FBI Investigating If Gabby Petito's Body Was Moved After Murder As Location Of Death Becomes Key For Prosecuting Killer
Oct. 6 2021, Published 11:51 a.m. ET
Officials are scrambling to figure out if Gabby Petito was murdered where her body was found or if she was moved after the killing.
According to reports, the location is key in who will prosecute Gabby's killer but is proving difficult for law enforcement.
The 22-year-old vlogger's body was found on September 19 in a remote area of Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, which is federal land.
If Gabby was murdered there or Grand Teton National Park, the U.S. Attorney will go up against the murderer's attorney in court.
But if Gabby was killed outside of that region, and not federal land, the responsibility will be kicked over to state authorities.
If the location of Gabby's murder is never discovered then the reported default is where her body was located — meaning the U.S. Attorney would prosecute her killer.
It could become messy if state authorities and feds don't see eye to eye. According to reports, if the location of Gabby's murder is not uncovered, but state authorities truly believe her body was moved, there could be a clash among officials.
Gabby was on a cross-country trip to Wyoming with her fiancé Brian Laundrie when he returned home to Florida on September 1 in her van without her.
When Gabby's parents — who live in New York — couldn't get ahold of their daughter, they became worried and reached out to Brian and his parents to no avail.
Gabby's parents reported her missing on September 11. Her body was found 8 days later and the coroner ruled her death a homicide.
Brian was announced missing on September 17, two days before Gabby's body was discovered. According to his parents, he left for a solo hike in the Carlton Reserve on September 14 and never returned — that story later changed.
On Tuesday, the Laundrie family attorney claimed Brian left for his solo hike on September 13, not 14.
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Brian was named as a "person of interest" and an arrest warrant was issued after the FBI discovered he used an "unauthorized" credit card to pull out $1,000 between August 30 and September 1.
A manhunt has been underway for nearly three weeks to no avail. The most promising news is that local authorities revealed there have been one dozen possible Brian sightings in North Carolina since Thursday.
