GABBY Petito spent her final days FaceTiming with family and visiting national landmarks as she continued on her cross-country road trip with fiance Brian Laundrie.
22-year-old vlogger had captured their journey using the hashtag VanLife.
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They had planned to end their trip in October in Oregon, documenting each stage of the adventure online with pictures and video blogs of their time together.
After Laundrie returned to North Port with his family on September 1, Gabby’s Instagram posts stopped. This was quickly followed by concerns about Gabby’s safety.
WORST FEARS
Gabby’s family’s worst fears were confirmed on Sunday when a body was found at a national park in Wyoming.
A coroner confirmed the body to be Gabby’s two days later, stating that the initial cause of death was homicide.
Brian is still missing after being identified as a person in interest in the case.
Gabby and her fiancé had started their trip in June. Gabby posted photos showing herself naked in Gove County (Kansas) as part of her journey.
She shared images from their trip through Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, and then later Utah’s Zion National Park.
She shared insights into their time on the road, writing: “Turning this Ford transit essentially into a camper was such an adventure in itself, but I couldn’t love the way it turned out more!”
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…
She added: “All the places it’s brought us so far have been amazing!”
In a separate post Gabby said: “We hiked up here in about 100° and it was so nice coming back to our campsite, watching the sky fill with dark clouds, and view the lightning storm in the nice cool air of the light rain.
On July 22 she shared: “Rain sounds like a negative thing when camping, but after coming back from a strenuous long hike in the sun with no shade for miles, it’s nice to lay listening to the cold rain hit your tent and fight (Laundrie) for the blanket.”
YOUTUBE LAUNCHED
The couple launched their YouTube channel Nomadic Static on August 19, sharing highlights from their time together.
A police report from the same month details how they were pulled over by officers, who separated the couple for the night.
Video released by the Moab police showed that an officer pulled the couple’s van over on the same day after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near Arches National Park.
The body-camera footage revealed an upset Gabby.
The couple posted more idyllic content on August 19, sharing a video to their YouTube channel.
SPEAKS WITH MOM & DAD
Gabby’s dad Joe said he last spoke with his daughter two days later, saying he helped her with her blog.
Joe told KSL: “There was a power outage. She said she didn’t have WiFi, so I ordered her some food. I know it was in Salt Lake City. It was the last time I spoke to her.”
Three days later, on August 24, Gabby was last seen leaving at a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Petito called Nicole Schmidt, her mom, via FaceTime on August 24. This would be their last conversation. They spoke three times per week for the duration of their trip.
Schmidt toldCBS New York: “At least three times a week we would FaceTime, call, text frequently. She kept me updated on this whole trip.”
FINAL INSTA POST
A final post to Gabby’s Instagram came on August 25, showing pictures of Gabby holding a knitted pumpkin.
A day later Jessica Schultz claims to have noticed Gabby’s white Ford Transit van several times while camping out at Spread Creek in Wyoming between August 22 and 29.
Gabby’s body was later found at Spread Creek.
Then on August 27 came the message from Gabby’s phone which read: “Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls.”
Gabby’s family said that message strikes them as odd as she was referring to her own grandfather as Stan.
Nina Celie Angelo, a Wyoming waitress called Merry Piglets, said that Brian was involved in an intense argument with her.
Angelo said that she was shocked to see Laundrie get into an argument with a waitress. She said that Petito was there with him at the moment.
COUPLE SPOTTED
Around four and a half hours after she claims to have seen the couple, bloggers Jenn and Kyle Bethune passed Petito and Laundrie’s van at a campsite north of Grand Teton National Park.
They described the van as looking as if it had been “abandoned”.
TikToker Miranda Baker then said she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride at 5.30pm on August 29.
Laundrie approached the couple in Colter Bay, Wyoming while they were hiking alone and offered them $200 for a ride.
FINAL TEXT
Gabby’s phone sent a final text to her mom on August 30, claiming: “No service in Yosemite.” But her family have cast doubt on whether that message had actually been sent by Gabby.
The FBI has said it is now looking to speak with anyone who may have seen the vlogger at Spread Creek – where her body was found – between the dates of August 27 and 30.
“The first couple of days when I wasn’t getting responses, I believed she was in a place with no service. It was like day eight and nine that I really became concerned.” her mom Nicole said.
As a mother, I was concerned about my daughter’s safety while on a road trip. But I felt secure.
“They were together, they had a plan, they had an itinerary, and we were excited for them.”
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