Moab police have released the full 1 hour and 17-minute body camera video of an interaction with Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito and her fiancé on August 12, before her disappearance.
Weeks before Petito disappeared, she and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, got in an argument in Arches National Park in Utah. A witness saw Petito slap Laundrie, and he pushed her away. That witness says he called the police because he feared the worst, and Petito’s family is demanding answers about what happened out west.
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The incident was labeled by the Moab Police Department as disorderly conduct, and a police officer wrote, “I do not believe the situation escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much as that of a mental health crisis.”
North Port Police and the FBI held a news conference to give an update on the case Thursday. Petito’s father was at the news conference.
“What I need from everybody here is help,” said Joe Petito. “The goal is still not met, and that goal is to bring Gabby home safe.”
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North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said his department will keep working to find Gabby Petito.
“It’s driving us to keep working. Long hours, long days. It gives us the momentum to keep going forward,” Garrison said.
In a letter to Laundrie’s family, Petito’s parents beg for the whereabouts of their daughter.
“We believe you know the location of where Brian left Gabby. We beg you to tell us. As a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us? As a parent, how could you put Gabby’s younger brothers and sisters through this? Gabby lived with you for over a year. She’s going to be your daughter-in-law. How can you keep her location hidden? … Please, if you or your family have any decency left, please tell us where Gabby is located. Tell us if we are even looking in the right place. All we want is for Gabby to come home. Please help us make that happen.”
On Aug. 12, after the incident, the Moab Police Department helped Laundrie find a hotel to stay while Petito stayed overnight in the van, and instructed the couple to take the time apart to relax their emotions and regain control of their anxiety, according to the incident report.
Petito was crying uncontrollably as she spoke to police, the report states.
The witness reported to law enforcement he saw the couple argue over a phone. He said Laundrie climbed into the van. It appeared as if Laundrie had locked Petito out of the vehicle, and she was trying to get back in, the witness said.
The police pulled the couple over at the entrance of Arches National Park, where Petito told the officer the two had been having arguments, which led to her struggling with anxiety.
The two told a police officer they “are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn’t wish to see anyone charged with a crime,” the incident report states.
Petito’s parents declined to comment on the incident in Moab.
The last time Petito’s mother spoke to her daughter was Aug. 24 on FaceTime. She got a text message from Petito Aug. 30. It was a warning that she had poor cell service in Yosemite.
Laundrie returned to North Port Sept. 1. The Petito family asked the Laundries to put aside their natural instincts to protect their son and help bring their daughter home.
Laundrie’s attorney has said his client will not be commenting.
Volunteers out west are searching for leads about the couple’s time together in northwestern Wyoming.
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Law enforcement is looking into a possible connection between Gabby’s missing person case and a double homicide.
Aug. 18, investigators found two bodies with gunshot wounds in a creek near Moab, Utah. They were identified as Crystal Turner and her wife Kylen Schulte.
According to Grand County Sheriff’s Office report, Kylen had mentioned to her friend that there was a creepy man around their campsite.
They were reported missing Aug. 13.
Laundrie’s attorney released a statement saying “Law enforcement has to follow protocol and all leads that they get. Whether or not these two cases deserve to be linked will be determined at some point in the future.
Grand County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday Gabby Petito’s case is not connected to the double-homicide case involving Turner and Schulte.
A group called Road Warriors for the Missing is now headed from Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to distribute missing person flyers and encourage anyone with information to come forward.
Online groups are also helping, combing through Petito’s social media posts from the couple’s trip to look for any hints of where she may be now.
“Until we can figure out where we are between Jackson Hole and Florida, it’s going to be tough. It’s the first thing that’s got to be done,” said Jason Clark with Road Warriors for the Missing.
Family members of Petito are also in Jackson Hole looking for her.
Laundrie’s attorney says his client will remain silent on the advice of counsel, despite North Port police Chief Todd Garrison pleading on Twitter for Laundrie to speak with police.
“We know he’s home; the van is there, she’s not, they released what you could call a statement, which is completely unacceptable to us,” said James Schmidt, Petito’s stepfather. “If the roles were reversed, they would want everybody and anyone to be providing any information, and that’s what we want.”
The FBI has a national tip line if you may have information: 1-800-CALL-FBI.