Traveling is made to be relaxing and fun, especially with a significant other. Couples plan vacations for months and prepare for them in advance. It is an exciting time for both parties. Many people do not plan for trips to take a drastic turn but for this TikTok couple, it does.
22-year-old Gabby Petitio and 23-year-old fiance Brian Laundrie went on a cross country trip across the United States in June 2021. Petitio kept regular contact with her family while traveling between texts and phone calls. On August 12, 2021 the couple got into an argument where police showed up. There was a physical fight following the argument but the couple continued their travels across the U.S.
August 30, 2021 was the last time Petitio made contact with her family before being reported missing.
September 11, 2021 Petito’s parents report her missing to the police, according to CNN, after Laundrie returned home without Petitio on September 1, 2021. Police came to Laundrie’s house, CNN said, but Laundrie’s parents lawyered up before police could ask to speak to Laundrie. September 14, 2021 Laundrie fled which sparked local and federal authorities on a manhunt for the 23-year-old.
As of today, Laundrie is still on the run with the FBI still searching for him, as well as, looking for Petito. On September 19, 2021, human remains were found in Tento County, Wyoming, and were announced to be Petito’s on September 21, 2021. The FBI has released the final autopsy results and the manhunt for Laundrie is still in process.
Laundrie is the prime suspect of Petito’s death, which has been confirmed a homicide, according to Matthew Loh, a reporter for Insider. With all this information being present, it is hard to deny that Laundrie does not have something to do with Petito’s disappearance. He fled when police showed up to his door, he came back from their trip without his fiance and did not report her missing.
The odds are stacked against him whether he did it or not. He has led the FBI on a full fledged manhunt, piling this on top of other cases the FBI has to solve. If Laundrie were to have stayed and talked to the police, the case would have been solved by now. Petitio’s family would be at peace and the case could be closed. Laundrie should do the right thing and turn himself in, so the police and FBI are able to solve it.
Petito’s family needs peace and justice for their daughter’s death, whether Laundrie did it or not. There needs to be justice in this case. Laundrie may not have done it but the search for him is distracting them from other suspects that it could be. The sooner the case is solved, the sooner the Petitio family can mourn and heal properly. It is unfair for the Petito family to not have answers, while Laundrie’s family tries to protect him. Something has to be done and that is justice for Petito.
Sources: CNN, Insider
Adaelle Stobie 
Christian Lengkeek 
Ella Curcuruto