In a case of the magnitude of 22-year-old Gabby Petito involving multiple states, cities and locations, where do detectives begin?
Investigators describe this case as unraveling a mystery with many pieces to this puzzle.
Police in Utah responded to an altercation between Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito and her fiancé just weeks before she was reported missing, according to a police report released Wednesday. Petito, 22, was on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.
On August 12, officers with the Moad City Police Department responded to the scene near Arches National Park. A responding officer wrote that Petito, Laundrie and a witness all gave similar stories — Petito began slapping Laundrie after an unspecified argument and Laundrie then “grabbed her face and pushed her back.”
The officer wrote the couple said they loved each other and did not want to press charges. There were no significant injuries and the couple agreed that the incident was more of a mental “break” instead of a domestic assault. A second officer decided to separate the couple for the night, taking Laundrie to a hotel, while Petito left in her van.
Laundrie, 32, told police the couple had been traveling on the road for four to five months, which created an “emotional strain” and led to increasing arguments. The officer said Petito was in a “confused and emotional” state throughout her interview with officers.
An attorney for Petito’s family sent CBS News the following statement regarding the Utah incident: “Gabby’s family was instructed by law enforcement to not discuss the details of Gabby and Brian’s relationship.” Laundrie’s family has not yet responded.
Earlier Wednesday, police in North Port, Florida, identified Laundrie as a person of interest in the disappearance and said he has not “made himself available to be interviewed by investigators,” nor has he provided details that could be helpful to their search.
Petito is last believed to have been in Grand Teton, Wyoming, after visiting Utah. Police said the couple traveled in her white 2012 Ford Transit van, which Laundrie drove back home without her on September 1 — 10 days before Petito was reported missing.
Her mother, Nicole Schmidt, said she last video chatted with Petito on August 23 or 24. She received a final text from her daughter’s phone on August 30 but has said she was uncertain if the message was actually from her daughter.
“It is a mystery in the truest sense because you have no idea. You can’t go into a situation like this assuming you know how it’s going to play out because, really, you don’t,” said private investigator, John Allman.
The 51-year-old knows a lot about cases like these, working with law firms and law enforcement for more than a decade.
He says, right now, one of the biggest questions that needs answering is what was the mindset of Gabby when she was last seen.
“By trying to understand the mindset of an individual when they were last seen by people is critical because it can tell you if they have been looking to escape, to go somewhere by themselves,” Allman asked.
The former investigative reporter also knows that in asking the question, where’s Gabby, there are many possible answers.
“The goal is always to just locate the person that has gone missing. you hope that they’re safe, and they just needed to step away for a minute,” Allman explained.
He tells 8 On Your Side, in a case like this, investigators typically begin at the end and start with the last place a person was seen, then backtrack.
Former federal prosecutor Stephen Crawford agrees.
“Law enforcement gets to a position where they know who did it, but then they’ve got to figure out how to prove it. And, that’s where they are,” Crawford said.
The longtime Tampa attorney, now in private practice, says there’s a lot of work for detectives.
He also said since Gabby’s fiancé is simply a person of interest and has hired an attorney, the young man cannot be compelled to talk.
“This is a case that if it turns out, unfortunately, the way it’s looking, it’ll be prosecuted locally wherever they find what they find,” said Crawford.
Amid all the uncertainty, questions and theories in the case, both men say their hearts go out to both families and hope Gabby is found safe.
