Gabby Petito: The Untold Story | Full Episode

foreign [Music] what comes to mind a young aspiring blogger who love life love Adventures now a girl who was on the cusp of beginning life and whose life was tragically taken from her the FBI announcing a medical examiner says the body found in Wyoming was indeed that of Gabby Patito the coroner calling her death a homicide Brian laundry I believe made his decision to kill himself after he had killed Gabby potato investigators say human remains found in Florida this week are those of Brian laundry person of interest in the death of his fiancee Gabby petito

Gabby potato has been gone for over a year now is this case over no this case is far from over my name is Mary full geniti and I'm a former Federal prosecutor and defense attorney there are still a lot of questions for Gabby's parents the primary one being would Gabby Patito still be alive today if the case have been handled differently we came to know Gabby potito and Brian laundry because they were putting themselves out there in social media documenting their travels throughout America this young couple in love living out of their van seeing what

the world had to offer living the dream foreign my name is Dr Chris mohandi and I'm a forensic psychologist but what we come to learn is that that was a veneer all the chocolate mountains it's a river of chocolate much as I know Gabby and feel like I know Brian you just never know when it comes to relationships we've been lucky so far at all the places we've stayed but I'd say this is one of the best so far one that's met the two of them has been like they seem like such a nice couple

a lot of couples look nice on Instagram about a month into their trip Gabby and Brian have a lot of arguments it gets physical a witness reports it to the Moab police hey how are you they respond and now we see that there's trouble in Paradise but I didn't want anything to breather I'm fine but I look good I hope she doesn't have too many complaints about me I'm just uh so I I feel bad I can get so comfortable when you look back could that Moab police stop than a game changer oh absolutely it's

hard not to wonder what would have happened uh to Gabby if either Gabby or Brian had been arrested that day two people went on a trip one person returned and that person that returned isn't providing us any information foreign we believe the circumstantial evidence demonstrates that the laundry family was aware that their son had murdered Gabby and that they were aware of the location of her remains they refused to communicate to the petito family as human beings How could somebody not pick up that phone and say I'm so sorry we don't know what happened what

can we do to help and the only reason why you wouldn't is if obviously something went a foul Gabby is the most amazing person I've ever met I've never felt a pain like this I have screamed into the air what happened because I I want answers [Music] we will get Justice for her no matter what [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] foreign trip in the summer of 2021 started as an adventure story I love the van months later it turned into a nationwide search for a missing woman the search for missing 22 year old Gabby potito

is now a multi-state effort before ending here earlier today human remains were discovered with the discovery of her remains and Grand Teton National Park it has now become a cautionary tale ultimately her death will hopefully lead to many women being rescued and saved from these situations well before it gets to murder former prosecutor and CBS consultant Mary fulginiti says Gabby's story is really about recognizing the warning signs of domestic violence which are often hard to read there are people who believe that Gabby patito's story didn't have to end the way it did if only the

warning signs have been picked up on would it have been different [Music] to most eyes Gabby potito and her fiance Brian laundry were compatible in every way never goes outside coolest chick you ever met man by far she's just gonna make you she's gonna make you smile Gabby's dad Joseph coolest chick you ever met simple deck 22 years old a New York girl from Long Island an appetite for adventure she knew she wanted to take this trip her mom Nicole Schmidt she had told me about it probably a year before it started buying stretching doing

some morning yoga Brian's very charismatic he always comes off as such a sweet person and just kind of like I'm here one of Gabby's close friends Rose Davis they met soon after Gabby moved to Florida she texted me one of the sweetest messages I think I've ever got from someone and it was just like you seem so cool I really want to be your friend and I was just absolutely they made tick tock videos together for fun Rose says Gabby was good friends with Brian back in high school in New York then after Brian moved

to Florida Gabby moved there too to be closer to him I always told her her life is kind of like a movie because I was just like this happens in movies soon they were in love and living together she'd let me know what they did and you know he he'd make her breakfast and it was always such a cute little thing and they did cute little dinners in July of 2020 they got engaged they even got tattoos together but Rose says Brian could sometimes exhibit what she calls toxic traits we spoke to Rose when Gabby

was first reported missing when Brian wants something he's gonna get it and I don't mean in a physical way he's gonna force it he's just gonna I don't want people to say I'm calling him a full manipulator but he'll manipulate the situation to get what he wants out of it and you know he didn't want her to go out one night with me and he stole her ID because you can't get into the bar without your ID and you know this was really upsetting to her you know you're you're engaged it's not you know it's

not supposed to be like that but the couple seem to put any drama behind them as they got ready for their Adventure Gabby worked hard at Taco Bell and with Brian at Publix Supermarket saving money for their trip they've bought the van they converted it the goal was to spend four or five months crisscrossing the country having Adventures even working on organic farms and chronicling it all in real time on social media she was just like I want to document this this is so cool to be doing and she just kind of yeah kind of

like a vlogger just let everyone know what she was up to she was excited starting her van life digital Journey where she's creating this whole you know following of van lipers and that's what she was really into at the moment they rolled out officially on July 2nd Gabby posted constantly hello hello and good morning every little detail you can't keep chocolate in Utah not in July but all those selfies may have been hiding a darker story there's everything behind the scenes you don't know six weeks into their trip on the afternoon of August 12th in

Utah near the Arches National Park Gabby and Brian's Instagram road trip came to a shuttering stop driver is showing some obscure driving possibly intoxicated it was around 4 45 in the afternoon according to this police officer's body cam currently doing 45 miles an hour zoned through here is 25. oh subjects just hit the curb correction speed limit is 15. what's your guys's names Gabby Brian okay it was the stop that could have changed everything [Music] [Music] thank you Grand County Sheriff's Office this 9-1-1 call was made on August 12 2021 in Moab Utah four weeks

before Gabby Patito was reported missing we're driving by and I'd like to report a domestic dispute the caller reports seeing what appeared to be an alarming confrontation between Gabby and Brian Florida license plate white land what were they doing uh we drove by and the gentleman was clapping the girl he was slapping her yes and then we stopped they ran up and down the sidewalk he proceeded to hit her hopped in the car and they drove off officers from the Moab Police Department are dispatched and within minutes Gabby and Brian's white van spotted driving erratically

outside the Arches National Park they're pulled over the officers separate the couple and begin questioning them Gabby is visibly shaken yeah I don't know it's just some days I have really bad OCD and okay I just I was just cleaning and straight to get back at the end before and I was apologizing to him and saying I'm sorry that I'm so mean because that I'm trying to start a blog I don't know he's like I don't know I don't know we've been fighting all morning and he wouldn't let me in the car before and then

why wouldn't you let you in the car because your OCD tell me what's going on you see this gets worked up sometimes and I try and really business myself bummers like I locked your car and I walked away from her Ryan tells police that Gabby attacked him scratching his face and his arm as she tried to get back into the van I know I sent a question I'm just trying to push the way to go let's take a minute step back and breathe and we see if she got me with your phone people that came

to us and told us that they saw him hit you another officer asked Gabby for more details about what happened well to be honest I definitely give him an emergency or did you hit him I stopped he stopped him first and then it's on his face how many times did you slap a little Romeo India and then his reaction was to do what yeah he just grabbed you yeah did he did he hit you though I mean I mean it's okay if you're saying you hit him and then I understand if he hit you but

we want to know the truth if he actually hit you because you know I guess yeah but ice cream first where did he hit you don't worry just be honestly it's like I guess he didn't hit me in the face like really anything do you slap your face or what yes like with his nail and I guess that's why it looks I normally have a cut right here because I could peel it yeah especially friends the officers never directly asked Brian if he slapped or hit Gabby they also didn't talk to the 9-1-1 caller who

reported seeing Brian hit Gabby but one of the officers did speak with a second eyewitness that day the witnesses I never saw him hit her I saw him shove her but I couldn't tell you if it was and aggression against her or a defense against her so at this point from what unless the guy's screaming that he needs to go to jail and did something to this girl it sounds to me like see the primary aggressor in Utah if officers find evidence of a domestic violence assault they are required to make an arrest or issue

a citation an independent investigation would later conclude that the officers did not have a clear understanding of the law very important question how you answer this question is going to determine what happens next but the only person that's going to answer this question is you they mistakenly believe that Gabby had to intend to harm Brian to require an arrest when you slapped him those times were you attempting to cause him physical pain or physical impairment was that what you were attempting to do what were you what were you attempting to do what is the reason

behind the slapping and stuff what was what was it you were attempting to accomplish by slap I'm trying to get one of the stocks what doesn't sound to me like she tends to be interested ultimately officers on the scene decided to separate the couple for the night I'm gonna give you the keys to Savannah Gabby was told to stay with the van I'm giving him a ride over to the hotel as the assumed victim Brian was sent to a hotel I really appreciate it thank you so much for everything no problem no one was arrested

or issued a citation forensic psychologist Chris mohandi has worked closely with law enforcement on issues of domestic violence the officers that responded to Gabby and Brian were compassionate their hearts were in the right place of wanting to help they were trying to do what they mistakenly believed was the right thing by cutting them a break weeks later when the body cam footage was released there was a public uproar newly released video shows what looks like the aftermath of an argument between Gabby Patito and Brian laundry for her friend Rose those images were almost impossible to

watch it takes a lot for her to get that hysterical I'm perfectly calm all the time and he really stresses me out and so when I saw the body cam I knew it was more than just a little argument she's not gonna slap him for no reason so the 9-1-1 call Drew outrage he was slapping her followers of the story on social media erupted in anger my blood is boiling at how they failed this poor girl all I know is this didn't have to end like this police missed an opportunity mohandi says the officers seem

to miss signs of domestic abuse and Gabby accepting the blame and I was apologizing to him and saying I'm sorry that I'm so mean because in a domestically violent relationship it's not uncommon for one party to take the blame for what really is the behavior of the other party the independent investigator later wrote that it's very likely that Gabby was a long-term victim of domestic violence the ramifications of the officer's actions during that stop would play out in the days ahead and months later would be questioned by Gabby's parents and their lawyers [Music] just days

after that traffic stop Gabby and Brian were back on the road headed north to Salt Lake City it rained all afternoon yesterday on August 19th Gabby posted an edited eight-minute video showing their journey together it is really nice and sunny today the video showed no signs of any tension between Gabby and Bryant [Applause] later Gabby told her mom they were leaving Utah and driving to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming she was happy she was excited to keep going on her journey and um that was the last time I spoke to her verbally [Music] on

August 25th Gabby posted a series of photos on Instagram in front of a butterfly mural in Ogden Utah it would be her final post on Instagram [Music] [Music] never goes outside the Instagram post on August 25th 2021 was the last time Gabby potito would publish on social media and shortly after she said she and Brian were headed to Grand Teton National Park Gabby's parents stopped hearing from her she seemed to have been in communication with her parents on a regular basis throughout the totality of this trip and they were checking in on her regularly then

on August 27 2021 her mother says she received a strange text message from Gabby's phone it read can you help Stan I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls Stan is Gabby's grandfather the mother thought it was odd because she never refers to a grandfather as Stan it was out of character and disconcerting but as far as the petito family knew Gabby and Brian were still together on their trip hi my name is Miranda Baker and on August 29th my boyfriend and I picked up Brian at Grand Teton National Park at 5 30 at

night at Coulter Bay 48 hours after Gabby's mother received that cryptic text Miranda Baker says she and her boyfriend picked up a man she believes was Brian laundry she says he was alone he approached us asking us for a ride because he needed to go to Jackson before he came in the car he offered to pay us like 200 to give him a ride like 10 miles so that was kind of weird he then told us he's been camping for multiple days without his fiance and that she was working on their social media page back

at their van [Music] suddenly says Miranda things took a turn when there was confusion over where they were going he freaked out he's like nope I need to get out right now like pull over we dropped him off at 609 pm on August 29th meanwhile Gabby's mother Nicole did receive one more text from Gabby's phone it said that there was no service in Yosemite the last text I received from her phone was August 30th are you confident that was from her or you're not sure I can't comment on that [Music] during Gabby's travels she had

been staying in touch with her friend Rose Davis Rose was expecting to hear from Gabby on her birthday so we talked and my birthday is August 29th so we decided call me then but no birthday call or text came I honestly didn't think anything of it when she didn't text me or anything because she's traveling cross-country and you know once it got it got later into it around like 8th and 9th of September that was the point where I was like she would have called me why haven't I heard from her yet what Rose did

not know was that on September 1st Brian laundry was back in North Port Florida he had driven the van there and he was alone the potato family knew none of this but they had already become alarmed when they stopped hearing from Gabby altogether and her cell phone had stopped working [Music] did you ever reach out to her boyfriend to figure out what happened and where where your daughter is we can't comments but Gabby's mother did reach out to police it was actually Friday the 10th that I decided to call police because I had had 10

days 10 almost 11 days was enough for me to not hear from my child and I got the run around nobody wanted to report her missing um she's an adult traveling but as a mother I said it's not like her finally that Saturday I um went personally to Suffolk County fifth Precinct and now this is where we are [Music] Gabby Patito was officially declared a missing person on September 11th just over two weeks after her last Instagram post as the nation remembered so many lives lost 20 years earlier the petito family focused on One Life

that of their missing daughter we're looking for her and only her not the van not the two of them just just her keep your eyes out and we'll find her that woman disappears on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend in a van on Monday September 13 2021 the story of Gabby potito's disappearance hit the news the parents of a missing woman from Long Island need help finding her Gabby's mom and stepdad Nicole and Jim Schmidt held up her photo for reporters he's 22 years old um she's an absolutely beautiful beautiful soul Inside and Out rose

Davis was devastated to see her friend's picture on TV my mom called me into her room and uh Gabby's face was all over the news and uh I kind of just went into shock [Music] what happened to Gabby potito once it became clear that Gabby potato had gone missing her mom and stepdad her father Joe petito and stepmom Tara set up a fine Gabby page where people could post tips and information she was reportedly last seen near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming around August 27 2021. home safe and sound I immediately immediately made like

a collage of all of our photos for a tick tock and posted the information Facebook Instagram everything within Days videos about Gabby's disappearance exploded across social media even people with no connection to Gabby join the search to help find her we are going to be going to the Grand Tetons to see if there's anything that we can do to help in the search of Gabby Patito you know the social media has been amazing watch it getting everybody to post it repost it we need for her to come back home and anything you guys can do

to help us get there is just appreciated and we just got to keep doing it for Gabby's parents this Spotlight in the media and online was invaluable but as former Federal prosecutor Mary fulginiti points out not all missing persons cases received this level of attention what was it about Gabby patito's story that resonated with so many people across the world you know there seems to be a tendency in these types of cases to give a disproportionate amount of attention to a certain type of individual and I think Gabby Patito was a young beautiful blonde blue

hide girl forensic psychologist Dr Chris mohandi this case you know is a bit of a commentary on who gets news attention Traction in social media there are people in these situations every single day that don't fit that description Native American communities you know gay communities are they being treated differently are they being ignored whether it's newsworthy or not shouldn't be dictated by somebody's color of skin because these stories if they rise to a level of notoriety I mean they really can help solve the mystery behind some of them but there was one person who wasn't

helping solve the mystery of what happened to Gabby Ryan laundry Northport Florida police spokesman Josh Taylor said investigators were frustrated neither he nor his parents would answer their questions even though Gabby had lived with them we were essentially handed the information for their attorney that is the extent of our conversation with them first word that popped in my brain was coward to be honest with you you're supposed to love her you're supposed to marry her where is she police confiscated the white Ford van searched it for evidence and then released it posting that Brian was

now a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance laundry family attorney Stephen bertolino spoke briefly to the Press on behalf of the laundry family I will hope that Miss Patito is located and that she's reunited with her family Gabby's parents responded through attorney Rick Stafford with a scathing letter we believe you know the location of where Brian left Gabby we beg you to tell us as a parent how could you let us go through this pain and not help us six days after Gabby was declared missing the laundry family reported that they didn't know where Brian

was they said he'd left for a hike at the Carlton Reserve days earlier [Music] police immediately began to comb the huge local park looking for Brian a massive search more than 50 officers and FBI agents combing a 24 000 acre park near Sarasota Florida looking for Brian laundry anger at the laundry family silence prompted protesters to gather outside the laundry home demanding answers while authorities were searching for Brian in Florida the search for Gabby in and around Wyoming intensified it was like a nationwide Hut too you know between social media and all the other avenues

and people were looking for the van people were looking for where it went when it went they were looking for Gabby Patito [Music] and in this case all of that social media attention ultimately helped investigators locate Gabby when Kyle and Jen Bethune came forward with information they had spotted Gabby and Brian's van the buffoons had been in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park around the time Gabby's family last heard from her on August 27 2021 the bethunes had their GoPros rolling for their YouTube channel when they went looking for a campground we're driving down this road

past this van and it had Florida plates however the van was completely dark we assumed that they were just out hiking or doing something else once the bethunes left the park they didn't think about the van again until late on Saturday September 18th when Jen checked her phone and was stunned to learn authorities now believed Gabby had been in the Tetons the very same night the bethunes were there Jen instantly remembered the white van and I immediately got Goosebumps all over my body I rushed back to the computer and I saw that white Speck of

van and I was like please keep going please keep going and it did and it got bigger and bigger we just some reason instantly knew that it was hers when I called the FBI I was like I have found Gabby's footage like patched me across to somebody like this is huge because I knew deep down what it was and I knew how important this footage would be to finding Gabby as instructed the bethunes uploaded their footage to the FBI website they also posted it on YouTube and Facebook just hours later came the devastating announcement earlier

today human remains were discovered consistent with the description of Gabrielle Gabby Patito [Music] the FBI says Gabby's remains were found at the spread Creek Camping Area inside Bridger Teton National Forest in Wyoming an autopsy confirmed the remains were Gabby's and the coroner determined her death was a homicide by manual strangulation we have no additional comments Gabby's family asked for privacy but her father Joe sent out a tweet that summed up the moment it read simply she touched the world hours after it was announced Gabby had been found over a dozen FBI agents and police officers

swarmed the home of Brian's parents police arrived the FBI arrived they were carrying a battering ram they also announced that they had a warrant I think seeing these FBI agents and police here you wonder do they now know where he is the next day Northport police the FBI and other agencies ramped up the search of the nature preserve near Brian's home trains very difficult essentially 75 percent of it's underwater 49 days after Brian had returned home without Gabby on October 20th 2021 the FBI made an announcement earlier today investigators found what appeared to be human

remains an autopsy revealed Brian laundry had died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head and there was something else along with personal items such as a backpack and notebook belonging to Brian Landry that notebook contained writings from Brian explaining what he says really happened to Gabby potito writing I ended her life I thought it was merciful [Music] foreign [Music] Landry put a bullet through his head he wrote a story describing how Gabby potito died it was dark they were running across the stream she must have fell and hurt herself and he went to help her

but she seemed to be in extreme pain in that small notebook found in a dry bag near Brian's remains he wrote I ended her life I thought it was merciful that it is what she wanted but I see now all the mistakes I made self-serving narrative that portrayed that there had been an accident and that there have been a mercy killing by him of her because she was suffering Ryan's stretching it speaks to selfishness and a degree of narcissism that it was important for other people looked at him his image you know he had the

last word while Gabby's parents will never see Brian laundry face a jury they are seeking their own version of Justice they are suing Brian's estate for wrongful death and his parents for intentional infliction of emotional distress Attorney Patrick Reilly it's our belief that the laundry family was aware that Brian had murdered Gabby and was aware where her body was located [Music] Riley says that belief is based on information from the FBI he says the FBI believes that Gabby was murdered on August 27 2021 and that Brian made a lengthy phone call to his parents on

the 28th he says according to the FBI Brian's parents then contacted an attorney that same day how damning is that why would they get an attorney so fast very it's very damning it doesn't pass the smell test the laundry's attorney issued a statement denying the allegations made in the lawsuits and saying this lawsuit does not change the fact that the laundries had no obligation to speak to law enforcement or any third party including the potato family but there's more says Riley a letter allegedly written to Brian by his mother Roberta laundry Riley says he and

Gabby's mom read it while reviewing evidence at the FBI's Tampa office there was one part that sticks out which is if you go to prison I'll bake a cake with a shiv in it and by the way the envelope that the letter came in had written on the front of it Burn After Reading if it can be proven when and if Brian's mother did it write that letter it could be very damaging says Mary fulginiti because it shows the mindset of the mother she'll do anything to protect her child in addition to the pending cases

in Florida Gabby's parents are in the process of filing a lawsuit against the Moab Police Department how's it going how are you doing relating to how they handled that domestic violence stop with Gabby and Brian attorney Brian Stewart the family believes that Gabby would still be alive today if the police officers had had the proper training and had followed the law in how they responded to Gabby's situation hey how are you according to Stewart the body cam footage shows there was a fundamental problem the very best thing I can do is call my supervisor and

see if I'm missing something here it's clear that the officers did not have a clear understanding of the law that they were supposed to enforce that day try to calm down and I'm gonna go call a supervisor the Moab Police Department commissioned the captain of another Utah police department to conduct that independent review of the officer's actions that day among the report's conclusions there was probable cause for an arrest by choosing not to apply the statute and effect and arrest the officers left Gabby and Brian in a dangerous situation the report cited other intentional mistakes

says Mary fulginiti they didn't follow up with a key witness which is the 9-1-1 caller they did not follow up with questions to Brian Landry about whether or not he grabbed her face or grabbed her arm they didn't document Gabby's wounds photographically or in the report Mary full geniti believes they also missed some classic telltale signs of domestic violence when he was a girl who was hysterically crying who was immediately taking the blame who is also trying to minimize her boyfriend's actions all of this while he remained calm cool and collected through his interview so

I think if you look at that in the totality it had all those things been addressed we might have had a different outcome here you know this could have been a game changer we don't know for sure we'll never know but certainly intervention would have been more possible under that scenario one of the officers involved told the independent investigator after Gabby's death quote I would have done anything to stop it if I would have known that was coming what happened what's going on in a statement the city of Moab said it believed the officers showed

kindness you want to come stand in the shade respect and empathy and their handling of this incident on your way alrighty the city intends to implement the recommendations of the independent review which include more domestic violence investigation related training and legal training to ensure officers understand Utah's state laws the attorneys for Gabby's parents insists their lawsuits are not about money they're about raising awareness Gabby's mother Nicole recently told the Associated Press I get people messaging me all the time if they were inspired by her to get out of a relationship and I think that in

and of itself is a huge huge victory for a family that has sadly uh encountered such tragedy but there can be is bright lights that come out of these bad circumstances and if there is one to be shined here it will be hopefully that there will be young girls out there that say you know what I'm gonna walk away I'm not going to stay or I'm going to get myself the help I need to get the strength to walk away foreign doing in death what she did in life I've always described her as this light

you know she'll do everything to bring the light out in you and if she can't she'll give you some of hers [Music] foreign of falling out with a student she attacked him on social media he says she drove him to do it now the verdict 48 Hours next on CBS