Gabby Petito's cause of death 'being withheld' as cops 'struggle to find clues from body left in wilderness for weeks'

GABBY Petito’s cause of death may be “being withheld” as cops struggle to find clues from her body left in the wilderness for weeks, experts fear.

FBI agents and cops found Gabby’s remains in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19 and a preliminary autopsy ruled the manner of her death as homicide.


Gabby’s body has not yet been released as medical examiners try to establish her cause of death.

Joseph Giacalone, a criminal justice professor at the City University of New York, thinks cops may be withholding a cause of death for a reason.

He told Insider: “If she’s strangled, the evidence is going to be limited.

“In the respect that you’re not going to have blood everywhere and, you know, hair fibers or all that other stuff.”

George Kirkham, of Florida State University, thinks the vlogger’s body may have become “very skeletonized” over time.

But, the criminal justice expert says police should be able to determine a cause of death.

Giacalone warned that police could be dealing with several potential crime scenes, including where Gabby's body was found and the Ford Transit camper van.

He said: “Each scene will hold a significant piece of physical evidence that they will need to put this all together.”

Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…

Gabby and Laundrie started their cross-country road trip in July and toured the canyon ranges and national parks.

They visited states including Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

Gabby’s remains were found weeks after she reportedly last had contact with her family on August 25.

A funeral service for Gabby was held in Holbrook, New York on Sunday.

During the emotional service, her father Joe Petito thanked everyone for their support in the wake of his daughter's disappearance.

He said that he wanted people to be “inspired” by how the vlogger treated people.

Joe said: “If there is a trip you want to take, do it now while you have the time."

Paying tribute to his daughter, Joe said: “Gabby is the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

'MOST AMAZING PERSON'

He also asked the mourners at his daughter's funeral not to be sad when they left the service.

Gabby's stepfather Jim Schmidt reminded mourners of the vlogger's tattoo that was inspired by The Beatles track "Let it Be".

He said: "It's OK to mourn for Gabby, and it's OK to feel sorrow and pain. But we want to celebrate her and how she lived her life.

"We need to hold on to all those wonderful memories we shared with her because that will be the answer. Let it be."

The chapel was covered with flowers and photos that documented Gabby’s life and past adventures.

Joe said: “She always wanted to go out and do stuff, whether it was scuba diving with my uncle, or myself, or hiking the Appalachian Trail, surfing sand dunes in Colorado.

Gabby shared a picture with Laundrie saying that she couldn’t wait to “travel the world” with him.

The pair were hugging each other as they posed on a sun-kissed Californian beach.

A LOVE FOR TRAVELING

The caption next to the image read: "I can’t wait to get back to days like this, traveling the world with you and asking strangers to take our picture… never taking moments like this for granted again! Love you."

Gabby appeared to tease the idea of a potential road trip with Laundrie earlier this year in a TikTok clip posted to the site in January.

Alongside a montage of snaps that were taken last year, she included the tag #vanlifetravel.

Laundrie returned to Florida alone on September 1 – weeks after starting the road trip – where he immediately hired a lawyer and refused to cooperate with the police.

He reportedly told his parents on September 14 that he was going for a hike before he was reported missing days later.

Laundrie was named a person of interest in the case as he was accused of “hindering” the investigation.

Cops continue to scour the 25,000-acre Carlton Nature Reserve in Sarasota as they look for potential clues.

Reality TV star Dog the Bounty Hunter has also joined the search as he aims to find Laundrie before his birthday in November.

Laundrie is being hunted by the FBI after an arrest warrant was issued for the 23-year-old.

He is accused of swiping a Capital One debit card and running up a $1,000 balance from August 31 until September 1.



We pay for your stories!

Do you have a story for The US Sun team?

Email us at [email protected] or call 212 416 4552.

Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS

    Source: Read Full Article

    Previous post Diddy Calls Joie Chavis Queen on Her Birthday After Bow Wow Confirmed Their Romance
    Next post Former partner guilty of contempt after sending recording of Ultra Tune boss