Gabby Petito was strangled to death, the Teton County Coroner’s Office announced on Tuesday, just about a month after her remains were found in Bridger-Teton National Forest. In a press conference, Dr. Brent Blue announced that her cause of death was strangulation and the manner of death was homicide. No further information was or will be released due to a Wyoming state statute, he said. This includes autopsy photos or other materials.
- Petito was murdered roughly three or four weeks prior to when her body was found. Petito was reported missing by her family on September 11, though the last time they heard from her was sometime in late August, around August 29th. Her remains were discovered on September 19, which would track with that, as the last time her parents heard from Gabby was exactly three weeks prior.
- Her death certificate has not yet been completed. WFLA-TV reports that due to much of the uncertainty surrounding Petito’s death, the death certificate remains incomplete. This is despite the fact that “death certificates in the state of Wyoming allow for approximate dates and a variability in those dates.” Blue said that it’s unlikely an exact date of death will ever appear on the death certificate.
- Meanwhile, Brian Laundrie is still on the loose. Petito’s fiance left her behind (potentially already dead by his hands) and came all the way back to Florida, using her debit card along the way. The FBI Denver office announced that the US District Court of Wyoming has an arrest warrant out for Laundrie “related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito.” Conveniently, he has also been “missing” since September 14 (though his parents didn’t report this until September 17).
- This is incredibly sad and justice needs to be done. Laundrie needs to be found and, if found guilty in a court of law, needs to be held responsible for his crimes. Here’s hoping Gabby Petito’s family is able to find peace in these horrific times. Knowing your daughter is no longer alive is hard enough, but knowing that she was strangled makes it even worse.
