GABBY Petito uploaded her now-infamous "Van Life" video to YouTube two days after her fiance Brian Laundrie mysteriously flew home during their cross-country road trip to "clean out a storage unit."
The eight-minute clip, titled "VAN LIFE|Beginning Our Van Life Journey", was uploaded to their account "Nomadic Static" on August 19 and features an array of picturesque shots and idyllic images, presenting the couple as a pair very much in love, who are embarking on the trip of a lifetime.
The couple also regularly posted updates about their trip on their Instagram pages, perpetuating the same hunky-dory narrative.
But behind the rose-tinted lens of their social media posts, the couple appeared to be enduring a more turbulent time on the road than they were willing to let on.
On August 12, less than two months into their trip, Gabby, 22, and Laundrie, 23, were pulled over at the side of the road in Moab, Utah, following a 911 call about a domestic violence incident between the pair.
The caller told police they had seen a man strike a woman before they got into a van and drove away.
'DOESN'T BELIEVE IN ME'
In body camera footage from the incident, a visibly distressed and upset Gabby is heard telling police through floods of tears that Brian had struck her, but only after she had hit him first.
She was also heard telling police that Brian didn't believe in her dream to create and website and blog about their adventure across the US.
"I just quit my job to travel across the country, and I'm trying to start a blog, a travel blog, so I've been building my website," Petito can be heard saying.
"I've been really stressed, and he doesn't really believe that I can do any of it."
No charges were filed in relation to the call and the couple was ordered to spend the night apart.
Read our Brian Laundrie live blog for the very latest news and updates…
Five days later, Laundrie abruptly flew back to his home in North Port, Florida, on August 15, leaving Gabby alone in their van in Utah for five days.
The purpose of the trip was to help his father clean out a storage unit containing his and Gabby's possessions in order to save money, according to his sister Cassie Laundrie.
In an impromptu interview with a protester standing in front of her home earlier this week, Cassie revealed she had seen her brother on August 17 during the short trip.
But she said she was unsure why Gabby had not returned with him.
"He was telling me where they were going next. I FaceTimed with Gabby and the kids on that trip," she added, referring to her kids.
The Laundrie family lawyer later confirmed her account, adding that Brian and Gabby wanted to empty out the locker to "extend their trip."
INFAMOUS CLIP
Two days after he departed, Gabby uploaded the couple's Van Life video to YouTube.
"Follow our van life journey for some awesome van life ideas, tips, hacks, camping spots, and so many beautiful places to travel," the video's caption reads in part.
Adventurers documenting their lives on the road is a trend that has soared in recent years, particularly with the proliferation of TikTok during the pandemic.
However, in a cruel twist of fate, it would be the video of another van life couple that would be instrumental in helping to locate Gabby when she was reported missing weeks later.
According to the Laundrie family's lawyer, Brian returned to Utah on August 23. The pair stayed in a motel for the night before checking out on Aug. 24 and headed to Wyoming.
Gabby spoke to her parents on Facetime for the final time on Aug. 25. Two days later, witnesses claim they saw Brian and Gabby at a restaurant in Jackson Hole.
Brian allegedly became embroiled in a blazing argument with wait staff at the restaurant, while Gabby stood there in tears, apologizing. That's believed to be the last time she was seen alive.
CRUEL TWIST OF FATE
Around four hours later, travel bloggers Jenn and Kyle Bethune drove past the Gabby and Brian's van "abandoned" at the roadside near Grand Teton National Park.
Gabby would later be reported missing on September 11 by her mom in New York. That came 10 days after Brian quietly drove home to Florida in the couple's van without her.
The 22-year-old was found dead at a campsite in Grand Teton on September 19, a short distance from where the Bethunes came across the couple's van.
Speaking to Dr. Phil on Wednesday, Gabby's dad Joseph Petito revealed that she was found just yards in front of where the couple's tent and fire would've been.
He added that it would have been only a short walk from where the van would have been parked but was off the beaten path.
"The dispersed campgrounds are basically just open land where anybody can go and camp and where their van was basically alongside what was a creek bed," Jim said.
"If you cross over the creek bed, once you get over the other side, it’s trees sparsely placed around and a lot of sagebrushes.
"It’s actually on the borderline with the Grand Teton National Forest. [The camp was] in an area where there are a few trees and there were the remnants of a fire ring there."
An autopsy report found that the nature of Gabby's death was a homicide. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
LAUNDRIE AT LARGE
Brian, meanwhile, has been missing for more than three weeks.
His parents claim he left their home on September 13 to go hiking in the Carlton Reserve, in Sarasota County, but failed to return. He wasn't reported missing until September 17.
Laundrie is not currently considered a suspect in Gabby's murder but is considered a person of interest.
He also has a warrant out for his arrest on bank fraud allegations after allegedly racking up $1,000 in charges on a debit card that's believed to have belonged to Gabby.
Law enforcement are still searching Carlton Reserve for traces of Laundrie, while TV star Dog the Bounty Hunter is scouring Fort De Soto Park.
Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito’s disappearance:
- June 2021 – Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 – Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
- July 8 – Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
- July 18 – Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah's Zion National Park.
- August 12 – Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip.
- August 24 – Gabby is spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- August 25 – Gabby Facetimes her mom, Nichole Schmidt, for the final time. In a later police report, Schmidt said her conversations with her daughter revealed "more and more tension" between her and Brian.
- August 25 – Gabby also posts her last Instagram. No location is given.
- August 27 – Gabby is seen for what's believed to be the final time. Witnesses claim they saw Brian in an explosive argument with staff at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, leaving Gabby in tears.
- August 27 – Four hours later, travel bloggers driving through Grand Teton National Park drive past the couple's van "abandoned" on a dirt road.
- September 1 – Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
- September 11 – Gabby's parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 14 – Brian's family issues a statement saying he has retained an attorney and will not be cooperating with investigators.
- September 14 – Brian is allegedly last seen by his family. He reportedly told them he was going hiking in Cartlon Reserve but failed to return.
- September 15 – Florida's North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 – Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 – Brian's parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days and report him missing.
- September 18 – Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 – Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby's but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
- September 20 – Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie's home, seizing his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed."
- September 21 – Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
- September 21 – The FBI announced the body found in Wyoming was identified as Gabby's. The cause of death was not yet revealed.
- September 21 – The Teton County Coroner's office said Gabby's official cause of death was still pending but the initial manner of death is homicide.
- September 22 – Police continue to scour Carlton Reserve for a trace of Laundrie but yield no leads. A specialist dive team is called in to assist with the hunt.
- September 23 – Officials announced a federal arrest warrant for Brian was issued.
- September 26 – Gabby's funeral was held on Long Island, New York.
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