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Gabrielle Petito Find Gabby/Facebook

Gabby Petito was strangled to death, US coroner confirms

Her family filed a missing person report on 11 September after the 22-year-old mysteriously vanished.

GABBY PETITO, THE young woman who died on a road trip across the United States with her boyfriend, was strangled and her death was a homicide, the local coroner has said.

The body of the 22-year-old lay in the wilderness of Wyoming for up to a month before it was found in mid-September, Teton County coroner Brent Blue said.

“We hereby find the cause and manner of death to be: the cause of death by strangulation, and manner is homicide,” he said.

“Our initial determination is that the body was in the wilderness for three to four weeks.”

Petito had quit her job and packed her life into a camper van for a cross-country adventure with Brian Laundrie, starting in July, documenting their journey in a stream of social media posts.

But the young woman’s family filed a missing person report on 11 September after the 22-year-old mysteriously vanished, and Laundrie returned home to Florida without her.

Laundrie, 23, was declared a “person of interest” in the case. He declined to cooperate with police before disappearing himself.

The FBI has launched a nationwide manhunt, appealing for anyone with information about Laundrie’s whereabouts to contact them.

Domestic violence

Details have emerged about how police in Utah responded to a domestic violence report involving Petito and Laundrie in August.

Police bodycam footage shows a distraught Petito saying she had had an altercation with Laundrie.

Speaking to an officer after their van was pulled over, Petito is seen crying and saying she struggles with mental health problems.

Petito said she slapped Laundrie after an argument, but added she meant no harm.

The police officer decided no charges would be brought but ordered the couple to spend a night apart to calm down.

Petito’s death and the subsequent disappearance of the chief suspect sparked a blizzard of media coverage both in the United States and around the world.

It also triggered debate over the disproportionate attention accorded to missing white women.

Blue, the coroner, said yesterday there had been a “media circus” around the case.

“Unfortunately, this is one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved in domestic violence,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate that these other deaths do not get as much coverage as this one,” he added.

“There are a lot of both men and women who lose their lives and aren’t covered with this kind of media attention.”

© – AFP, 2021

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    Apr 10th 2015, 3:17 PM

    Me>Collin Farrell

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    Apr 10th 2015, 3:20 PM

    Fancy meeting you here, Rust

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    Apr 10th 2015, 3:27 PM

    Should the last line not read ‘Farewell Hart and Cohle’?

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    Apr 10th 2015, 3:28 PM

    Are you telling me I have Rust Cohle on the brain? *Ahem*
    (That’s fixed)

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    Apr 10th 2015, 2:55 PM

    Not to mention that Kelly Reilly was also in Calvary. Excellent actress.

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    Apr 10th 2015, 3:00 PM

    She was indeed!

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    Apr 10th 2015, 9:15 PM

    And Above suspicion with Ciaran Hinds too, tis was good too.

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    Apr 10th 2015, 3:14 PM

    The joys of showbox means there won’t be much of a wait here

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    Apr 10th 2015, 5:13 PM

    Loved the first season – had so much going for it with the cast involved. Colin Farrell is a great actor but has made some awful choices in the movies he’s made- fingers crossed this will get him back on track. Top marks for the Tache!!!

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    Apr 10th 2015, 4:33 PM

    This series has a lot to live up to. Rust and Cohle were bloody great and Carcosa was an excellent story. Long live these great TV shows, because everything else on the box is cack!!!

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    Apr 10th 2015, 4:26 PM

    Brilliant last season

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    Apr 10th 2015, 5:13 PM

    Preserve us from Colin Farrell.

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