

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When Gabby Petito’s loved ones realized that she had gone missing in the summer of 2021, she had been on the road, traveling cross-country with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, for only about two months. In the years preceding that fateful trip, Gabby’s friends and family had watched the pair’s relationship blossom and deepen — but at times, the couple’s dynamic gave them cause for concern.
Though the rest of the world learned about the tumult that plagued their relationship when Gabby’s disappearance made national news, the rest of her story — which is chronicled in the docuseries American Murder: Gabby Petito — was much more complicated than anyone could have known. The pair went from young and in love to being at the center of a criminal investigation — one that highlights what it’s like to try to project an image of happiness while trapped in an abusive relationship.
Below is a detailed timeline that lays out the relationship between Gabby and Brian as well as the tragic events that took place after they set out on a trip that was meant to launch a new phase of Gabby’s life and career.
Brian and Gabby
Gabby Petito, 20, starts going out with Brian Laundrie, a man she’s known since they were in high school together. Her friends and family recall that she was tight-lipped in the early days of their courtship; by the time she lets her loved ones in on her relationship, it’s clear that the two are already very serious.
About nine months into dating, the couple decides to move to Florida from Gabby’s hometown in New York to be closer to Brian’s family. At first, Gabby reportedly got along with Brian’s mother, Roberta, but over time, Roberta seemed to resent her son’s girlfriend.
Gabby posts that Brian has proposed to her after they've been dating for a year and three months. There’s no ring, but at the moment he asks her to marry him, a firefly lands on her finger, which the pair interpret to be a good omen.
Instead of focusing on wedding planning after their engagement, Gabby and Brian decide that they want to purchase a van and travel across the country. Gabby intends to document their travels and launch a career as a #vanlife vlogger.
Gabby poses in front of her van.
After traveling from Florida back to Gabby’s hometown to see her family, she and Brian embark on their cross-country road trip.
After witnesses report a domestic violence incident to police in Moab, Utah, the couple is pursued and eventually pulled over by the authorities. After interrogating them separately, they determine Gabby was the aggressor. The police ask the couple to spend the night apart and provide Brian with a motel room intended for survivors of domestic violence. He later flies home to empty a storage unit before reuniting with Gabby on the road.
Gabby posts her first and only YouTube video, which documents the progression of the road trip.
Gabby reaches out to an ex-boyfriend named Jackson and alludes to a falling out with Brian. She suggested that she intends to break up with him, but Jackson believes Gabby isn’t sure “how” yet.
Gabby uploads her last Instagram post: a photo of herself smiling in front of a large butterfly mural.
Gabby contacts Jackson again, via Snapchat from Wyoming, and says she’s thinking of him. She later calls, but he’s at work and unable to answer.
The last known video footage of Gabby — surveillance footage of her walking with Brian through a Whole Foods in Jackson, Wyoming — was captured the same day.
Brian flies a drone around the Spread Creek campsite.
Brian leaves the Spread Creek dispersed camping area (on the edge of Grand Teton National Park) to go to Colter Bay Village, Wyoming, and he takes photos along the way. According to cell phone records, he later calls his mother and stays on the line with her for about an hour.
According to cell phone records, Brian calls his mother and stays on the line with her for about an hour. He gets a ride from a woman named Miranda Baker from Colter Bay toward Jackson, Wyoming. Later, a woman named Norma Jean Jalovec notices Brian hitchhiking on her way out of Grand Teton National Park and gives him a ride to the Spread Creek campsite, where he says his fiancée is waiting for him.
Brian begins his drive back to Florida without Gabby. He uses Gabby’s debit card to pay for gas and transfers $700 from her account to himself, with the memo “Goodbye Brian, I’ll never ask you for anything again.”
Gabby’s mother, Nichole, receives a text from Gabby’s phone that refers to her grandfather by his first name, which strikes her mother as unusual — she suspects that Brian is texting from Gabby’s phone.
Pages from Gabby’s journal.
Gabby’s mother texts Gabby repeatedly and receives no response.
Nichole texts Gabby’s father, Joe, to see if he’s heard from their daughter. Realizing Gabby hasn’t responded to either of them via text, they begin calling her phone. Jackson says they also reached out to him.
Gabby’s mother texts Roberta Laundrie and receives no response. Her next text to Roberta turns green, suggesting that Roberta has either blocked her or turned off her phone. Joe reaches out to the Laundries via text and receives no answer.
Gabby’s family and friends begin posting on Facebook about her disappearance.
Gabby’s family calls the US Park Police and the North Port Police in Florida, where the Laundries live. In response, officers visit the Laundrie home to inquire about Gabby’s whereabouts. Laundrie’s parents say that their son is home, but they refuse to answer any other questions. They tell the authorities that they should reach out to their lawyer.
Gabby’s stepfather, Jim, travels to Wyoming, where Gabby was last seen, to assist in the on-the-ground search.
Police receive a tip that something odd is going on at the Laundrie home. When they arrive to investigate, Brian’s parents inform them that he isn’t there and that he’s been missing for days after heading out on a hike in the nearby Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
Authorities ask the public for assistance in tracking down Gabby and receive thousands of tips.
Wyoming police search on horseback.
Gabby’s body is found at the Spread Creek camping area in Wyoming. Her death is ruled a homicide, and her family is notified.
A federal arrest warrant is issued for Brian Laundrie.
The park where the authorities have been searching for Brian is opened to the public. That day, the Laundrie family visit to conduct their own search. They arrive at 7 a.m., and an hour later, Laundrie’s father finds his son’s waterproof bag. Forty-five minutes after that, his decomposed remains are found. Police determine that he died by suicide from a gunshot wound.
For more about what happened in the aftermath of the Gabby’s murder, as well as the years since, hear from Gabby’s parents in our interview here.
If you or someone you know has experienced relationship abuse, information and resources are available at wannatalkaboutit.com.