Going West: True Crime - Gabby Petito // 138 (Part 1)

Episode Date: September 14, 2021

In July of 2021, a 22-year-old woman set off in a van with her fiancé to explore to United States. But after just 2 months on the road, he returned to Florida without her, got a lawyer, and refused to speak to her family or police about where her whereabouts. Join us as we dig through all the available details in hopes of finding out where this incredible young woman is. This is the story of Gabby Petito. BONUS EPISODES patreon.com/goingwestpodcast CASE SOURCES https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9984283/Van-lifer-22-disappears-cross-country-trip-Yellowstone-fianc-e.html https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/what-happened-gabby-petito-gofundme-page-find-missing-22-year-old-went-cross-country-trip-boyfriend-brian-laundrie-raises-6-000 https://scallywagandvagabond.com/2021/09/gabby-petito-missing-nomadic-statik-youtube-not-found-road-trip/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-york-woman-22-who-was-traveling-across-country-boyfriend-n1279040 https://nypost.com/2021/09/13/nyc-woman-gabby-petito-missing-after-cross-country-trip-with-boyfriend/ https://www.the-sun.com/news/3653133/who-is-gabby-petitos-fiance-brian-laundrie/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PStpXFEfIs https://www.instagram.com/gabspetito/ https://www.instagram.com/bizarre_design_/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on true crime fans, I'm your host Tee? And I'm your other host Daphne, and you're listening to Going West. So Heath and I had a completely different case writing for you guys for this week, but my mom sent me this article about this case, thank you mom, and said that it reminded her of her own sister's disappearance case. So naturally I dropped everything and spent the entire day collecting all the information that I could so we could cover this story.

And hopefully it's coming out a little early because we just wanna bring attention to this case because it's happening right now. The information just came out on this and there's so much justice that needs to come Gabby's way and her family deserves to know where she is. So please, please share. And we'll have information in the end of the episode where you can call in if you've seen her as well. And since she's still missing and this just happened, we will be speaking about her in the present tense since we just hope that she's safe. Yeah, I mean, we always love when you guys share cases, but this one, you are really going to want to share

on your social medias and just with your family and your friends because it's all happening, like Daphne said, right now now so listen closely and spread the word. All right guys this is episode 138 of Going West so let's get into it. The couple actually documented most of their trip on Instagram and YouTube. According to Gabby's father, her fiance, Brian Laundry has returned home to Florida without her. He says Laundry has since retained a lawyer and is uncooperative with authorities. Scary and it's nerve-wracking.

We don't sleep. We're just actively looking for her. At least three times a week, we've been Face, text, frequently. She'd kept me updated on this whole trip. The first couple of days, why wasn't it getting responses? I believe she was in a place with no service. It took, it was like day eight and nine that I really became concerned. Gabrielle Petito, who goes by Gabby, was born and raised in Blu-Point, New York on March 19, 1999, Deparence Nicole Schmidt and Joe Petito.

And Blu-Point is a little hamlet on Long Island, with just around 5,000 residents, looks like a really nice little coastal town. She is a younger brother named TJ and she went to Bayport Blu Point High School in New York and graduated in just 2017. She has always been known as a very free spirited young woman and absolutely loves going on adventures and traveling. Even when she was in high school, she traveled as much as she could. But after graduating, she started exploring Costa Rica, Colorado, California, and many other areas of the United States.

According to a friend of Gabby's, in 2018, Gabby rekindled an old friendship in New York with a young man named Brian Laundry. And over the next year or so, they would develop a relationship and fall in love, and officially really began dating in about March of 2019. Their first date consisted of sushi at Smith Point Beach, which is on Long Island, and they bonded over their love for art and exploration and nature. Yeah, they both were really big into the outdoors. Yes, absolutely. And there isn't much information about him, but he and his family live in Florida, so within the first year of dating Gabby, she actually moved to Northport, Florida with him. And little side note regarding her interests as well, it seems like she was actually

or is actually a true crime podcast fan because she posted on her Instagram in January of this year, saying that she had been listening to one all morning and was obsessed with, which is always, you know, really eerie to hear. A little over a year after they started dating, Gabby and Brian took a romantic trip to Gilmer County, Georgia, where they visited Deep South Farm, which is a stunning countryside wedding venue. And on this trip, Brian proposed to Gabby, and she said yes. The next day, Brian posted on Instagram

on July 3rd, 2020, with a photo of he and Gabby gazing at each other, and the caption said, My biggest fear is that one day I'll wake up, and it will all have been a dream, because that is what every second has felt like since the moment we found each other. Till death do us part, or until I wake up, I'm so happy the answer was yes, love you honey. And he tagged the location, love of my life with four exclamation points. Gabby posted the day before which was on July 2nd, 2020, with a photo of them on their first date saying,

Here's from our first date because I have so much love for you. Brian asked me to marry him and I said yes. Brian, you make life feel unreal and every day is such a dream with you. Gabby and Brian explored more of Georgia as well, mostly nature spots which we mentioned their very end outdoors, where they would hike, hang hammocks between the trees and read books, Gabby reading fight club and Brian reading the Revenant, and they had a great time. Since Gabby didn't have any family in Florida, her father Joe actually moved from Long Island New York to Vero Beach, Florida, which is just under a three-hour drive from Northport,

so he could be closer to his daughter. And he made this move just this past June of 2021, by the way. But he arrived just before Gabby was preparing to leave till around November, so. Since Gabby and Brian share a deep interest in seeing the world, they came up with an idea to get a van and drive it across the country all the way to Portland, Oregon, where they would spend Halloween of 2021 with a friend there. They planned to make stops in different states and camp and film the whole thing for their YouTube channel, nomadic static. And before their trip, both Brian and Gabby worked at the same grocery store, which was called

Publix, so you can only assume that they saved up some money for this trip, so that they could afford to take a few months off, and maybe they even hope to make it in the YouTube industry. But before heading out on their trip, Gabby headed to New York on June 17th, 2021 to attend her younger brother TJito and 23-year-old Brian Laundry got into their 2012 Ford Transit van with Florida plates and they headed off. Her mom Nicole said she wanted to cross the country in the camper van and live the van life and live free. This was her dream. One of their first stops was in Kansas, where Gabby posted photos on her Instagram of her

at Monument Rocks in eastern Kansas on July 4. Her caption reads, There's no place like the tiny home we built, hashtag Vanlife, and then she tagged Brian's profile. Brian also posted on this day one photo of himself at Monument Rocks sitting on top of their van and the second slide is a photo of both of them outside of the van posing together and smiling. His caption reads,

Downsizing our life to fit into this itty bitty van was the best decision we ever made. With the limited space, we wanted to take advantage of every inch while also keeping everything minimalist. We wanted to take advantage of every inch, while also keeping everything minimalist. Definitely felt inspired by a lot of other hashtag van lifers on YouTube, but we came up with a completely original layout. Barely spent anything on the conversion and couldn't be happier with the outcome. Hashtag van tour coming soon. Sacrificing space to wake up in nature every day has been no sacrifice at all, cross-country road trip with At Gabs Petito.

And by the way, her Instagram bio says, along for the ride, traveling the world in our tiny van, art, yoga, and veggies, hashtag vanlife. His Instagram bio reads, take a hike every day. Bug bites are better than being brainwashed by the media. Nature enthusiast, taking on hashtag vanlifewithatgabspotido. So four days later, she posted photos in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two days later, on July 10, they were in Southern Colorado at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, and her Instagram caption reads, After going on our first road trip across the country in my tiny car, we felt like there

was just so much we missed. Turning the Ford Transit essentially into a camper was such an adventure in itself, but I couldn't love the way it turned out more. All the places it's brought us so far has been amazing. As soon as we got to the Great Sand dunes, I didn't want to leave. There was so much to hike. But as soon as the campsites on the dunes open up for summer, they fill up instantly, along with the overnight parking permits.

Lucky enough, I called at the right time when someone cancelled and was able to score us a campsite for two nights overlooking the dunes. I'm so grateful we got such an awesome spot to spend the night and surf the dunes. And the night sky here is insane, never seen so many stars. And by the way, we're going to keep reading her Instagram post because even as her mom says, it really is the best account of her timeline. The next day on July 11th, Gabby posted again at the sand dunes and said, last day in Colorado, to Utah.

Four days later, she posted photos of her smiling in shorts and a yellow t-shirt at Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. Her caption reads, The past two nights of camping in Zion have been so cool, literally. We hiked up here in about 100 degrees, and it was so nice coming back to our campsite, watching the sky fill with dark clouds, and viewing the lightning storm in the nice cool air of the light rain. Two days later, on July 16, she posted their tent in the Zion National Park.

Yeah, and it looks like an incredibly beautiful spot and tent with the top off so they could see the sky. And she had the tent set up really nice with a nice blanket and there was a little guitar in there. And it just looked beautiful. Yeah, I mean, if you go and look at her Instagram, it's very aesthetically pleasing. She sets up all of her photos very beautifully. I know that doesn't matter, but maybe to her it does.

Yeah, I mean, all of her photos are beautiful. It seems like she's gone to so many really beautiful places. So as we're saying this, if you guys are able to, I suggest that you do go look at her Instagram or at least look at it later. It's at GABs, G-A-B-S, Petito, just so you can kind of see what we're talking about. So on July 21st, Gabi posted a photo of herself smiling at Bryce Canyon National Park, which is also in Utah, with the caption, Such a beautiful drive here.

Zion to Cedar breaks to Bryce. After the rain, the canyons are visibly a deeper orange. She also posted photos of she and Brian together, smiling and hugging with stunning rocky views behind them. Their next stop was to Mystic Hot Springs in Utah, where Gabby took photos in this almost like clawfoot bathtub amongst the rocks where the water drips down into it. It looked amazing.

Yeah, it kind of looks like the bathtub is like within the rocks. Yeah. Like it's like somebody like put it within the rocks. Yeah, and I wonder how long that's been there. It was gorgeous. And she also posted a photo of she and Brian smiling and kissing in the hot spring. So it looked like they had a really good time. And by the way, Brian was also posting during these times, but mostly the same places as Gabby was posting, and his captions were similar,

you know, like either him talking about the beauty or the rain, or just how amazing the trip was going. Next Gabby posted a photo on July 30th of her hiking barefoot in Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Her caption is very long on this one, but it basically goes into how funny she thinks it is, how many people asked her about why Brian hikes barefoot, and she said she loved doing it with him on this trip, ending her caption with quote, Brian inspires me every day on living a more natural lifestyle, building my feet up

so I don't have to bring my shoes in case. Gabby posted a couple more times in early August in another national park in Utah, Arches National Park, and on one post, she told a funny story about she and Brian hiking up this very steep slope so that they could relax at the top for a couple of hours until somebody saw them and wanted to go up there too. And she kind of just discussed how funny it was that they had to help this guy because he got stuck while the man's wife was at the bottom laughing and giving

she and Brian a thumbs up. So after this post, Gabby posted two more times to Instagram. Brian's last post on Instagram was on August 13th. It was numerous photos of him smiling and eating at Arch's National Park. Photos we assume Gabby must have taken. His caption reads, humans are primates, great apes in fact, but I don't know all how great we are as a species. Chimpanzees share 98.8% of their DNA with humans are closest living relative, but as I see it,

every living creature is in some way our relative, even trees. Only 800 million years ago, animal cells started appearing on Earth comprised of mainly the same parts and following the same functions as plant cells, requiring oxygen, solar energy, minerals, nutrients, and water. This tree, which by the way Brian is standing in front of in his first photo, was surviving an only inches of soil, and an area of extreme heat and drought. I think our culture, our society, has put itself above all living creatures, creating purely to support destructive economic practices.

This tree doesn't require an apple watch. It doesn't stream its favorite shows or have a microwave oven, pay health insurance or drink Grande Carmel Machiaadows. It is just a tree, but you rarely see geese riding jet skis or wearing designer clothing either. I think if we all want breathable air and drinkable water, we all need to learn how to live with less. And then he added an Earth emoji. Gabby's second-to-last post came on August 19th, 2021, which is by the way six days after Brian made that post that Heath just read. And this is also the same day that they released their first and only YouTube video, which is basically a compilation of videos from all the places she posted on Instagram.

But you get to see a lot more because Gabby talks to the camera and so does Brian, and it shows them exploring together and they even have a drone, like it's a really well put together video. Yeah, it actually is. I mean, it looks really well made. I think they definitely could have had a good YouTube page for sure if they continued making videos like that. And here's a little audio clip of them talking in this video. had a good YouTube page for sure if they continued making videos like that. And here's a little audio clip of them talking in this video. stretching doing some morning yoga. That's cool. There we go, well. So, we are right outside capital reef right now in a free dispersed camp spot.

And we've been lucky so far at all the places where you stayed, but I'd say this is one of the best so far. Since we left New York, I've only set up my hammock once, and I were all the way in Utah, and luckily enough, I was able to set up my hammock one of these trees. And we're kind of like in the desert. And they're a few trees, and that's it. And we linked this video on our socials, but if you want to find it on YouTube directly, the video is called Van Life, beginning our Van Life journey, and their page again is nomadic static, and static is spelled with a K,

not a C. So this same day, like I said, Gabby posted a photo on Instagram. It was of her legs in the van with a view out the door. And unlike almost every other photo on Gabby's Instagram, this one didn't have a tagged location. The caption included her same emojis and little characters that she always seemed to use, and it reads, Almost immediately after telling Brian how happy it made me to see that people were truly respectful of the park, I watched some guy leave his processed pre-packaged plastic

conglomerate of lunch garbage on the picnic table. And then she added a frowny face emoji. After this, she didn't post for six days until August 25th. And this would be her last post. But before we talk about that, let's talk about what her parents said regarding the days leading up to the 25th. So Joe Petito, who again is Gabby's dad, said that he knows they were in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 21st, because he placed an Uber Eats order for them, which is really nice of him to do. Yeah, that was very sweet.

And it seemed like, sorry to interrupt you, Heath. It seemed like her parents were very much in the loop of her trip Right, they're kind of trying to stay up to date Joe told KSL News in Salt Lake City quote, there was a power outage She said that they didn't have Wi-Fi so I ordered her some food. I know it was in Salt Lake City It was the last time I spoke to her I know it was in Salt Lake City. It was the last time I spoke to her. Joe also mentioned that neither Brian nor Gabby had friends in Salt Lake City, but they wanted to spend time in that area. Gabby's mom Nicole stated that after this, they went to Grand Teton National

Park in Wyoming on August 24, where she thinks they only spent a day or two. And like Daphne just said, they had been in consistent contact up until this point, and she and Gabby facetimed on the 24th as well, and she was able to talk to Gabby face to face. Nicole stated, quote, she seemed okay to me at the time. Other than I don't know where the relationship was going with the boyfriend. Nicole felt as though they were going through a rough patch of sorts, but things seemed fine. And it's just important to note this because everything on both Gabby and Brian's social media and in the YouTube video that's filled with smiling and laughing and seemingly great times, everything paints, you know, everything is being perfect and funny and amazing. And that's what most people show on social media,

you know, the good stuff. Yeah, I mean, people rarely show, you know, their disputes with their partners. You always post the best side of your life. Yeah, so looking at Gabby's profile, I mean, you would never imagine that anything was wrong at all, but then she tells her mom otherwise. And I just think it's great that she mentioned anything at all.

But I also wonder because I think it's interesting that her mom said, the boyfriend, which makes me curious as to how much her mom really knew Brian, you know what I mean? Yeah, or maybe how much she liked him in the first place? Like, I don't really know. Like, I would imagine she would mention him by his name if they had like a good relationship but saying the boyfriend kind of seems impersonal absolutely and I know that you know of course Nicole lives in New York while Gabby and Brian were living in Florida so maybe she didn't see Brian that much but they've been dating for two and a half years

So that's a Decently significant amount of time where you would think that not much, but they've been dating for two and a half years. So that's a decently significant amount of time where you would think that Nicole would refer to him as Brian and not the boyfriend, especially since he's now the fiance and has been for over a year. Well, that's what I mean. That's exactly what I mean is like, it's kind of almost like there's some sort of lack of respect there, but maybe there's a reason for that. You know what I mean? Yeah, I wish we knew more, but of course, I mean, this isn't an ongoing investigation, so we're telling you as much as is out there, and I do wonder what Nicole really thinks of Brian,

because like you're saying, I don't know if it's good stuff. Yeah, it is good, though, that she was able to mention, like you said, you know, that things were going okay. Yeah. And I also wonder, you know, that things were going okay. Yeah, you know. And I also wonder, you know, I know that she and her mom kept in contact a lot, but I wonder how much she would be willing to tell her mom because as a lot of people know,

maybe you tell your friends more than you tell your parents in certain situations and some relationships. So I wonder if there was more behind their rocky their rocky relationship that she didn't want to share with her mom. So at this time, both of Gabby's parents knew that their daughter Ann Bryan were making their way up to Yellowstone. And after August 24,

text from Gabby became sporadic. And she never called her parents only texted. Her last Instagram post is from just a few weeks ago from when we're recording this episode. On Wednesday, August 25th, 2021, a post of seven photo slides was posted to Gabby's Instagram. There were all photos of her smiling against a painted wall with butterflies on it,

and in the first photo, she's holding a small orange pumpkin that's made of yarn. Her caption simply reads, Happy Halloween, with a brown bug emoji and a jack-a-lantern emoji. This post again does not have a tagged location, which all of her posts, except for the last two, included. But according to a commenter on this photo, a woman named Courtney, thank you Courtney, this location is called the Monarch mural and it's in Ogden, Utah, which is just north of Salt Lake

City. And it's close to the Idaho State Border and if they were to just drive four hours north, they'd reach Yellowstone. So this was definitely on the way to the next destination, which was Yellowstone. But we also know that they planned to stop at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on the 24th, which would have been past Ogden, Utah. And Gabby didn't post any photos from there at all. And it did seem like she sometimes would post photos after she left the location, like maybe the next day or a couple days later. So it's not too weird that she would have posted being in Ogden a couple days after she

left. But it just kind of makes you wonder did they ever go to Grand Teton National Park? Did they get up to Yellowstone like we don't have photographic proof? Yeah, we just don't know. But after this post, neither Gabby nor Brian posted again. According to Gabby's Instagram story highlights, it did seem like she posted semi-frequently on her story, but maybe not that much. Since Instagram stories only stay up for 24 hours, we have no idea if she posted another story after this Instagram post. We just know that she didn't post on her main page after August 25th. Nicole Gabby's mother stated, quote, the last

time I got a text from her was on August 30th. I don't know if that was her texting me or not. Before the break, we read a quote from Gabby's mom explaining that she had last heard from Gabby on August 30th, but that she didn't know if that was her texting or not. And after this, Gabby stopped responding all together, which is very, very alarming. Nicole wasn't too worried at first because she just figured that they had lost reception since they were traveling between various national parks and more remote areas. But just last week, so around a week after not hearing anything from 22-year-old Gabby, she felt like something was very wrong.

So just days ago, Nicole and Joe started reaching out to local law enforcement in both Florida and New York to report her missing. And on September 11th, which is just a few days ago, at 7 p.m. 2021, the Suffolk County Police Department, which is in New York, agreed to file a case on her and open an investigation. Gabby Petito was last seen on August 24th when she left their hotel in Salt Lake City with Brian and unfortunately the name of the hotel has not been released to the public. Here's the kicker. Brian Laundry returned back to Florida in their van without Gabby sometime between August 30th and September 11th.

This blows my mind. And I know it blows my mind too. This is crazy. So the date he returned has not been released since it's an ongoing investigation. It was just some time in the last couple weeks. What we do know is he went back to his family in Florida and didn't say a word about Gabby to her family.

When Gabby's parents got in touch with Brian and asked where she was, he apparently didn't say anything at all. Since then, Brian has loyered up and refuses to speak to police or the public on anything relating to Gabby or their trip. I mean, obviously, at least to me, I mean, this is incredibly suspicious. Oh yeah. And I do think it's smart for potential suspects in cases to lawyer up, you know, because the police can be very tricky with their wording.

But to return without Gabby, after she hasn't contacted her family in over a week, and to not say anything, just has guilt written all over it in my opinion. And also, he came home early. They were supposed to explore Yellowstone and Wyoming, and then go to Oregon, and they were supposed to be in Portland on Halloween. And then in early September, nearly two months before they're supposed to return, he returns without Gabby and doesn't say anything.

And I mean, it just sucks because at this point at least, thus as far as we know, there's no evidence of a crime. So he can keep quiet all he wants. The thing here is that you don't take off on a multiple month trip in a van across the country with your partner and then return without your partner. And then not say anything. Like, what?

And this is your fiancee. You've been dating for two and a half years. You return and don't say a thing as if, as if like she doesn't exist. And that's the, that's the other frustrating part, is that nobody has heard from Gabby. So it's like if they got in a fight, and maybe he just left her in Utah or in Wyoming, you would think that she would have either contacted her parents or somebody.

A hundred percent. But there's been no word from Gabby. But also, if that's the case, then he would have said, oh yeah, we got in a huge fight and we broke up and I left her. Right. But to say literally nothing, it's just like, like what? It makes no sense. And regarding the last text that came to Nicole from Gabby's phone on August 30th,

she's not able to tell the public what they said, because of the open investigation, all she could say is that she didn't know if they were from Gabby. So that makes you wonder if something happened to her around August 25th, and then if Brian had something to do with something, that he was texting from Gabby's phone. Right. And, you know, as a parent or as a friend, you usually know what your loved one texts like. Like, I know when I read Daphne's text, like I know it's her. And you could say the same thing probably for me as well.

Oh my god, yes. And it absolutely. Everybody has their styles. And you always know, too, if they're texting weird, you're kind of like, you're texting different. What's wrong? So for her mom to say she didn't know if it was her, that kind of leads us to believe that maybe she was talking differently. Yeah, and that speaks

volumes to me. Oh yeah, absolutely. Now let's talk a little bit more about Brian. So sadly, as we mentioned, not much on him has come out at all. In his Instagram post has his own artwork on it and his trips with Gabby, so there's nothing out of the ordinary here. He posted last October, which was October of 2020, with a photo of him and Gabby kissing with the caption, never got around posting these. I'd die just to watch all of our memories on repeat. Never loved anyone as much as this girl.

And as we know, Brian wasn't a big tech guy or social media guy because he was mostly just into art and nature. His first post on Instagram ever was on July 2nd, 2020, which was when he and Gabi got engaged. And I mean, according to his responses to previous comments on certain posts of his, he seemed like an ice guy. I mean, he used a lot of exclamation points and he always responded to people very kindly. And I say this because just based on videos of him and his posts, he seemed so in love

with Gabby that it's incredibly hard to imagine that he would do anything to her. Of course, that's only what we're seeing in the public eye, so that doesn't really mean that much. But I just, I also don't know how he couldn't have done something to her, considering he came home without her and didn't say a word. And he didn't report her missing himself. And she hasn't been seen in one month, you know, it's just really creepy and scary, especially when you know that the last time the real Gabby, as far as we know, spoke with her mom, things seemed rocky between Brian and Gabby.

Yeah, and that's the thing, though, like going back to social media, like we said, everybody kind of puts their best side out there. Totally. So if there were these, you know, negative things about Brian, or maybe, you know, these sketchy things about Brian, we wouldn't see those things. And I don't know how much this means, but, you know, I was looking on his Instagram and then it's tags and it seems like his only tagged posts are, like, Gabby's photos of him. I didn't, and there was rarely any of those where she directly tagged him.

So I was just, I was, what I was trying to find was if any of his friends posted him or had anything to say about him just in the past, and I couldn't find like any friends posts. And he only follows like 70 people on Instagram. So I just don't know how many friends he had. I don't know if that means anything, but I was just trying to figure out as much as I could about this guy, and it's kind of hard. Did you find any information about like a Facebook page or Twitter? Okay, so there's a Facebook page for somebody with his name.

His last name is L-A-U-N-D-R-I-E, and his first name is spelled with an I. And so it's kind of, I guess, more of a unique name. I've never heard that last name. And there's only one Facebook page of somebody matching that name. But all of their photos are like memes and cartoons. And he doesn't seem like he would use those. He was into art, but I feel like it would have been art work.

And also, that person is from Fresno, California, and Brian and Gabby had actually gone to California together in 2020. And he had posted about how he didn't like Los Angeles and, and how the West Coast is so amazing. And the coast of California is just stunning. So it doesn't sound like he's from California, you know, and this Facebook page this guy was like a big Dodgers fan So anyway, I don't think he's really present on social media, which is why it's hard to find out information about him Right, so essentially that Facebook page is probably not connected to him. It's probably not him I can't confirm but I doesn't seem like it would be him I spent a lot of time on that page and just like social media stocking both of them.

And again, I mean, I just can't, obviously I can't get over the fact that he hasn't said anything about Gabby, but also that he returned early. So again, if he came back in August, they were probably not planning on coming back to Florida until at least November, if not after that. Like it seems like they wanted to like live the van life.

Right. It doesn't seem like they were just going on a couple months trip. It seemed like maybe they're going to do that indefinitely is from what it seems from what I read. So the fact that he went home, at least two months before he was supposed to and didn't even go to Oregon. It's like there's so much information that is not being explained. Yeah, definitely. And, you know, I'm honestly, you know, excited to see where this investigation is going to go. I wouldn't say excited, but I'm interested to see where it's going to go, because information is just going to keep coming out day by day, and we're going to keep you guys updated on that. Oh, absolutely.

I hope that there is more information soon and we can do an update episode. But when my mom sent me this article this morning, actually, she, you know, I was kind of like, oh, you know, I wonder what his excuse was and all that stuff. And then when I realized that there was no excuse for where she was, I was like. Just nothing said.

Yeah, I was like, wait, what? I was blown away. So there are just so many questions and I feel so bad for her family. Her parents are just desperate to know where she is and I can't imagine how devastated they are that Brian isn't speaking to them. Yeah, and that's why I think it's very, very important for you guys to share this episode.

We're going to share it as much as we can, but if you guys could do that as well, that would be awesome. So the police were actually able to locate the van, and we can only assume that they're currently processing it for any evidence. The Northport Police Department in Florida made this statement the other day. The Northport Police Department is 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. With that said, the circumstances are odd. The vehicle she was traveling in was located here in Northport,

so we're actively gathering local details and any evidence to assist in finding needed answers. If you know anything about this case, please contact us at 941-429-7382. Yeah, and if it's not obvious, by the way, the van was found at his family's house, like his parents' house in Florida. And we don't know the state of it since that information has not been released, but it was there, you know, he drove it all the way back,

and police only took it on late Saturday, September 11th, so they just got it. And police, of course, they had to go to the house to get the van, but they also, of course, were trying to question Brian. And they didn't talk to him at all. The parents have been answering the door and are saying that he's not available to speak.

And there's actually a photo in this daily mail article that will post, I mean, it's not like an important picture, but it's his dad wearing a hat, and he's like mowing the lawn, and all the media's outside, and there's so many people that are trying to get to Brian, and the dad is just completely ignoring everybody. And I just feel like the pressure is going to become too much and the someone in that house is going to start talking because they're clearly in my opinion not speaking for a reason like what what are you hiding? I know a lot of you are also probably wondering about cell phone data. So

police of course are still tracking both Brian and Gabby's cell phone data and they're using it to figure out their definitive steps on their trip. And we're sure that will explain a lot whenever they find Gabby's phone likely goes dead, but that's something they're working on now. So since there's so much information coming out, we will more than likely be doing an update episode very soon if there's enough breaking news. So stay tuned. Also so there's one thing I want to add that I want you guys to obviously take with

a grain of salt. Heath found this online. So I guess there's this guy who he claims that he's a psychic and he has psychic dreams and I know that everybody feels differently about psychics but I thought it was really interesting and I just wanted to add it in here. and he has psychic dreams. And I know that everybody feels differently about psychics, but I thought it was really interesting and I just wanted to add it in here. You know, at this point, there is no proof that Gabby is no longer with us.

So I'm not claiming that right now. I'm just saying this guy had a dream. He woke up apparently and he started drawing and writing things down regarding Gabby's case. He says he had this dream on September 10th, which is the day before she was officially being investigated as a missing person. And we will include a picture of this on our socials if you guys want to see it. There's a lot of scribbling, so it's hard to make a lot of it out.

But at the top are coordinates 7-5572200. So, Heath and I look that up. And those are the coordinates to where like the Burning Man office is in Nevada. And as we know, they did not go to Nevada together, but of course Nevada is right next to Utah. It also says Trago Hot Springs on it next to those coordinates and those hot springs are about 20 minutes from the coordinates. And the man wrote down he burns her here. He still has her other phone. And then also on this page it says she told him about a fair. Of course, I mean, we have no evidence that she had an affair or that she told him about an affair.

But Heath and I were kind of talking about how, you know, if he did potentially do something to her again, we can't say that he did. And we also discussed here in this episode how he seemed to be really in love with her. So maybe he was so in love with her, you know, and something just didn't go right. They had an argument. I mean, we don't know. Again, I can't even

say that she's deceased because there's no evidence. But I thought this was really interesting and I just wanted to share it in case anybody else would think it was interesting. But again, take it with a grain of salt and go check out that photo if you want to see it. Alright guys, I'm so sorry for all the additions I'm adding this part on Tuesday right before we're about to release this episode because something just came to the news. I've been checking like every 20 minutes to make sure that nothing new is coming out to make sure you guys have the most up-to-date information. And the New York Post just came out with a video of the police going to Brian Laundry's parents house where he is, and they're seen dropping off a pink envelope. We don't know what's in that pink envelope, but it says authorities say they're preparing

for the possibility that something sinister has happened to her. And again, the police did try to make personal contact with Brian, but his parents will not let them even see him, and they just put the police in touch with Brian's attorney. So now they dropped off a pink envelope. I look that up to see if pink envelopes typically stand for something and I couldn't find anything so that is the latest I'm gonna drop this episode and hopefully there are new updates and if there are I mean we can come out with an episode tomorrow if there's enough to talk about so even if it's just a little update, he then are super

super invested in this so just know that we're going to give you all the information. Gabby Petito was 22 years old when she was last seen on August 24, 2021. She is 5'5", tall, 110 pounds, has blonde hair, blue eyes, and several tattoos, including one on her arm that says let it be, as well as some flowers on her other arm and other minimalist artwork. Sadly, everything we presented in this episode today is all the information that has been released on the case to date, but there is so much more that needs to be discovered. So please share this story to your friends and your family and on your social

medias and check out our socials for photos and missing posters that you can share as well and in case anybody wants to know what Gabby looks like especially if you live around Utah or in Utah that could be really helpful as well. Gabby's family is completely distraught over the situation and they just want to know what happened to her and where she is. Again, if you have any information, please call the North Port Police Department in Florida at 941-429-7382. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening and next week we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into. By the way, everybody, there is a GoFundMe for this case with the family's permission. There's a GoFundMe to help raise funds to aid in the search for Gabby. So if you guys are interested in donating to that, we did post the link on our socials, but also you can Google Go Fund me, Gabby Petito, and it'll come up. They're trying to raise at least $20,000 and as of right now when we're recording, there's over $16,000. So go donate if you'd like. I think it's probably because,

I mean, the situations of this case are so bizarre and it's happening right now like it is taking over my all day I've had so much anxiety while I was throwing together this research and when I say throwing together I was very thorough so I just trust that I gathered every piece of information I could possibly find that's out there, but oh my God, I just wanna know what the hell happens so bad. This is just so sad. I'm kinda hoping that the state of Utah will open an investigation into this as well because- Oh, they need to.

They really need to because if that's the last place she was seen, you really gotta do some searching there. And that's where the answers are going to be in Utah. I mean, possibly Wyoming, that's the problem answers are going to be in Utah. I mean possibly Wyoming. That's the problem is that it was Idaho, Wyoming, and I don't know if they crossed into Idaho, but they to get to Yellowstone, they could have gone through Idaho and then Utah. So there's this whole corner location where the answers could lie. And I just hope that somebody saw something. So thank you guys so much for listening to this episode.

Thank you so much for sharing it. Let's help her family. And also thank you so much to our patrons who have joined in the last week. Your support helps this show so, so much. So we gotta give you guys shoutouts because we love you guys so much. Yeah, and by the way,

I have some really good and interesting cases for you guys to listen to this month. So make sure you check those out. Yeah, our first bonus episode will come out this week. So stay tuned and we'll post about it on our socials and everything, but patreon.com slash going west podcast. All right, thank you so much to Heather, Aliza, Chris, Christina, Sarah, and Michael.

Big thanks going out to Kathy, Tracy, thank you Sophie, Laura, Jude, and Lucy. Thank you so much to Mary, Michelle, Annie, Manuel, and Stevie Lynn. And last but not least, thank you so much to Loreta, Laura, Kendra, and Jennifer. You guys are awesome. Thank you for subscribing. Thanks for helping, and Jennifer. You guys are awesome.

Thank you for subscribing. Thanks for helping out the show. You guys are amazing. And I hope you enjoy the episodes that we have for you guys this month. Yes, thank you guys so much. We appreciate your support. It means the world to us. And you are the people who keep going west going.

So thank you. All right, guys. Remember to share this episode. And for everybody out there in the world, cheerio and don't be a stranger. you