‘Circumstances are odd’ police say, after boyfriend of missing woman returns home, hires attorney

Reporter: Erika Jackson
Published: Updated:
Gabby Petito, 22.

YouTuber and blogger, Gabby Petito, 22, from North Port has been missing for more than two weeks, and now, her boyfriend has returned home without her and hired lawyers, the U.S. Sun reports.

The North Port Police Department said they “are actively assisting in this case in conjunction with the Suffolk County Police Department where she was reported missing.

“We currently have no definitive information that a crime took place here in North Port or anywhere. With that said, the circumstances are odd. So, we are actively gathering local details and evidence to assist in finding needed answers.”

The Suffolk County Police Department, where her family lives in New York, confirmed they are investigating the disappearance of Petito, who went missing while traveling.

Petito lived in North Port for about two-and-a-half years, until her road trip, the police department told WINK News.

Her YouTube channel is called ‘Nomadic Statik.’ where she documents her cross-country trip travels.

According to her family, they last heard from her during the last week of August. Prior to that, Petito is believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming heading to Yellowstone National Park.

Throughout her travel, she spoke with her mother a few times a week, sometimes daily, depending on the cell service.

Petito’s mom texted her a few times after the 25th and the last text from Petito’s phone came on Aug. 30.

“We love her and we miss her, and we want her to come home,” said Nicole Schmidt, Gabby’s mother. “I believe the first couple of days, when I wasn’t getting responses, I believe she was in a place with no service. It was like day eight or nine that I really became concerned. I figured she couldn’t be off the grid for that long.”

The family had not heard from her, so the family first alerted the National Park Service on Sept. 10.

“We are coordinating with multiple law enforcement agencies as part of the investigation into Gabrielle Petito’s whereabouts,” National Park Service shared in a statement Monday. “As the investigation is ongoing, we do not have any further information to provide at this time.”

Petito was then reported missing to the Suffolk County Police by her family on September 11 at 6:55 p.m.

Petito and her boyfriend were traveling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with Florida license plate QFTG03.

The van she was traveling in was found in North Port.

We asked Gabby’s parents about her boyfriend and they both said no comment.

Petito, is described as being 5′ 5″ tall and 110 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and several tattoos, including one on her finger and one on her forearm that reads “let it be.”

Detectives are asking anyone with information on Petito’s disappearance to contact Suffolk County Police Department Crime Stoppers 1-800-220-TIPS or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit your tip to: tips.fbi.gov.

Gabby Petito, 22.

 

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