Gabby Petito autopsy: found body confirmed as that of missing Long Island native, and manner of death described as homicide. The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results announces Teton County Coroner’s Office.
Authorities have confirmed that the remains found in Bridger-Teton National Forest belong to that of missing 21 year old Long Island, NY native, Gabby Petito.
Additionally, on Tuesday, Sept. 21, the Teton County Coroner’s Office announced her manner of death was determined to be homicide.
‘Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999,’ the FBI stated in a press release. ‘Coroner Blue’s initial determination for the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.’
The mystery surrounding Petito’s disappearance garnered national attention when her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, 23, returned home from a cross-country road trip they were taking across the western United States. Despite driving her campervan back to Florida, Petito was not with Laundrie when he arrived. The couple had been documenting their travels on Instagram and YouTube.
Over the weekend, on Sept. 19, a search party found human remains near a campsite on the eastern edge of the national forest. At the time, the Denver Bureau of the FBI stated the deceased’s appearance was ‘consistent with the description’ of Petito.
Will Brian Laundrie be charged with murder?
According to an unsealed search warrant for a hard drive found in their van, Petito sent a text to her mother, Nicole Schmidt, on Aug. 27, the same day authorities said her phone ceased operating. The message was about her grandfather and read, ‘Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls.’
The search warrant states that Schmidt described the message as ‘odd,’ as Petito didn’t refer to her grandfather by his first name. ‘The mother was concerned that something was wrong with her daughter,’ the documents state.
Petito’s parents eventually filed a missing persons report on Saturday, Sept. 11, 10 days after her boyfriend returned to his family’s home in Florida – while declining to notify the Petito family that their daughter hadn’t returned home with him.
As the Petito family pleaded with Laundrie to tell them when and where he last saw their daughter, the 23 year old instead lawyered up and refused to speak to police. Nevertheless Brian Laundrie last Wednesday was named as a person of interest in the case, only to have now fled his parents’ North Point home. The man’s whereabouts are unknown as a search for the missing man intensifies. According to the North Port Police Department, Laundrie’s family said they have not seen him since Sept. 14.
FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said on Sept. 21, ‘The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms. Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions. Mr. Brian Laundrie has been named a person of interest. Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI.’
