American Murder: Gabby Petito is a documentary series set to be released on Netflix on February 17, 2025. The series covers the story of the mysterious disappearance and subsequent death of Gabby Petito, 22, during a road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, in 2021.
The documentary interviews Gabby’s close friends and family, showcasing her messages, videos, and diary entries to contrast how she presented herself for social media against how she lived her life off-screen. The series delves into the events leading up to the outcome: from the now-notorious police stop in Moab, Utah, to the subsequent legal action taken by Petito’s family against Brian Laundrie’s estate for wrongful death.
While the creative minds behind the series are yet to be announced, the documentary offers an in-depth account of the events leading up to Gabby’s death and the subsequent investigation.
Who was Gabby Petito? and Where She Met Brian Laundrie?
Gabrielle Venora Petito was born in Blue Point, New York on March 19, 1999. She was the oldest of six children and showed a love for art, travel, and the outdoors from an early age. In 2013, she and her stepbrothers were featured in a music video to raise awareness about gun violence after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Gabby went to Bayport-Blue Point High School, where she got to know Brian Laundrie. She graduated in 2017 and briefly resided in North Carolina before settling with Laundrie and his family in North Port, Florida. Both of them enjoyed adventure and went on a road trip across the United States in 2019 to explore several national parks. They got engaged in July 2020.
In December 2020, Gabby bought a 2012 Ford Transit Connect van and converted it into a camper. Gabby was engaged in multiple part-time jobs in addition to her main job to make money for the trips. Gabby used to document her van life experiences on YouTube and Instagram, where she communicated her passions for art, yoga, and an active lifestyle.
Later on a trip in 2021, Gabby went missing, and her body was subsequently found in Wyoming. Her death was determined to be a homicide. In memory of Gabby, the Gabby Petito Foundation was created to assist organizations that help find missing individuals and help survivors of domestic violence.
Where was Gabby Petito, and what went wrong on the trip?
Gabby Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, went on a cross-country trip in July 2021, planning to record their experiences traveling across America. The trip turned into a tragic event in late August.
Gabby and Brian were last seen together on August 27, 2021, at a restaurant in Jackson, Wyoming. Witnesses told the investigators that they fought there and Brian attacked Gabby. This is the day when they were last seen and Gabby was still alive. Later phone communications from her phone were disturbing; one message to her mother used her grandfather’s first name Stan which was not typical of Gabby. Another August 30 message reported no service in Yosemite, which was not part of their itinerary.
On September 1, Brian came back by himself to his parents’ place in North Port, Florida driving the couple’s van they had taken on their excursion. He made no report of Gabby’s disappearance and was also not cooperating to help the police. Gabby was reported missing by her relatives on September 11, which caused nationwide research for her. Her body was found on September 19 in the Bridger–Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Examination of the body found out the reasons for her death to be caused by blunt force on the head, and neck, and manual strangulation. The period for her death was finally narrowed down to three to four weeks before the body was found.
After the death of Gabby, Brian was made a particular person that the police would pay much attention to. On September 13, he was reported missing. On October 20, the skeletal remains were discovered in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park of Florida. When police found a notebook near the body, a confession of his involvement in the murder of Gabby was located within. Brian was found to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This case received widespread media coverage, with a focus on the use of social media in contemporary investigations and an increase in conversations regarding domestic violence and its signs.
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