A body discovered in northern Wyoming is believed to be that of a 22-year-old woman who disappeared while on a cross-country trek with a boyfriend, who is now the subject of an intense search in a Florida nature preserve, authorities said on Sunday.
The FBI said the body of Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito was found on Sunday by law enforcement agents who spent the weekend searching campsites on the eastern border of Grand Teton National Park.
The cause of death has not yet been determined, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Charles Jones said.
Photo: AP
Specifics on where and how the body was found were not disclosed.
“Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100 percent that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified,” Jones said. “This is an incredibly difficult time for [Petito’s] family and friends.”
Boyfiend Brian Laundrie, 23, has been identified as a person of interest in the case. He was last seen on Tuesday last week by family members in Florida.
Petito’s father, Joseph, posted on social media an image of a broken heart above a picture of his daughter with a message that read: “she touched the world.”
An undeveloped camping area on the east side of Grand Teton bordering national forest land would remain closed until further notice while the investigation continues, Jones said.
Investigators were still seeking information from anyone who might have seen Petito or Laundrie around camping sites in the area of Spread Creek, where law enforcement search efforts focused over the weekend, Jones said.
The pair left in July on a cross-country trek in a converted van to visit national parks in the US west. Laundrie was alone when he drove the van back to his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1, police said.
More than 50 law enforcement officers on Sunday started a second day of searching for Laundrie at the more than 9,712 hectare Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida, a wildlife area with more than 160km of trails, as well as campgrounds.
Police in North Port, Florida, said in a statement that they were heartbroken to learn of the discovery of the body and pledged to continuing searching for answers in the case.
Petito’s family filed a missing person report on Sept. 11 with police in Suffolk County, New York.
Petito’s family had been pleading for the Laundrie family to tell them where their son last saw her. Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on Long Island, New York. His parents later moved to North Port, about 55km south of Sarasota.
The couple’s trek in the Ford Transit began in July from Long Island. They intended to reach Oregon by the end of next month, according to their social media accounts.
However, Petito vanished after her last known contact with family late last month from Grand Teton National Park, authorities said.
Police video released by the Moab Police Department in Utah showed that an officer pulled the van over on Aug. 12 after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near the entrance to Arches National Park.
The body cam video showed an emotional Petito, who sat inside a police cruiser while officers also questioned Laundrie.
Police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.
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