Friends of Gabby Petito are coming forward to discuss the upsetting outcome of the 22-year-old traveler.
On September 19, Petito's body was found. Her cause of death was listed as a homicide, but nobody knew any more specifics until October 12, when Dr. Brent Blue, the Teton County, Wyoming, coroner, revealed that Petito had died from strangulation.
Now the hunt is on for Petito's boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, who was reportedly one of the last people to see her. Laundrie has been named a person of interest in her murder but is currently being looked for due to allegedly committing bank fraud. After Petito's disappearance, Laundrie reportedly used bank cards that weren't in his name.
One friend of Petito's named Alyssa Chen spoke to People about what she thought now that the news has been made public. "It makes me sick to my stomach," she said. "I wonder what was going through her mind, knowing she was probably about to die. She must have been so scared."
It's also terrifying for friends, since Petito only posted about the good moments of the trip she and Laundrie were taking. They posted a video on YouTube where the two seemed happily in love. Knowing that wasn't actually the case makes it even scarier for friends to process. Petito was with someone she loved, but it's apparent based on witness accounts that they had plenty of fights while driving and exploring.
Currently, friends are siding with Petito and fearful that it was Laundrie who killed her. "If Brian strangled her, I hope he burns in hell," said friend Ben Matula. "That's all I have to say." It seems like most friends are surprised by everything that has happened. For those who knew the couple, this might make them question every interaction they had prior with Petito and Laundrie.
"Whoever did this, whether it's Brian or someone else, needs to pay for what they did," Alyssa Chen added. "She didn't deserve to die that way." Prior reports state that despite everyone really liking Petito, she didn't have too many close friends — and that was reportedly because of Laundrie's influence. The friend she was closest with is Rose Davis.
Davis also talked to People and fully believes that Laundrie is hiding out somewhere in the wilderness. "He is out in the wilderness, I promise you," the 21-year-old told the publication. She also noted that he's successfully lived outside before.
"If he's alive, he's out there, camping out," she said. "He lived in the Appalachians by himself for months." Prior to Petito's death being a confirmed strangulation, Davis did what she could to talk to the FBI and help them with the information she knew.
"This is a very heartbreaking tragedy," she added. "It is so surreal. It is so just horrific. There's almost a loss of words for it because no one deserves to go out this way, especially not her."
She also thinks that Laundrie is out there alone and not hiding out with a friend. And that's because she doesn't think that Laundrie actually has any real friends. "He does not have friends," she stated. "He reads books."
That said, she did admit that she considered Laundrie to be a friend at one point in her life. But obviously, after learning what happened to Petito, Davis got a new perspective on the situation. She wanted to like Laundrie because her friend did.
"You don't know what it's like for someone you considered a friend to murder your best friend," she noted. "I've stayed at their house. I've slept in the same house as him. I ate dinners with him, played board games with him, gone to the beach — even though he didn't really hang out with us at the beach — but going to the beach with him. That's scary."
Davis also pointed out that she was terrified when Laundrie first went missing. "He knows where I live," she said. "When he first went missing, there was a small percentage of me that was like, he definitely knows where I live. And he does not like me." But it seems like these days, Laundrie might not stop and see old friends. Based on his fugitive status, it's unlikely that he'd keep the same type of connections he once had.
Petito's friends, rightfully, might be terrified of the situation at hand for quite some time. It's just proof that even when you think you know someone, you might not. Even if Laundrie happens to be innocent, it doesn't make sense for him to completely avoid answering questions regarding the fate of someone he once intended to marry. Hopefully, Petito knew how many people truly loved her.
