Gabby Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie went on a cross-country trip this summer.
Unlike her boyfriend, Petito never returned home. Her body was found near Wyoming’s Grand Trenton National Park last month.
Laundrie — declared a person of interest in the mysterious case — disappeared a couple of days after Petito was reported missing. The authorities have not been able to locate him.
How did Petito die and when? Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue answered that question on Tuesday.
Read more below.
Coroner Update
As reported by Fox News, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue revealed at a press conference that Petito died of strangulation.
Blue noted that Petito was not pregnant at the time of her death as many have speculated, but declined to provide further details about his findings, citing Wyoming laws.
"We hereby find the cause and manner of death to be, the cause, death by strangulation, and manner is homicide. By Wyoming state statute, no other information will be released about the autopsy."
Autopsy
Blue explained that the autopsy was conducted at his facility, and said that the delay was due to his thoroughness.
"We were very exacting our examination and the detail by which that examination was done. We were waiting for various specialists to come in and help us with this investigation," the coroner said.
"We were waiting on toxicology to be returned, and it was just a matter of making sure we had everything right," he added, without releasing any findings from the toxicology report.
Strangulation
Miami-Dade homicide detective Pat Diaz told Fox News that Blue likely concluded that Petito died of strangulation due to a broken hyoid.
Broken hyoids can only be seen through an X-ray, which suggests that Blue’s facility was equipped with X-ray machines and explains the delay.
Diaz also noted that strangulation could be difficult to prosecute in court.
Petito’s family is already making arrangements for her remains to return to New York.
"Bringing her home is the family’s top priority," family lawyer Richard Stafford said.
Where Is Brian Laundrie?
As Deseret News reported, North Port police are still searching for Laundrie at the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve.
"We’ll continue to search. You know, we could be searching that Carlton Reserve and nearby lands for a long, long time," officer Josh Taylor said.
But there is still no trace of Laundrie and time is running out.
Laundrie family’s lawyer Steven Bertolino, meanwhile, said that Brian’s parents have nothing to hide and are helping the authorities locate their son.
"The preserve has been closed to the public and the Laundries as well but the parents have been cooperating since the search began," he said.
