartment) I don't see how they would be considered NY residents. Instead it sounds more like it was just a matter of "yeah we might land there eventually. Maybe." (If LE is right, I wonder if JP knew they were intending to be NY residents. He said he moved to FL to be near GP.)

I do live in a state where penalties have always been big for not having a current physical address on a DL. And without a local address and/or in-state DL it's hard to do things that need to be done. Maybe it doesn't matter some places.
JMO

I addressed the Joe Petito thing in another post, so I'll skip it here.

It does matter in my state whether you have an up-to-date license, and it does make it hard to do certain things. But I'd rather have bamboo under my nails than go to the dmv if I can avoid it. So I work around it. Which speaks to my point about how different people are. I do have a passport which, funnily enough, I did not need a correct DL to obtain, and that covers a lot of the issues.

 

[Newsjunkiejen]

Stressful?
(Am just thinking of the mood, in the final weeks of the trip)

Also NJJen, do you think she'd feel she had to be interacting with those few hundred followers? eg via DMs etc, to try & maintain follower numbers?
Am just thinking about the time she had to spend doing that & whether that was also a source of tension or jealousy?
( And trying to figure out what she was doing in the SLC hotel for those 5 (?) days beyond working on her editing, website)

I'd say so, yes. Interaction and engagement are key to building up a strong social media following. It all goes hand in hand with building up that image you want to project. Often 'influencers' who are relatable and interact with their followers are more popular, so it's very plausible that GP was chatting with people online when spending time on the WiFi in the various WiFi spots her and BL visited.

Plus, when she had the week in the hotel when BL was back in FL, this would've been a prime opportunity for her to do her social media thing and build those engagements with her followers.

 

[Hyway]

Didn t her.dad move.to.Florida.to be closer.to his daughter?

I think he has lived in Florida in multiple locations, but I think I read he had just moved from Selden NY to Vero Beach in June. GP/BL left Florida sometime early in June to make it to her relatives event on June 17th. So if he moved there to be close to her, he must have been expecting her to return to Fla after their vantrip.

 

[HawthorneJuniper]

I reallllly appreciate people who create content because there are places I will never go and things I never do...so I just vicariously enjoy. But I would never want to live for content. Having that line blurred would make a mess in my head I know I couldn't handle. I think that can happen to celebrities of all types...where does the person's celebrity stop and their own authentic life begin? That would be HARD (for me...)

I follow/support one solo female truck camper/hiker. She is mature, not sure of her exact age but at least late 30's. She had a successful marketing career and did a feasibility study essentially and had sufficient savings and put in sweat equity after buying a used truck & camper. Anyway, think it's been 2 years now and she's been fairly successful (60k subscribers on Youtube; 249 patrons on Patreon for just under 2k a month). She makes excellent content-beautiful videos w/professional caliber editing and is very engaging & warm in her delivery. But it's a job and she carefully manages her time.

But her situation is much different than the tons of younger people who want to "go viral" and get attention and be "internet famous". It presents a "goal" that contains a fairly large amount of false impressions. Just like the romance of living in a van with another person.

I don't think either Gabby or Brian understood or even imagined that the trip would be stressful. I think they carried a SM/Pinterest inspired romantic view of their "adventure". I just keep thinking "if only he had stayed in FL; if only his parents had sensed something wrong and encouraged some type of action or gotten him mental health help if needed. Things went bad so quickly (IMO) once he got back. Now it may have been because of something that happened and his return was not "causal" but really, if only he hadn't come back.

 

[Newsjunkiejen]

anyone remember the V mug discussion? I've found one on Gabby's insta under the 'home' stories icon.

Yes! I spotted the V mug and then remembered the "Gabby and Brian V" on one of their social media accounts.

We were trying to figure out what the significance of the letter "V" may have been but I think we were clutching at straws.

 

[BellaVita]

You’re missing the part where I used the word “stealth”. I didn’t say it wasn’t dine and dash, I simply said IMO nowhere was it implied that it was stealth, as in they quietly snuck out or pretended to use the restroom so as not to pay.

Yes, not paying is not paying, any way you look at it but I was trying to make the point that they may have had a complaint that wasn’t addressed to their satisfaction and it might not have had anything to do with sneaking out because they didn’t have the money to pay for the meal. Wrong in any case, yes.

I am 100% certain they had the money. Stealth vs Dine and Dash...it's all semantics and the end result is the same. The whole situation gives me a grifter vibe. MOO.

 

[Bluebythec]

Lol - when I - at the time a 30 yo professional - moved states, I took 8 years to get my new DL (no, that wasn’t cool legally, in my new state, and I got a ticket for it at some point…but it was still a couple more years before I took the admin/mental time to come into compliance).

Point being - maybe or maybe not the two of them had decided to move back to NY. But if they hadn't secured a new residence (bc they were going to vanlife it for a few months), I don't think it odd that they might not have done the administrative stuff for a relo.

I bet the car insurance was waaayyy cheaper with a FL address than it would have been with a NY one. It would make sense to leave it as a FL vehicle during the trip. MOO

 

[HawthorneJuniper]

THIS.........(((was afraid something had been left behind there?)))).............I always wondered if when he was hitchhiking/making alibi ....if he realized since he mainly drove if he realized he had the van keys in his pocket ....so he ended up going back jmo

That's really interesting. I've wondered about many things but I never thought about that in pondering the mystery of the hitchhiking. He could have pocketed the keys without regard to Gabby since she was dead. Then at some point he realized it & knew that would make no sense for him to have gone hiking with the keys and leave Gabby without them for multiple days. Good thinking.