Vanished: The Gabby Petito Story – A Timeline of Tragedy

Gabby Petito documented her “van life” journey across America before her tragic disappearance in August 2021. (Image: Social Media)

The Beginning of a Dream

The white converted Ford Transit van rolled out of Blue Point, New York on July 2, 2021, carrying with it the dreams of 22-year-old Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie. Their Instagram feeds painted the perfect picture: a young couple embracing the increasingly popular “van life” movement, chasing sunsets across America’s most breathtaking landscapes.

For Gabby, it wasn’t just a vacation – it was the start of something bigger. She had quit her job as a pharmacy technician to pursue her dream of becoming a travel influencer, documenting their journey through carefully curated social media posts.

The first weeks of their journey seemed to unfold like a dream. On July 4, they posted from Monument Rocks in Kansas, their excitement palpable in every caption. They moved westward through Colorado Springs, where Gabby’s photos captured the majestic Pikes Peak backdrop. At Great Sand Dunes National Park, they shared playful videos of themselves running down the massive dunes, their laughter echoing across the desert landscape.

By mid-July, Utah’s red rock country became their playground. Their social media trail blazed through the state’s mighty five national parks – Zion’s towering cliffs, Bryce Canyon’s otherworldly hoodoos, and the vast expanses of Canyonlands. To their growing social media following, they were living the enviable “van life” dream that had captured the imagination of a generation seeking freedom from conventional living.

Warning Signs: The Moab Police Encounter

Friends who knew the couple saw a different side of their relationship, however. Rose Davis, who had become close to Gabby in Florida, later told investigators that Brian could be controlling and manipulative. In interviews after Petito’s disappearance, Rose described incidents where he would allegedly take Petito’s ID to prevent her from going out with friends, revealing a different side to their relationship than what appeared on social media.

The strain of constant travel and close quarters began to show by early August. Jaye Foster, another traveler who met the couple in Moab, Utah, recalled them seeming happy but noted tension beneath the surface.

But on August 12, in the tourist town of Moab, Utah, the facade cracked. A concerned citizen’s 911 call would later prove prophetic: “I’d like to report a domestic dispute… the gentleman was slapping the girl… they ran up and down the sidewalk, he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off.”

When Moab police officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Scott Robbins caught up with the white van near Arches National Park, they encountered a scene that would later be scrutinized by millions. Their body cameras captured Gabby in severe emotional distress, while Brian appeared eerily calm and collected.

The body camera footage showed a distraught Petito speaking with officers through tears. She explained that they had been arguing that morning and described her stress over starting a travel blog. The footage captured her stating that Laundrie didn’t believe she could succeed with her social media aspirations.

Officer Robbins noted in his report that “at no point in my investigation did Gabrielle stop crying, breathing heavily, or compose a sentence without needing to wipe away tears.” Meanwhile, Brian spoke casually with officers, sometimes even laughing, as he described the incident as a minor dispute that got out of hand.

The responding officers, interpreting the situation as a mental health crisis rather than domestic violence, made the fateful decision to separate the couple for the night. Brian checked into a hotel while Gabby kept the van. The officers’ body camera footage captured a final exchange that would later haunt viewers – Gabby asking them to tell Brian she loved him and not to forget his phone charger.

The Final Days: What We Know

Just five days after the Moab incident, Brian made a surprising move that would later raise questions among investigators. He flew back to Florida alone, leaving Gabby in Salt Lake City with the van. The explanation for this unexpected trip wouldn’t come until much later, when the Laundrie family’s attorney, Steven Bertolino, revealed that Brian had returned to Tampa from August 17-23 to empty a storage unit and “save money,” as the couple was considering extending their road trip.

During this separation, Gabby stayed at a hotel near Salt Lake City Airport, continuing to work on her travel blog and social media presence. Those who interacted with her during this time would later describe her as anxious about being alone but determined to make her influencer dreams a reality.

The photo showed Gabby in front of a butterfly mural, her blonde hair falling past her shoulders as she smiled at the camera. She wore a gray tank top and was positioned in front of a colorful wall in what appeared to be a small Western town. No one looking at that final post could have guessed it would soon become evidence in a case that would grip the nation.

As August drew to a close, the carefully curated social media narrative began to unravel. Gabby’s regular calls and texts to her mother, Nicole Schmidt, became sporadic and increasingly strange. Their last FaceTime call on August 25 seemed normal enough – Gabby told her mom they were leaving Utah and heading to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. But the texts that followed would later raise alarm bells.

On August 27, Schmidt received what she would later describe as an “odd” text from her daughter’s phone, asking about her grandfather, Stan. “Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls,” the message read. Schmidt would later tell investigators that Gabby never referred to her grandfather by his first name, setting off the first of many red flags that something was terribly wrong.

That same day, witnesses would later report seeing the couple at a restaurant called Merry Piglets in Jackson, Wyoming. The interaction they described painted a troubling picture – Brian allegedly arguing with staff, appearing agitated, while Gabby apologized for his behavior through tears. It would be one of the last confirmed sightings of Gabby Petito alive.

The events of August 27, 2021, would later prove crucial to understanding Gabby Petito’s final days. That afternoon, at the Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant in Jackson, Wyoming, Nina Celie Angelo and her boyfriend Matthew England witnessed what they later described to investigators as a disturbing scene.

That same evening, between 6:00 and 6:30 PM, travel bloggers Jenn and Kyle Bethune’s dashcam captured footage of Petito’s distinctive white van parked at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area. The Bethunes wouldn’t realize the significance of their footage until weeks later when they reviewed their videos and recognized the van from news coverage. The van appeared to be unoccupied, though the back door closed as they drove past.

Disappearance and National Search

The next two days brought more unusual sightings. Multiple witnesses reported encounters with Brian Laundrie alone – a stark contrast to the couple’s previous pattern of traveling together. Miranda Baker came forward with a detailed account of picking up Laundrie while he was hitchhiking on August 29.

Baker reported that Laundrie claimed he had been camping alone for days while Petito worked on their social media presence from their van. According to Baker’s account to investigators, Laundrie became agitated when she mentioned they were heading to Jackson. He asked to be let out of the vehicle, and after exiting, quickly disappeared.

Later that same evening, another witness, Norma Jean Jalovec, reported giving Laundrie a ride. According to her account to People magazine, Laundrie told her that he and his fiancée lived in a van, were traveling cross-country, and blogging about their adventures. She described him becoming “antsy” as they approached the Spread Creek camping area, insisting on getting out before they reached the entrance.

The changes in Petito’s communication patterns during these final days would later raise serious concerns. Her mother, Nichole Schmidt, had maintained regular contact with her daughter throughout the trip through multiple channels – phone calls, FaceTime, and text messages. Their last FaceTime conversation on August 25 seemed normal enough, with Petito excited about their next destination.

But then came the texts that Schmidt would later tell investigators felt wrong. The final text arrived on August 30: “No service in Yosemite.” This message raised immediate red flags for the family. Not only was Yosemite thousands of miles from their last known location near Grand Teton National Park, but the message felt uncharacteristic of Petito’s usual communication style. Her family would later tell investigators they believed someone else had sent that text.

On September 1, surveillance cameras captured the white Ford Transit van entering Florida. Brian Laundrie arrived at his parents’ home in North Port, driving Petito’s van, but Petito was nowhere to be seen. For the next ten days, while Petito’s family grew increasingly desperate to contact their daughter, life in North Port appeared to continue normally for the Laundries.

According to their attorney, Steven Bertolino, Brian and his parents even went camping at Fort De Soto Park from September 6-7. He described it as a brief overnight trip, with all three Laundries returning home together. This casual family outing would later face intense scrutiny as investigators and the public questioned how the family could vacation while Petito was missing.

During this period, Petito’s family made repeated attempts to contact both Gabby and the Laundries. Their mounting concern turned to panic as calls and texts went unanswered.

On September 11, the Petito family took action. They filed a missing person report with Suffolk County Police in New York, officially launching the investigation that would soon captivate the nation. The case quickly focused on North Port, Florida, where police attempted to question Laundrie about his fiancée’s whereabouts.

But they encountered immediate resistance. When officers arrived at the Laundrie home, they were referred to the family’s attorney. Bertolino issued a statement that would only intensify public interest in the case: “On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family.” The statement struck many as oddly formal and detached, given the close relationship between the families.

The Heartbreaking Discovery

North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor would later reveal the frustration law enforcement faced. When they attempted to speak with Brian on September 11, they were handed a piece of paper with their attorney’s contact information. This marked the beginning of what Taylor described as a pattern of non-cooperation that would hinder the investigation.

The case took another dramatic turn on September 17, when the Laundrie family reported Brian missing. According to their account, he had left home on September 14 (a date they would later correct to September 13) saying he was going hiking in the Carlton Reserve. He carried only a backpack and, according to his family, left his wallet and phone behind.

The timing of this report raised immediate suspicions. It came just hours before police arrived at the Laundrie home with a search warrant, leading many to question whether Brian had truly gone hiking or had fled to avoid questioning. The family’s delay in reporting his disappearance – waiting three days to tell authorities – added to the growing public skepticism about their actions.

Two days later, the FBI confirmed through forensic analysis that the remains were indeed Petito’s. The Teton County Coroner, Dr. Brent Blue, would later determine she died by manual strangulation, placing her time of death in late August. The idyllic “van life” journey that had begun with such promise in July had ended in tragedy, while the search for answers – and for Brian Laundrie – was about to intensify in ways nobody could have predicted.

The Manhunt for Brian Laundrie

As September 2021 wore on, the search for Brian Laundrie evolved into one of the most intense manhunts in recent American history. The Carlton Reserve, a vast 25,000-acre wilderness area in Florida, became the focal point of a massive search operation. Law enforcement deployed drones, tracking dogs, and infrared cameras while navigating the challenging terrain of waist-deep water, thick vegetation, and wildlife.

Meanwhile, on September 23, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Laundrie. The charge wasn’t for Petito’s death, but for unauthorized use of a debit card, using a Capital One card and PIN number to make unauthorized withdrawals worth more than $1,000 between August 30 and September 1. The FBI would later confirm this was Petito’s card.

The FBI’s involvement expanded the scope of the investigation. Teams methodically searched the sprawling Carlton Reserve while following up on hundreds of reported sightings across multiple states. Even reality TV personality Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman joined the search, showing up unannounced at the Laundrie family home.

North Port Police faced mounting criticism when they admitted to a crucial mistake in their surveillance. Spokesperson Josh Taylor revealed that officers had mistaken Roberta Laundrie, Brian’s mother, for Brian himself during their monitoring of the home in mid-September. They had observed someone driving Brian’s Mustang back to the house and assumed it was him, only to learn later it was his mother wearing a baseball cap.

The role of Laundrie’s parents became a focus of intense public scrutiny. Chris and Roberta Laundrie maintained their silence except through their attorney, even as protesters gathered outside their home daily. Their camping trip to Fort De Soto Park with Brian in early September, after he returned without Petito, raised particular suspicion.

In an area that had previously been underwater, they discovered items belonging to Brian, including a backpack and notebook. A further search by law enforcement revealed human remains nearby. The following day, dental records confirmed what many had suspected – the remains were Brian Laundrie’s.

The notebook found near Laundrie’s remains would provide the answers many had been seeking. The FBI later revealed that it contained written statements where Laundrie claimed responsibility for Petito’s death. According to the FBI’s statement, he wrote, “I ended her life,” describing it as a merciful act that he immediately regretted.

The medical examiner determined Laundrie had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The timing suggested he had likely died by suicide in mid-September, possibly soon after disappearing into the reserve.

Case Conclusion and Legacy

The case that had captivated the nation concluded with dual tragedies, but its impact continued to resonate. The Gabby Petito Foundation was established by her family to support organizations that assist victims of domestic violence and help locate missing persons.

The case also sparked important conversations about domestic violence, with experts pointing to the Moab police stop as a missed opportunity to intervene. The city of Moab launched an independent investigation into their officers’ handling of the August 12 incident, leading to recommendations for changes in domestic violence response protocols.

Additionally, the intensive media coverage of Petito’s disappearance highlighted disparities in attention given to missing persons cases, particularly those involving people of color or indigenous women. Advocates used the moment to call for equal media attention for all missing persons.

In November 2022, Petito’s family was awarded $3 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against Laundrie’s estate. They announced the money would go to the Gabby Petito Foundation to help other families of missing persons.

The “van life” journey that began with such promise in July 2021 had exposed darker truths about domestic violence, law enforcement responses, and media coverage. Gabby Petito’s story, while ending in tragedy, sparked changes that would help protect others and ensure that future victims might be saved before it’s too late.