On September 21, 2021, the Petito family received the most heartbreaking news. A Wyoming coroner was able to confirm that the remains discovered at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area campground in Bridger-Teton National Forest belong to Gabby Petito.
"Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999," the FBI Denver division said in a statement.
"Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide." An official cause of death will not be announced until the autopsy results are complete.
Police are continuing to investigate Petito's death while they also try to find her fiancé and person of interest Brian Laundrie.
"Mr. Brian Laundrie has been named a person of interest," Special Agent Michael Schneider said.
"Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI."
Laundrie has allegedly been missing since Tuesday, when his family said they last saw him. They informed law enforcement they believed he might be hiking in Carlton Reserve, near their home in North Port, Florida.
The Laundrie family released a statement via their attorney. "The news about Gabby Petito is heartbreaking. The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family," they shared.
The Laundrie family attorney is causing a stir as well, as the Petito family attorney has threatened legal action against them.
"(The) Petito and Schmidt family demand that you cease and desist posting pictures of Gabby Petito to any and all of your social media pages, web pages or advertisements in an effort to gain business," Richard Stafford wrote in a letter to Steven Bertolino, per NBC New York.
The Laundrie family's attorney has responded that they are not advertising off the case. Rather, the public has overrun public review pages with negative reviews due to their representation of Brian Laundrie.
On Wednesday, dive teams began to look in bodies of water in the Carlton Reserve. At this time, investigators haven't indicated any reason other than standard search procedure. The public has grown weary of the search, believing it's likely Brian Laundrie is not where his family indicated.
The belief that he may have harmed Petito or had a part in her death continues to grow as new information surfaces. The recent release of the witness statement from the 911 call in Moab, Utah, paints a picture of Laundrie trying to get away from Petito.
"At one point they were sort of fighting over a phone – I think the male took the female's phone. It appeared he didn't want her in the white van," one part of the statement reads.
"It was as if the guy was trying to leave her, and maybe take her phone?" another portion read.
Also in the report, the witness recalled hearing Petito ask Laundrie, "Why do you have to be so mean?"
The only female officer to speak with Gabby Petito following that heated exchange is speaking out. Melissa Hulls, a visitor and resource protection supervisor at Arches National Park in Utah, shared that she warned Gabby the relationship appeared to be "toxic."
"I was probably more candid with her than I should've been," she admitted to the Deseret News.
"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," Hulls continued.
"She had a lot of anxiety about being away from him, I honestly thought if anything was going to change it would be after they got home to Florida."
Police continue to urge anyone else who may have seen them in Wyoming or elsewhere or has any other information to come forward. Many suspect that there is not enough evidence to name Laundrie as an official suspect at this time.
