New police footage of travel influencer Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito – who has been missing after going on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé for several months – has emerged, which shows her distraught after an alleged fight with her partner while in Utah.
The footage, captured by the Moab City Police Department on August 12 and runs for over an hour, shows officers speaking with 22-year-old Petito and her 23-year-old fiancé, Brian Laundrie, after a potential domestic incident linked to them was reported to the local authorities.
After being separated by authorities to give statements, a visibly upset Gabby told officers that she was struggling with her mental health and has severe anxiety, and that her and Brian had spent the morning fighting, and were dealing with some “personal issues”. When officers asked Brian why he had scratches on his face, he said that Gabby had gotten him with her phone while she was trying to take their van’s keys off him during an argument.
Per news.com.au, a police report filed on Wednesday noted that Gabby had slapped Brian after an argument, but neither of them wanted to press changes. The report said it seemed to be more of a “mental and emotional break” following months travelling together, rather than a domestic incident.
Gabby and Brian agreed to separate for the night instead of a domestic assault case being made against Gabby by police.
A month later – on September 11 – Gabby’s family filed an official missing persons report, after she stopped speaking to family in late August while in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Brian returned their rental van to Florida alone on September 1st, and is now a main person of interest in the national search for Gabby.
Authorities have reported that Brian has “not made himself available to be interviewed by investigators or has provided any helpful details”, and is reportedly refusing to tell her family anything about where she is or when they separated.
Latest on Petito case Wednesday September 15, 11:30am. Please use 1-800 CALLFBI pic.twitter.com/NpkUEjoME5
— North Port Police (@NorthPortPolice) September 15, 2021
Authorities in Florida have publicly called for anyone with information about her whereabouts to come forward and assist with the investigation. The case has now gathered global attention due to Petito’s relatively large following on social media – she currently has 233,000 followers on Instagram, and her first Van Life video with Brian clocked up over a million views.
“We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past few weeks,” North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said in a statement.
“The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation. The answers will eventually come out.”
If you need mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
