Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old missing girl whose case captivated the nation, has apparently been found dead near the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
The Long Island native went on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie in July but never returned home. Laundrie drove back to his North Port, Florida home in Petito’s 2012 Ford Transit van, and has been missing since last Tuesday.
As the authorities continue to search for Laundrie, here’s the latest update on the case.
911 Call
When Petito and Laundrie were in Utah, they had what appeared to be a domestic dispute. The police intervened, but ultimately categorized the incident as a "mental health break."
On Tuesday, FOX 13 Tampa Bay released via YouTube audio of the 911 call that was made by a person who apparently witnessed the dispute.
In the audio recording, which can be found below, an unidentified man is heard telling the dispatcher that he saw "the gentleman slapping the girl" near a store in Moab, Utah.
Listen Below
"Hi, I’m calling… I’m right on the corner of Main Street by Moonflower and we’re driving by and I’d like to report a domestic dispute to Florida with a white van with Florida license plate… gentleman, about 5’6," the caller began.
"Where’s it at?" the dispatcher asked.
"They just drove off. They’re going down Main Street. They made, uh, a right onto Main Street from Moonflower," he continued.
"What were they doing?" the dispatcher asked.
"Uh, we drove by ’em, the gentleman was slapping the girl," the caller responded.
‘He Proceeded To Hit Her’
The dispatcher seemingly wanted to confirm what the caller was saying, asking "he was slapping her?"
"Yes and then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off," the caller said.
The identified man then said he took a picture of the van.
"Uh, it was a smaller van with the license plate of — it was white, Florida license plate QFTG03. It was… the make was a Ford model, was transit, black ladder on the passenger side," the caller said.
Where Is Brian Laundrie?
On Monday, FBI agents swarmed his North Port home with a search warrant, describing the property as an "active crime scene."
Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, were apparently questioned by the FBI that day, but it remains unclear if they had a role in his disappearance.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, was reportedly in regular contact with her daughter throughout the duration of the trip. As The New York Post reported, Schmidt told the authorities that "during these conversations there appeared to be more and more tension between [Gabby] and Laundrie."
