Gabby Petito is Missing Update: Found Dead; Arrest Warrants Issued

[DalmatianCat]

3 hours ago, Alisamer said:

 

And I'm still boggled that he wasn't immediately questioned as a person of interest, if nothing else, and that he was able to run. He was the last person to see her. He abandoned her on the other side of the country. He showed up in Florida driving a missing person's van. 

I’m not sure, but law enforcement may have never had a chance to even consider questioning Brian Laundrie before he disappeared. Gabby was reported missing on 9/11. According to his parents the last time they saw Brian was between 9/13-14 (if their account is believable…I definitely have them in the “unreliable” column as witnesses). Anyway…there’s a good chance that if police took the missing person report sometime on 9/11 (a Saturday), they didn’t even attempt to contact Brian until at least 9/12 (a Sunday). If they put contacting Brian off until Monday (9/13) or Brian’s parents or lawyer fielded the initial call with “he’s unavailable right now, try again later” there’s a good chance that by the time police had enough information to move Brian to the “person of interest category” he was already long gone…and that’s going by his parents original timeline of last seeing him on 9/14. I think a neighbor said they last time they saw him outdoors was 9/10.

[Howl]

Apparently Brian Laundrie flew back to Florida on August 17 to close out a storage unit to save money, but how much does a round-trip ticket (Salt Lake City to Florida and back) cost, so how much are you really saving?  Anyway, I think the Laundries were on Dr. Phil in the last few days.  

[Ozlsn]

12 hours ago, EmmieJ said:

08/31/21 - Brian's mom canceled those reservations

09/01/21 - Brian returns home in Gabby's van but without Gabby 

09/03/21 - Brian's mom makes a new reservation at Fort De Soto, this time for 3 people, for Sept. 6 - 8

09/06/21 - Brian and his parents check into Fort De Soto

09/08/21 - The family checks out of Fort De Soto (I don't think anyone personally saw Brian with his parents in their vehicle as they checked out - so maybe he did return home with them; but maybe he didn't)  I thought a neighbor reported seeing Brian back at his parents' home after 09/08 but prior to 09/14, but I can't find any specific confirmation of that just now when I searched online.

Ok, I am a bit suspicious about the date the reservations were cancelled. I suspect that he phoned home some time before he arrived. Honestly it's hard to know what his parents were thinking - but most parents I hope would have encouraged him to voluntarily talk to the police, especially if they believed him to be innocent of any suspicion. They would probably have had a lawyer present, as is prudent for anyone in that situation, but they would have encouraged him to come forward. That Brian's parents not only didn't do that but went away with him and then effectively stonewalled Gabby's parents makes me suspect that the first thing he did on getting home was break down and confess (assuming he didn't in the phone call) - and their first impulse was to try and get him out of it. 

I'm just not seeing how their actions match up with something like believing they'd had a fight, split up, and he'd driven the van home while she... what? Took the bus? Joined a commune? Got a lift to the airport? at all.

[Howl]

I'm confused now.  Was it Gabby's parents that spoke to Dr. Phil? 

Anyway, there are a lot of bits and pieces in the US Sun article linked below.  Is the US Sun a legit rag? Not sure, but interesting read.  DTBH thinks Brian is  "hiking the Appalachian Trail." 

Brian Laundrie Update

Also, Brian's trip back to Florida happened AFTER the Moab domestic violence incidence and before Wyoming. 

Also, anyone have a take on the Laundrie family's attorney and the actions he's taken? Is he bungling the entire thing?  Is he doing normal family attorney-ing?  

By advising the parents to stonewall (or maybe it's their choice?) and not reaching out to Gabby's family in any way, they'll be branded as horrible humans for the rest of their lives. They are not sympathetic figures.  However, by not plastering their own faces all over the news, they'll have some degree of anonymity going forward. 

[Alisamer]

14 hours ago, DalmatianCat said:

I’m not sure, but law enforcement may have never had a chance to even consider questioning Brian Laundrie before he disappeared. Gabby was reported missing on 9/11. According to his parents the last time they saw Brian was between 9/13-14 (if their account is believable…I definitely have them in the “unreliable” column as witnesses). Anyway…there’s a good chance that if police took the missing person report sometime on 9/11 (a Saturday), they didn’t even attempt to contact Brian until at least 9/12 (a Sunday). If they put contacting Brian off until Monday (9/13) or Brian’s parents or lawyer fielded the initial call with “he’s unavailable right now, try again later” there’s a good chance that by the time police had enough information to move Brian to the “person of interest category” he was already long gone…and that’s going by his parents original timeline of last seeing him on 9/14. I think a neighbor said they last time they saw him outdoors was 9/10.

That makes sense, but I remember early reports (before Gabby's body was found and before Brian was known to be missing) saying specifically that Brain "refused questioning by police". Which to me sounded like they did the "you're not under arrest, but we need to ask you some questions" line and he refused to cooperate. And then apparently immediately disappeared.

Who knows what is accurate and what isn't, though, in this mess. Everything about this is pretty sketchy IMO.

[DalmatianCat]

24 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

That makes sense, but I remember early reports (before Gabby's body was found and before Brian was known to be missing) saying specifically that Brain "refused questioning by police". Which to me sounded like they did the "you're not under arrest, but we need to ask you some questions" line and he refused to cooperate. And then apparently immediately disappeared.

Who knows what is accurate and what isn't, though, in this mess. Everything about this is pretty sketchy IMO.

We have no way of knowing (unless the police give more info), but when they say Brian “refused to be questioned” they may have never actually spoken to him and were just hearing Brian’s parents/lawyers say he couldn’t come in for questioning.
Based off no real knowledge other than tv shows and and true crime podcasts, I don’t think police can legally do anything to “make” you talk without a court order and once you ask for a lawyer they can’t question you without them present and the lawyer is allowed to tell you not to answer any questions. Did refusing to make himself available to the police make Brian look guilty? Definitely! But, from a legal standpoint, his lawyer was keeping him from doing anything to incriminate himself and forcing law enforcement to do their own legwork. 
In the case of the Florida police, I don’t think there was much more they could force Brian to do between 9/11 when they initially heard Gabby was missing (if they even followed up on it right away) and 9/17 when his parents reported him missing.

[EmmieJ]

7 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

- but most parents I hope would have encouraged him to voluntarily talk to the police, especially if they believed him to be innocent of any suspicion. They would probably have had a lawyer present, as is prudent for anyone in that situation, but they would have encouraged him to come forward. That Brian's parents not only didn't do that but went away with him and then effectively stonewalled Gabby's parents makes me suspect that the first thing he did on getting home was break down and confess (assuming he didn't in the phone call) - and their first impulse was to try and get him out of it. 

Yes, to the bolded.  If my adult child was ever a person of interest, a witness to a crime, or heaven forbid, an actual suspect for a crime - I would make sure he retained the best criminal defense attorney in our area before heading down to talk to the police.  But I would definitely encourage him to talk to the police with an attorney present.  The parents are definitely sketchy in all this - and if their first and continued impulse is to help their son run away and hide, is that the way they raised him?  Never to take responsibility for his actions and always run to mom and dad to get him out of trouble?

As to the Laundrie family attorney and his various statements to the press:  I don't know if he's bungling it or not.  I seem to remember Scott Reich of Crime Talk at least briefly sharing his thoughts on what he would do in that situation.  I'll have to go back and rewatch some of his videos on this to see if I'm remembering correctly.  I think he might have been less than impressed.

Edited October 6, 2021 by EmmieJ

[Ozlsn]

4 hours ago, EmmieJ said:

If my adult child was ever a person of interest, a witness to a crime, or heaven forbid, an actual suspect for a crime - I would make sure he retained the best criminal defense attorney in our area before heading down to talk to the police.  But I would definitely encourage him to talk to the police with an attorney present.

Especially if he was the last known person to see her alive. Bad position to be in, but also one where if you are innocent you want to give as much information as possible to help them find out what happened, not least because you're going to be under a cloud until that happens.

[Howl]

Somebody needs to muzzle Dog The Bounty Hunter.  He's previously speculated that Brian L. is a serial killer, and now he's created and shared a scenario with noxious rag  the New York Post (based on nothing) that Brian called and confessed to his parents right after he accidentally smothered Gabby by putting his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming and they told him to come home STAT. 

Also, TikTok sleuths believe Brian L is hiding in an underground bunker under the flower bed in his parents' yard. 

So, staged footage in a FL swamp with snakes and alligators and mosquitoes turned into a fluster cluck w/ zero payoff, they're broke, and, wouldn't ya know, terrible timing, DTBH "injured his ankle" in FL and (this is sooooo Kyrsten Sinema) had to rush home to see his doctor in Colorado. 

Never Fear! DTBH franchise is still following leads "remotely". 

 

[FiveAcres]

Listening to the coroner give his report: cause of death for Gabby Petito was strangulation. According to Wyoming statue, no other information will be released at this time. 

[tabitha2]

What was the point of that then? We knew she was murdered. Until they find BL or at least have solid leads on his whereabouts there is nothing worth reporting. 

[viii]

There's too much sketchiness for him to be dead, imo. He's out there somewhere, hiding, with his parent's help. 

[closetcagebaby]

I’m not a parent but jeeze, both this and the Kristin Smart case make me really judge the parents. I can’t imagine covering for my son knowing he was a domestic abuser and murderer. 
 

I wonder if it’s more that they don’t believe that he did anything wrong or that they just want to help him avoid accountability. 

[FiveAcres]

I wonder if BL was the "missing stair" among his family members and acquaintances. (I won't say friends because I am not sure he had any: just a few people who tolerated having him around.) 

Quote

Missing stair is a term coined by blogger Cliff Pervocracy in 2012 to describe an abuser or harasser who is tolerated in a community, even though their misdeeds are well known. The analogy is that of a missing step is in a staircase, that everyone in the house avoids and generally tries to warn others about, but which no one actually assumes the responsibility for repairing. Often victim-blaming is used on anyone who is harmed by this individual, with the reasoning that "everyone knows about them," and the victim should have heeded the warnings (which they may or may not have actually received).

(from https://geekfeminism.wikia.org/wiki/Missing_stair)

I have a family member who has an inlaw that has a "bad temper." I'd known him casually for several decades. I knew he had some issues, but with casual contact I had never seen them.

My family member did something that really pissed him off the last time I saw him. I, a woman in my sixties, was standing between him and my (much smaller than either of us) family member while he screamed at us that he wanted to talk to her, and I should get out of his way. I told him if he touched me I would swear out a restraining order. He believed me because he stormed away. We unfortunately couldn't remove ourselves physically for a few days (long complicated explanation skipped) but we made sure we were either behind locked doors or in each other's company, with a phone in our hands set to record video until we were able to leave.

(I felt a bit blindsided by my family member, because evidently the missing stair had been getting worse and she hadn't told me. People just don't want to admit that someone in their family circle is a menace.)

In BL's case, I wonder if his parents and Gabby sort of collaborated to manage him while Gabby was living with him. When the "van life" trip was being planned, I wonder if poor Gabby thought that things would be better on the road, once they were no longer living in close contact with his parents.

Poor Gabby.  

 

[EmmieJ]

20 hours ago, closetcagebaby said:

I’m not a parent but jeeze, both this and the Kristin Smart case make me really judge the parents. I can’t imagine covering for my son knowing he was a domestic abuser and murderer. 

I wonder if it’s more that they don’t believe that he did anything wrong or that they just want to help him avoid accountability. 

Obviously, no one but Brian's parents (and maybe their attorney) know what's going on in their minds, but their behavior from the very start has been sketchy.  When Brian returned to his parents' home without Gabby but in her van - what did he tell them?  I could give them the benefit of the doubt at that point, if he told them they broke up, she told him to drive the van back to Florida, and she was going to fly to her parents home, or something along those lines.

At some point shortly after that though, Gabby's dad reaches out to the Laundrie's because they are worried about Gabby.  I think the Laundrie's do not respond.  To me, that is very shady.  What reason would they have for ignoring a call or text from Gabby's dad, if they thought all was well?  I think at that point, if not sooner, they knew something bad had happened, that Brian was involved, and they made a plan to protect him from the consequences by helping him slip away to goodness knows where.  Some people think he's living like a hermit along the Appalachian Trail, some people believe he was able to leave the country (maybe into Cuba or Mexico), and some people (like me) think he's alive and holed up somewhere but I have no idea where that might be.

If his parents really did help him flee, I hope they face some criminal charges themselves (but I doubt they will).  Mainly, I am hoping that if he is alive, that he is miserable, cold, hungry, and friendless and eventually gives himself up because he can't survive on his own. 

[Howl]

I just tarried for a few minutes in the insanity that is the Friends of Brian Laundrie Reddit. 

Brian is a victim of domestic abuser Gabby. 

Gabby is awful and her equally awful parents will misspend the funds collected for their new foundation. 

Brian has been spotted outside a clinic and is undergoing gender transition. 

"Abuser Gabby often compared hand size with Brian to de-emasculate and embarrass him."   

Did Gabby have an auto-erotic asphyxiation fetish and that is really how she died?

I was praying and it occurred to me, "Has Brian been raptured, because is there anyone more worthy of being raptured than Brian?"  

Also, Brian is helping the FBI hunt for Gabby's REAL killer. 

NO, SRSLY, I AM NOT MAKING THIS SHIT UP!!!!!!!! There's more! 

Parallels Between Life of Jesus/Brian Laundrie

• Jesus and Brian were both born of humble circumstances.
• Jesus and Brian both upset the establishment of their era, bringing about the hatred and ridicule of empires.
• Jesus and Brian both repeatedly turned the other cheek, even when abused both verbally and physically.
• Jesus and Brian both bear the scars of those assaults - Brian has obvious marks on his head, similar to the crown of thorns worn by Jesus.
• Jesus and Brian are both selfless, humble, and compassionate.
• Jesus and Brian both have tremendous facial hair.
• Jesus and Brian both performed miracles - Jesus by turning water into wine, Brian by managing to literally vanish into thin air.
• Jesus forgave those who sinned against him, Brian forgives those who continue to attack and persecute him.
• Jesus was crucified by the Romans, Brian by the media, public & police.
• Jesus suffered and ultimately died for the sins of humanity. Brian will as well if we don't stand up for him.

*****************

In other news, searchers are still going at it at the FL nature preserve and have brought in a cadaver dog.  I do have to wonder if early on the dogs did alert on Brian's scent somewhere in the preserve and that's why they have stuck it out searching there. 

There's been around two dozen "sightings" of Brian in North Carolina and authorities have followed up on each one. 

I'm surprised no one has put up a ton of reward money for finding Brian. 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Howl

[Sarcastically spinster]

14 hours ago, Howl said:

I just tarried for a few minutes in the insanity that is the Friends of Brian Laundrie Reddit. 

 

I'd bet money that at least half of these are trolls.  The rapture comment and most of the parallels between Brian and Jesus sound exactly like the kinds of things that my millennial (and a few gen Z) friends would say when perpetuating a troll, and reddit is full of them.  

Basically, these are the kinds of comments that happen when someone is a meme.  The people participating may or may not actually think he's guilty, they're just perpetuating the internet subculture because they find it funny.  

Personally, I don't think that this is a case where even ironic glorification of him is amusing, and I think to think it's funny requires an underlying diminishing of domestic violence.  But yeah.  Half of those people probably actually think he's guilty.  

[Howl]

Yes, definitely there is some trolling craziness, but I was also reminded of women who have the hots for imprisoned serial killers or other violent felons, correspond with them and occasionally even marry them -- that mentality. 

[BensAllergies]

It's common for the sex lives of women to be analyzed in the public arena and courtroom in an attempt to downplay the actions of the actual criminal or to exaggerate the actions of an alleged female criminal (think: Amanda Knox). It's not surprising that BL's leg humpers have already taken that angle. It's still disgusting every time it happens.

Edited October 15, 2021 by BensAllergies

[Howl]

It was bound to happen.  Brian Laundrie lookalike ambushed by feds at gunpoint on Appalachian Trail

Quote

Ithaca couple Severin Beckwith and Anna Brettmann were catching a few winks at the Lodge at Fontana Village Resort after lunch when they heard a knock and their door flew open, the New Yorker reported.   “Next thing I see is a bunch of guys with riot shields with ‘US Marshals’ written on them, handguns pointed at my face,” Beckwith told the mag.

So, this: 

Quote

The stunned hiker was promptly handcuffed as one of the feds helped Brettmann get dressed.

After realizing that Severin was not Brian (no tats, different ID!) they recommended that Severin shave his beard, which he did. 

On a more serious note, from the same article: 

Quote

Meanwhile, a woman [Ann Wolbert Burgess] who pioneered the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit told Fox News that the argument between Laundrie and Petito that people witnessed at a Wyoming eatery in August may hold the key to the woman’s fate...“How she has to apologize for his behavior is something that’s kind of characteristic, and this probably enrages him even more because he wants to appear in a certain way,” Burgess said of the incident at Merry Piglets, a Jackson Hole restaurant.

I did read an article written by a woman who suffered domestic abuse for years.  She said she recognized her prior self when watching Gabby crying in the back of the police cruiser, unable/unwilling to articulate that Brian had slapped/hit her in Moab.  

[FiveAcres]

Medical examiner, cadaver dog and lots of LEO including FBI are showing up at the Carlton Reserve right now. Laundries family lawyers says that items belonging to Brian Laundires has been found. 

[adidas]

Partial remains have been found.

 

[adidas]

Apparently the area was previously under water which is why the remains haven’t been found until now.

It’s no surprise to me, I was seriously side eyeing all of the theories that he was in Cuba or being hidden in someone’s basement. I suspected the minute the news came out that he was missing that he’d gone to the swamp and taken his own life.

I do think his parents knew more than they let on, since these remains (which - let’s face it - are likely to be him) were found where the father ‘looked’ that time, and where the parents immediately went and found his personal items today. 

[Howl]

There may be some resolution by finding Brian's remains but when this is all over,  two families will have buried a child.   

I can't know why the Laundrie parents acted as they have; their silence and stonewalling have been cruel to Gabby's family.  They must have know since Brian disappeared that there was a good chance he'd taken his own life.  I'd imagine there was a lot of anguish in that house waiting for confirmation of that and they won't be able to grieve over their son in any normal way.  

I hope the protesters & news people will go home and leave that neighborhood in peace. 

[EmmieJ]

1 hour ago, adidas said:

t’s no surprise to me, I was seriously side eyeing all of the theories that he was in Cuba or being hidden in someone’s basement. I suspected the minute the news came out that he was missing that he’d gone to the swamp and taken his own life.

I was one of those following this tragedy who thought Brian was too cowardly to take his own life, so if these are his remains, then I was obviously wrong.  I think I read or hear some reports that Brian was hearing voices and may have been suffering from some mental issues.  If those reports are accurate, then I guess him choosing to commit suicide is not out of the question.  I still don't understand his parents' behavior at all.  We may never know what he told them when he came home in Gabbby's van without her, or what he said (if anything) when he left that day without his phone "to go for a hike".  

I was raised by parents who didn't argue in front of us.  I mean, they never even raised their voice to each other or showed irritation.  Whatever disagreements they had, they had them behind closed doors and quietly.  On top of that, they always couched their "demands" to us very politely, i.e., "Would you please put your clothes away?"  "Would you please take out the trash?"  and so on.  Of course, that meant, "do what I've just asked you to do, promptly and without back talk."  But it was phrased courteously and we were treated respectfully.  So I had that background when I began dating and I think helped me avoid getting too deeply involved with an abusive person.  I dated a couple guys who seemed nice at first and then after a few dates, began criticizing me or "joking" about how dumb I was - and that was the end of that relationship.  Whatever positive feelings I had for the guy evaporated as soon as they behaved in a disrespectful way. 

I don't know how Brian and Gabby's relationship deteriorated.  Maybe he did have some mental issues that brought out his abusive behavior.  All I know is that by the time he became dangerous, Gabby seemed not to recognize the danger.  It's all so tragic.

Edited October 20, 2021 by EmmieJ