Why Gabby Petito Got So Many Warnings About Brian Laundrie
From all outward appearances, Gabby Petito was living the dream life of a social media influencer when she embarked on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. She chronicled the couple's adventures on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, where her followers can still admire aesthetically pleasing photos snapped during visits to scenic locations, like Mystic Hot Springs in Utah and the Monument Rocks landmark in Kansas.
For weeks, Petito and Laundrie traveled together in a white Ford Transit van. But, as reported by the Associated Press, Laundrie was alone when he returned home to Florida on September 1. Ten days later, Petito's family reported her missing. Her story quickly captured the attention of the media, true crime enthusiasts, and internet sleuths eager to help uncover the truth about her disappearance. According to WFLA, a family of vloggers actually filmed Petito's van at a camping area near Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming on August 27. They reported the sighting to the FBI, and a body was discovered in the vicinity on September 19 (via ABC4).
The remains were later confirmed to be those of Petito. On September 21, the FBI tweeted that the Teton County Coroner had ruled her death a homicide. Laundrie has been named a person of interest, but law enforcement has been unable to track him down. As the search continues, reports of his alarming past behavior have surfaced and sparked a nationwide conversation about the warning signs of domestic abuse.
Brian Laundrie allegedly got 'aggressive' with female employees at a restaurant
On August 27, Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie stopped at The Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Witnesses later recalled seeing the couple there thanks to Laundrie's memorable interactions with the waitstaff. While speaking to Fox News, diner Nina Angelo said that he was being "aggressive" and appeared to be arguing with the eatery's employees about his bill. She told CNN his behavior left the couple's waitress noticeably upset. The three people he confronted were reportedly women.
Angelo described the scene in further detail in a video posted to her Instagram stories, per Newsweek. "He walked back in, like, four more times to talk to the manager and to, like, tell the hostess off," she said. Meanwhile, Petito was outside crying on the sidewalk. Angelo's boyfriend, Matthew England, also remembered seeing the couple and described Petito as being "visibly upset" over the incident. According to Angelo, the influencer apologized to the waitstaff for her fiancé's behavior.
England shared his account with the FBI, and a manager at The Merry Piglets confirmed that she also reported the incident to the law enforcement agency. Petito and Laundrie's tense visit to the restaurant happened two days after she shared her final Instagram post on August 25: a series of smiling photos snapped in front of a butterfly mural in Ogden, Utah.
A female park ranger warned Gabby Petito about her relationship with Brian Laundrie
Two weeks before Gabby Petito's fiancé caused a scene at The Merry Piglets, she shed more tears while listening to a female National Park Service ranger tell her that her relationship with Brian Laundrie was not a healthy one. Melissa Hulls was one of the officers who arrived at the scene in response to a call about a potential domestic assault. Petito and Laundrie were traveling near Arches National Park when they were pulled over by officers from the Moab Police Department. Body camera footage showed a tearful Petito talking about how she and Laundrie had been "fighting all morning." She also apologized for scratching his face outside a grocery store and told the officers that she feared he was going to leave her there. No one was charged, but the officers took Laundrie to a hotel so the couple could spend the night apart.
Hulls told Deseret News that she took Petito aside and told her that her relationship appeared to be "toxic." "I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship, asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life," she recalled. She also described Petito as being "anxious" about being apart from Laundrie.
One of Gabby Petito's friends thought Brian Laundrie was 'controlling'
Unfortunately, the Moab police officers who spoke to Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie were unaware of key information that possibly would have changed the way they handled the situation. As reported by Fox News, they did not know that a witness had reported seeing Laundrie hitting Petito before they were pulled over. Melissa Hulls was also left wondering if she could have saved Petito by saying something different to her. "It's hard not to second-guess myself, and wish I said more, or wish I had found the right words to make her believe that she deserved more," she told Deseret News.
Rose Davis, a close friend of Petito, agreed with Hulls' assessment of her relationship with Laundrie. She also described it as "toxic" and told People that he seemed to have "a jealousy problem." "I just thought he was just controlling," she said. Unfortunately, sometimes victims of domestic abuse don't see the red flags. Natasha Adler, a SafeHouse Denver domestic violence advocate, explained to 9News how they often miss what seems so obvious to others. "They are gaslit by their partner and say 'No, this is normal. This is what love looks like,'" she said.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.