Viewers of the gut-wrenching new Netflix documentary series, American Murder: Gabby Petito, will know that the tragic death of Gabby Petito at the hands of her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, was a complex case – which ultimately concluded with both Gabby and Brian's lives ending.
The story, which initially drew press attention after Gabby's mother, Nichole Schmidt, raised the alarm that her daughter was missing on 11 September 2021, gained global interest as the authorities searched for the missing aspiring vlogger who had been on what should have been the van life trip of a lifetime.
Sadly, Gabby's body was found on 19 September 2021, eight days after searches for her began, at which point Brian had also been declared missing by his own family. His remains were found 20 October 2021, with a coroner later recording his cause of death as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Detailing the case, here's a timeline of the events leading up to and following Gabby Petito's murder.
A timeline of Gabby Petito's murder
2 July 2021: The couple set off on their trip
Gabby Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, embark on what should have been a 4-month trip of a lifetime, travelling around the United States in their camper van. Gabby was excited to vlog their 'van life' escapades on their YouTube channel, Nomadic Statik, which today has 178,000 subscribers, but ultimately only ever posted one video.
In the channel's description it reads: "Hey! We’re Gabby + Brian ☺︎︎ Recently we decided to downsize our life into a little Ford transit connect to travel across the United States!"
Everyone's clicking on...
12 August 2021: Gabby and Brian are pulled over by police in Utah
Body cam footage from a police officer shows Brian and Gabby's van was pulled over in Moab City, Utah, after it was seen driving erratically and hit a curb. Earlier that day, officers had received a call from a member of the public who claimed to have witnessed a male 'slapping' a female in a van fitting the same description.
When the officer approaches to speak with the couple, Gabby is visibly crying in the passenger seat and tells the policeman that she and Brian have had a falling out – something Brian also independently confirms to the officer, too.
When asked by an officer what the problem is, Gabby replies, "We’ve just been fighting this morning. Some personal issues. Yeah, I don’t know, it’s just some days, I have really bad OCD, and I was just cleaning and straightening up, and I was apologising to him saying that I’m so mean because sometimes I have OCD and get frustrated." She has marks on her face and arm.
After noticing marks on his face, officers rule that Gabby is the aggressor and advise that the couple separate for the night, by putting Brian up in a local hotel. Brian says he doesn't want to pursue any charges against Gabby: "I'm not going to pursue anything because she is my fiancée and I love her. It was just a squabble. Sorry it had to get so public."
19 August 2021: Their first and only YouTube video goes live
Gabby and Brian only shared one video on their joint YouTube channel, Van Life: Beginning our Van Life Journey, an 8-minute long montage of the pair looking happy and in love as they travel across the United States together, visiting beaches, arcades and nature spots. The video has since been watched more than 7 million times.
26 August 201: Gabby's account shares its final Instagram post
Autumnal and Halloween-themed photos are shared on Gabby's Instagram account, @GabsPetito, along with the caption 'Happy Halloween 🪰🎃'.
27 August 2021: The assumed day of Gabby's murder
Given her body was not found immediately, it's difficult to ascertain the exact date that Gabby was killed but the estimated date is recorded as 27 August 2021. This is also the last time footage of Gabby has been captured; there's CCTV of her and Brian in a Whole Foods store.
29 August 2021: Brian calls his parents and says "Gabby is gone"
According to reports by CNN on the court case, Brian called his parents on 29 August and said "Gabby is gone" and later asked if his father could arrange an attorney for him.
Following this, Christopher claimed he "had no idea what to think [about what had happened to Gabby]. He asked me to get a lawyer, and I couldn't get any more information from him."
Speaking about the day Brian called them, Roberta told the court: "His voice was very upset and I didn't know why. I didn't want to push him, so we just said goodbye. When I got off the phone, I told Chris, you know, 'Brian sounded upset. Maybe you should give him a call'."
30 August 2021: A text is sent from Gabby's phone
It's reported that a final text is sent from Gabby's phone, likely Brian posing as Gabby, to Gabby's mum, Nichole Schmidt. However, Nichole has since said she felt something was amiss due to the wording of the message, which referred to Gabby's grandfather, Stan, by his first name only – not something that Gabby would do.
The message sent from Gabby's phone said, "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls."
1 September 2021: Brian returns to his parents' home in Florida
Driving in the van he shared with Gabby, Brian arrives at the home of his parents, Chris and Roberta, in Florida alone. The van would remain at his parents' place until 11 September when it was retrieved by the authorities, following Nichole Schmidt reporting her daughter missing.
While in Florida, it seems Brian and his parents moved between the family home and a local nature spot for a camping trip.
Speaking later in court about the day Brian returned home, according to transcripts made public in 2024, Brian's father Christopher described his demeanour as being akin to "a kid who came home, you know, in trouble".
5 September 2021: Cassie Laundrie claims to see her parents and Brian for the last time
Before it is made public that Gabby is missing, Brian's sister, Cassie Laundrie, meets with her brother and their parents at a Florida campsite for a few hours. She claims they all ate dinner and nothing seemed amiss, and that she did not stay the night at the site like the rest of her family.
Cassie will later say this is the last time she saw her brother Brian or was able to contact him. She also claims her parents stopped responding to her as the investigation played out. "We are just as upset, frustrated and heartbroken as everybody else," she said when confronted at home by reporters on 4 October 2021, after Gabby's body had been found and while the search for Brian's was still underway. "I am losing my parents and my brother and my children's aunt and my future sister-in-law."
11 September 2021: Gabby's mother reports her missing
Nichole Schmidt formally reports Gabby missing to the police. Many are suspicious that the Laundrie family know more about her whereabouts and what might have happened than they are letting on.
Police tow Brian and Gabby's shared van away from the Laundrie family's driveway and when confronted by police, Roberta and Chris deny having any knowledge of Gabby's whereabouts. Chris tells one police officer, "I'm not talking to anybody. Brian is here, that's all I'm going to say for now... We have an attorney."
14 September 2021: The Laundrie family share a statement
While Gabby's family had given multiple statements to the press in the hopes of finding Gabby, the Laundries had remained quiet and refused to speak with police. On 14 September 2021, a legal rep for the Laundries said: "This is understandably an extremely difficult time for both the Petito family and the Laundrie family. It is our understanding that a search has been organised for Miss Petito in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On behalf of the Laundrie family it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is re-united with her family.
"On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment."
15 September 2021: Police name Brian as a person of interest
In a public tweet to the Laundrie family's lawyer, Steven Bertolino, North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison states plainly that they want to speak with Brian about Gabby's disappearance but are having difficulty tracking him down: "Mr. Steven Bertolino, esq. the @NorthPortPolice needs your help in finding Gabby Petito. Please call us to arrange a conversation with Brian Laundrie. Two people left on a trip and one person returned!"
17 September 2021: Brian's family report him missing
After refusing to speak with police and ignoring the pleas from Gabby's family for help and information, the Laundrie family officially declare that Brian is missing, saying they haven't seen him in three days and that they think he could be in the Carlton Reserve, Sarasota County. They claim they didn't raise the alarm sooner as they thought Brian was going on a camping and hiking trip to try and relax.
18 September 2021: Cassie Laundrie gives an ABC interview
"Obviously me and my family want Gabby to be found safe. She's like a sister and my children love her," Cassie shared while speaking on Good Morning America. "All I want is for her to come home safe and for this to be just a big misunderstanding."
19 September 2021: Gabby's body is found
Tragically, the search for Gabby results in her body being found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Police do not initially confirm it is Gabby, but after speaking with her family and having her identified, later make the news public.
On the 21 September a coroner rules her cause of death is homicide, turning the case into a murder investigation.
28 September 2021: The Petito family call out the Laundries
As the search for Brian continues, a lawyer representing Gabby's family says in a press conference that the Laundries are deliberately being unhelpful: "The Laundries did not help us find Gabby. They sure aren't going to help us find Brian. For Brian, we're asking you to turn yourself in to the FBI or the nearest law enforcement organisation."
12 October 2021: Gabby's cause of death is confirmed
Coroner Dr Brent Blue tells press that Gabby was strangled to death, following his examination of the body. "Unfortunately, this is only one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved in domestic violence and it's unfortunate that these other deaths do not get as much coverage as this one," he pointed out, a comment that felt pertinent as other bodies were recovered in the search for Gabby which did not receive anywhere near as much media attention.
Dr Blue also confirmed that Gabby's body had been "outside in the wilderness for three to four weeks" prior to being discovered and that she was not pregnant at the time of her death.
20 October 2021: Brian's body is found
After more than a month of searching, Brian's belongings and his body are found by his parents and the authorities at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. The FBI reports: "After water had receded from the area and the park was reopened, [Roberta and Christopher Laundrie's lawyer] Mr Bertolino notified law enforcement that Mr Laundrie's parents intended to return to the park to search for Mr Laundrie. Law enforcement officers were present when Mr Laundrie's parents located an item in the park later determined to belong to Mr Laundrie."
The FBI continued on to say, "Upon further search of the area, investigators found human remains later confirmed to be Mr Laundrie, along with a backpack, notebook, and a revolver. A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms Petito’s death."
23 November 2021: Police share the cause of Brian's death
Following an autopsy, police confirm that Brian died by suicide. "The District 12 Medical Examiner's Office in Sarasota, Florida, released its report on the manner and cause of death of Mr Laundrie. The report concluded Mr Laundrie died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
