Gabby Petito

[Audio] Gabby Petito Multimodal Presentation Portfolio Project Gracie Conwell.

[Audio] 22 year old Gabby Petito and her Fiancé Brian Laundrie left New York on July 2nd to travel the country in their van and visit National parks together. After having to postpone their wedding due to Covid, Gabby was ready to try and grow an online presence as an influencer/vlogger and wanted to vlog their trip to post to her channel. It was on August 12th a witness called the police after seeing an altercation between the two. The police also pulled the couple over after witnessing a physical argument between Gabby and Brian in their van causing the van to swerve and hit the curb. After interviewing the couple each individually, they stayed in different locations for that night..

[Audio] Gabby was last seen on August 27th and last heard from 3 days later, on August 30th. Gabby's mother received texts on the 30th and was suspicious if Gabby was the one sending them, as she normally did not call her Grandfather by his first name as she did in the text. To further raise suspicion, Gabby's fiancé Brian returned to his parents' home on September 1st alone. Gabby is officially reported as missing 10 days later. When confronted with the news, Laundrie's parents responded with a lawyer's phone number. It was only four days after that Brian was named a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance. This is really when her case became publicized and various sources began to share information regarding her disappearance..

[Audio] On September 17th, Brian Laundrie is then also reported missing. By the 18th dual searches are being conducted for both Gabby and Brian. They are searching in Florida for Brian as well as Colorado for Gabby. These are the two locations they are each believed to last have been seen..

[Audio] The map shows not only the timeline of the weeks before the couple went missing but how expansive the case was. The search teams began where each individual was last seen, if this was unsuccessful the search would have to become even broader..

[Audio] During the time of the search for Gabby and Brian search teams uncovered 8 additional bodies. Through forensics the bodies were able to be identified and closure was brought to each family. The bodies had all been disposed of at different times and were in many different geographical environments. Each of the remains were subject to different types of weather and were in various stages of decomposition but they were able to be identified thanks to the many different types of forensics..

[Audio] The bodies were found all over the country due to the expansive search for Gabby and Brian..

[Audio] September 19th human remains believed to be Gabby are found in Wyoming by law enforcement agents. On the 21st an autopsy was performed confirming the body was in fact Gabby Petito. The autopsy also confirmed that the cause of death was homicide (pending final result). On October 12th, the coroner confirms that Gabby had been strangled. They had also found that the time of death was roughly 3-4 weeks prior to the body being found. Although the body had been disposed and left to decompose, all necessary information regarding her death was able to be confirmed. This was crucial in aiding the ongoing investigation with Brian as the main suspect..

[Audio] More human remains were found on October 20th. They were later confirmed to be Brian Laundrie. Because the remains had been in water and weather for some time, dental records were used to confirm the identity. They were also able to identify the cause of death which was ruled to be gunshot wound to the head and the manner was suicide. Brian's body was found next to some belongings, one being a notebook detailing his account of her death. This was found to be inaccurate due to the autopsy findings of Gabby that had already been confirmed..

[Audio] At the time, the recently created "TikTok" App allowed creators to use the story for clickbait and gain views to ultimately gain followers and get paid for both There was no type of fact-checking to the videos being posted..

[Audio] Gabby's case generated a lot of attention, very quickly. Once a mainstream media source heard about the case, it was broadcasted every step of the way until it's conclusion. Because of the demographics that Gabby fit in, this brought light to a phenomenon called "Missing White Woman Syndrome".

[Audio] The ethical dilemma brought on by "Missing White Woman Syndrome" is that an alarming amount of attention is paid to certain missing persons that fit into a certain category (white, young, "innocent looking") It is important to note that studies show people do not believe her case should have received less (positive) attention, but others should receive equal attention..

[Audio] Even if a person of a different demographic is reported missing, the chance they get equal (if any) media coverage is rare..

[Audio] This case really utilized forensics to piece together what happened to both Gabby Petito and Brian laundrie. It's a great example of finding a body and being able to conduct autopsies to determine the cause of death and time of death. In this situation it showed how forensic anthropology can determine the identity of a body regardless how well it's been preserved since time of death. It also is a great example of how crucial forensics can be in aiding the proper closer of a case. Without forensics, it may have never been determined what happened to Gabby at the hands of Brian..

[Audio] People are still able to benefit and profit from missing persons cases, even if the information they are sharing is false. More attention (credited sources) can work to share stories of other demographics, not just the ones that fit in the category they are looking for..

Sources. Adcox, A. (2022, February 15). Autopsy report reveals gruesome details of Brian Laundrie’s death. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/autopsy-report-reveals-gruesome-details-of-brian-laundries-death FBI. (2022, January 21). FBI Denver provides final investigative update on Gabrielle Petito Case. FBI. https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/denver/news/press-releases/fbi-denver-provides-final-investigative-update-on-gabrielle-petito-case Friedman, D. (2022, April 11). What is missing white woman syndrome?. MPRH. https://www.missingpersonsresearchhub.com/post/what-is-missing-white-woman-syndrome Gabby Petito timeline: Everything we know about her disappearance. ABC7 New York. (2021, November 23). https://abc7ny.com/gabby-petito-disappearance-timeline-brian-laundrie/11024821/.