Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie: Six key unanswered questions
Brian Laundrie returned home from a “dream” van-life trip without his girlfriend Gabby Petito exactly four weeks ago.
In the days after he returned to his parents’ North Port Florida home, he ignored the desperate pleas from Ms Petito’s family trying to find out why she suddenly stopped communicating with them.
Since then, Mr Laundrie has gone on the run from authorities, been named a person of interest in his girlfriend’s disappearance, and been charged with fraudulently using a bank card to obtain $1,000 in cash after Ms Petito’s death. While an arrest warrant allows authorities to take Mr Laundrie into custody, he has not been accused of a crime related to Ms Petito’s demise.
As the case attracted national media attention and was pored over by an army of digital sleuths, video emerged of the couple’s van parked on the side of a dirt road in a remote area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Authorities narrowed their search for Ms Petito and on 19 September, announced they had found remains belonging to the missing woman.
As the manhunt for Mr Laundrie approaches its third week, here are the key unanswered questions in the case.
Where is Brian Laundrie?
Brian Laundrie is the subject of a nationwide manhunt led by the FBI and involving local law enforcement agencies in at least five states.
Police seized the van on 11 September from his parents’ home, but have since admitted they didn’t spot Mr Laundrie that day.
According to a statement made by Mr Laundrie’s parents to North Port Police, he left home on 14 September claiming to be heading to the Carlton Reserve near his home.
When he didn’t return the next day, they reportedly went looking for him and found his Ford Mustang vehicle parked near the reserve.
His parents informed authorities he’d disappeared on 17 September, and said he had left home without his wallet or cellphone.
North Port Police initially led the search of the reserve using drones, all-terrain vehicles, dogs and inflatable boats. They were joined by several police forces and a specialist dive unit from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
The search of the 25,000-acre, alligator-infested reserve was hindered by torrential downpours.
An experienced rancher who lived beside the reserve for the past 30 years says there is no chance anyone could have survived there.
The search has since been scaled back.
“I don’t think you’re going to see those large scale types of efforts this week,” department spokesman Josh Taylor said.
As police scoured the Carlton Reserve, sightings of Mr Laundrie came in from the Florida panhandle and Mobile, Alabama.
Each sighting was reported to authorities, investigated, and ruled out.
The FBI’s Denver office is leading the nationwide search for the missing 23-year-old. They took over as the lead agency from North Port Police this week.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Petito’s parents said the Laundries had not helped them locate their daughter, and they doubted that they would assist authorities to find their son.
After being inundated by requests from fans, Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman joined the search for Mr Laundrie at the weekend, and has claimed he is following up on strong leads received from the public.
Questions remain about exactly when Mr Laundrie left his parents’ home, what possessions he had with him, whether he’s been receiving assistance from anyone since he left, and how police failed to anticipate he would leave the house.
Authorities are working on the assumption that Mr Laundrie is still alive and is actively evading their attempts to locate him.
Friends have said he is a skilled survivalist who has spent months living alone in the wilderness along the Appalachian Trail.
Other theories have suggested he may have left the country, committed suicide, or been attacked by wildlife.
Until a definitive answer is found, the Petito family will not receive closure.
How did Gabby Petito die?
Ms Petito’s remains were located near Spread Creek, Wyoming, in an area where bears, mountain lions and other dangerous wildlife are known to frequent.
Her death was declared a “homicide” after the results of a preliminary autopsy by Teton County coroner Dr Brent Blue were released on 21 September.
They believe Ms Petito died sometime in late August, but so far, no further information has been released about how she died.
Experts say it could be some time before a cause of death is publicly released.
Her parents had been expecting to bring Ms Petito’s remains home to Long Island prior to a memorial service held in Holbrook on Sunday.
But they were forced to display an empty urn at the ceremony, after it emerged Ms Petito’s remains were still being investigated by authorities.
Where is Brian Laundrie’s burner phone?
On Wednesday, it emerged that Brian Laundrie purchased a new burner phone on the day he disappeared from his parent’s home.
Mr Laundrie was seen buying the phone in the company of an older woman at an AT&T store in North Port Florida on 14 September, sources told TMZ.
FBI agents went to the store and obtained CCTV footage in recent days, the celebrity news site reported.
Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino confirmed the phone purchase on Wednesday, but said he believed Mr Laundrie left the burner phone at home.
“To my knowledge they did purchase a new phone and it’s the same phone that Brian left home and which the FBI is in possession of.”
The FBI is refusing to comment on whether the phone they have is Mr Laundrie’s regular phone, or the recently purchased burner.
Why did the Laundries go camping, while ignoring desperate requests for help from the Petito’s?
Among the more puzzling aspects of this case is a camping trip taken by Mr Laundrie and his parents, Christopher and Roberta, to the Fort De Soto Park campsite in Pinella County over the Labor Day weekend.
It’s been confirmed that the Laundries arrived at the campsite on 6 September, and they stayed either one or two nights.
Brian Laundrie had visited the campsite with Ms Petito in February, posting photos as they explored the abandoned ruins there.
Christopher and Roberta Laundrie have denied any knowledge of their son’s whereabouts, or Ms Petito’s death.
They initially declined to speak to authorities and ignored text messages from Ms Petito’s mother Nichole Schmidt.
Could authorities in Utah have done more to protect Ms Petito?
Police in Moab, Utah, responded to a 911 call on 12 August after a witness said they saw Mr Laundrie hitting and slapping his girlfriend.
Bodycam footage was later released, and shows a distraught Ms Petito tell officers she was responsible for starting the argument,
The almost hour-long video shows officers from Moab City Police Department separating Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie.
She told officers she slapped her fiance because she feared he was going to drive off without her following an argument. The incident was classed as a “mental/emotional health break” rather than a domestic assault.
The incident is the subject of an investigation by the City of Moab.
“At this time, the City of Moab is unaware of any breach of Police Department policy during this incident. However, the City will conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate.”
Domestic violence experts who reviewed the footage say better training of domestic violence is required to recognise when victims are in potential danger.
Will Brian Laundrie be charged in connection to Gabby Petito’s death?
Mr Laundrie is wanted on charges of bank fraud, and will be arrested if he is found.
Many have questioned whether he will face homicide charges, or be named a suspect in his partner’s death.
The FBI has jurisdiction over any further federal charges, and have given no indication of additional charges against Mr Laundrie.
They may want to wait until the autopsy is completed and a cause of death has been released.
“We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI,” special agent in charge Michael Schnedier said.
A special hotline has been set up at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 303-629-7171, and tips can also be submitted at www.:/fbi.gov/petito.
The FBI have vowed to bring anyone who is “complicit” in Ms Petito’s death to justice.
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