Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman, remains missing despite a nationwide call to action to find her.
Who is Gabby Petito?
Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11 after she and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, went on a road trip across the country. Laundrie returned home to North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1. Gabby did not return home. Her last known appearance was Aug. 30 in Grand Teton National Park.
Is Gabby Petito missing in Florida?
Josh Taylor, public information officer for North Port police, said on CNN Friday morning that there’s no evidence that Gabby Petito is missing in Florida right now.
- He said the search for Petito continues in Wyoming.
- Taylor said there’s still hope that “Gabby is out there” right now.
Does boyfriend Brian Laundrie have a criminal record?
The search for Petito took an interesting turn Thursday when Moab Police reportedly released a body camera video of a confrontation between Petito and Laundrie. The altercation happened in Utah about two weeks before Petitio went missing, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
And there’s nothing that suggests the couple had problems in Florida, he said. Laundrie, for example, has a clean record.
- “We have no previous incidents with the two of them here in North Port,” Taylor said.
What North Police police want to know
Last weekend, authorities recovered the white van that Petito and Laundrie used for their road trip. Taylor said police found “material” from the white van that they want to examine but they can’t speak about what they found yet. Florida police said Thursday that there’s no evidence of a crime yet, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
Taylor said they’re interested in knowing about gas stations the couple attended, or interactions people had with the couple throughout the trip. The van traveled thousands of miles, he said, so it’s no question it was seen along the way.
- “There are holes that need to be plugged,” Taylor said.