MOAB, Utah — Days after Gabby Petito’s family reported the 22-year-old Florida woman missing authorities are still searching for her.She was traveling with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, in a cargo van the two had outfitted as a makeshift recreational vehicle for a months-long cross-country road trip when she mysteriously disappeared.
Here’s a timeline with everything we know so far about the case:
July 2: Petito and Laundrie depart
The couple left Blue Point, New York, where Petito is originally from, on July 2 on a planned 4-month cross-country journey.
They were driving Petito’s white 2012 Ford Transit van which, according to one of Laundrie’s posts on Instagram, they converted the interior to allow them to camp and cook meals inside of as they traveled.
According to their social media posts, the pair traveled from Florida to Kansas, Colorado, and Utah, touring and camping at several national parks and natural attractions.
ORIGINAL REPORT: ‘We don’t eat, we don’t sleep, we’re just actively looking for her.’
August 12: Moab City, Utah ‘altercation’
In August, police in Moab, Utah had an encounter with Petito and Laundrie and the pair was described as having “engaged in some sort of altercation,” according to a report released by the Moab City Police Department.
Moab City police were called to reports of disorderly conduct on August 12 and encountered Laundrie and Petito, along with a witness whose full name was redacted from the report.
Laundrie and Petito are described as having gotten into a physical fight following an argument, but “both the male and female reported they are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn’t wish to see anyone charged with a crime,” according to the report from Officer Eric Pratt.
At the officers’ suggestion, Laundrie and Petito separated for the night, the report said. Petito is described by one officer as “confused and emotional.”
“After evaluating the totality of the circumstances, I do not believe the situation escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much as that of a mental health crisis,” Officer Daniel Robbins wrote in the police report. No charges were filed.
Robbins wrote Laundrie said the pair had been traveling together for “the last 4 or 5 months.”
MORE: Police body cam video shows Gabby Petito, boyfriend after 911 call
August 25: Petito’s last known whereabouts
According to a verified GoFundMe page set up to raise money and aid in the search for Petito, she was “last known to be in Grand Teton, Wyoming on 8/25/21 heading towards Yellowstone National Park.”
Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, told CNN that the young woman communicated regularly with her mom and family.
“She would go off the grid…doing her van life stuff, exploring these different areas. So it wasn’t uncommon for her to go off for few days at a time, but she’d always make her way back to someplace where she could get on to a Wi-Fi connection, upload to her Instagram, make phone calls, FaceTime,” he said.
August 30: Last communication with family
Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, said the last text message she received from her daughter came on August 30.
“Someone who’s been traveling and contacting family and then all of a sudden goes dark — that’s obviously odd,” Josh Taylor, a spokesperson for the North Port, Florida, police department, told CNN on Sept. 14.
September 1: Laundrie returns to North Port
Laundrie allegedly returned to the North Port home he and Petito shared with his parents on September 1.
Police said he had driven the couple’s van there and Petito was not with him.
ALSO READ: Boyfriend of missing Gabby Petito issues statement through lawyer
September 11: Family reports Petito missing
On September 11, Petito’s family reported her missing to the Suffolk County Police Department in New York at approximately 6:55 p.m.
When police in Florida knocked on the Laundrie’s door that night, his parents handed them a lawyer’s phone number.
“We don’t know what Brian knows, that’s the bottom line,” Taylor said. “We are hopeful to talk to him. He needs to talk to us. We need to know exactly where he was, where she was, their last locations, and the fact he was back here for 10 days. Again, the family reported her missing 10 days later. “
Their van was processed for evidence, and Taylor said there were some materials that will be investigated further.
September 15: Laundrie named person of interest
On Wednesday, Laundrie was officially named a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance and North Port Police said he was hindering the investigation.
Laundrie has not made himself available to be interviewed by investigators or provided any helpful details.
His attorney issued the following statement on behalf of his client, addressing Laundrie’s silence.
“Many people are wondering why Mr. Laundrie would not make a statement or speak with law enforcement in the face of Ms. Petito’s absence. In my experience, intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focuses their attention on in cases like this, and the waring that ‘any statement made will be used against you’ is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to with Ms. Petito’s disappearance. As such, on the advice of counsel, Mr. Laundie is not speaking on the matter. I have been informed that the North Port, Florida, police have named Brian Laundrie as a ‘person of interest’ in this matter. This formality has not really changed the circumstances of Mr. Laundrie being the focus and attention of law enforcement, and Mr. Laundrie will continue to remain silent on the advice of counsel.”
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