FBI search Brian Laundrie's Mustang after he abandoned it in Florida nature reserve before going missing: Agents search parents' 'crime scene' home ahead of autopsy on Gabby Petito's body found at Wyoming camp site
- FBI agents stormed the North Port, Florida home of the family of 'person of interest' Brian Laundrie on Monday and hauled away his parents while declaring the area a crime scene
- Agents impounded Brian Laundrie's Ford Mustang which his family found abandoned last week near a nature reserve; Laundrie went missing near reserve last week as cops left a note on the car asking that it be moved
- The FBI tweeted on Monday that it 'is executing a court-authorized search warrant today at the Laundrie residence in North Port, FL relevant to the Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito investigation'
- Authorities announced Sunday afternoon that they had found a body at the Bridger-Teton National Forest, where police had been searching for Laundrie's fiancé, Petito, who was reported missing on September 11
- An autopsy is set for Tuesday to confirm if the body is Petito and determine the cause of death
- Investigators are facing criticism for their handling of the Petito case with many saying authorities let Laundrie 'slip through their fingers' because they didn't monitor him
- Forensic investigators warn that authorities are in a race against time as the long exposure to the elements could cause the body to decompose, making it more difficult to determine exactly how she died
- Sunday morning, Petito's family shared footage from a YouTuber taken at the Spread Creek Campground on August 27, where investigators were searching, that appears to capture the pair's white Ford Transit van
- Police on Monday called off the search for Laundrie in the alligator-infested Carlton Reserve in Florida where he is believed to be hiding out, saying they've 'exhausted all avenues' at the nature reserve
- Petito was last seen on August 24 leaving a hotel with Laundrie in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the pair's cross-country trip; she last spoke with her parents on the phone from Grand Teton National Park on August 25
- Police said Laundrie returned to his home in North Port, Florida, September 1 but fled on Tuesday according to his parents who believe he has gone to the Carlton Reserve
- Hours before his disappearance was announced, an 18-year-old driving to the protest snapped a photo of a man who looked a 'heck' of a lot like Laundrie about two blocks from the North Port home
The FBI on Monday searched Brian Laundrie's abandoned Ford Mustang before towing it away for a deeper investigation after executing a search warrant on the home of his parents while searching for clues in the disappearance of van-lifer Gabby Petito.
Laundrie's family found a police note on his Ford Mustang asking to move the vehicle after he disappeared last week, it was learned on Monday as FBI agents raided the home of parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie. Brian Laundrie is considered a person of interest in the investigation.
The dramatic developments come just a day after authorities found a body in a Wyoming park that matches Petito's description. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
Laundrie went missing sometime last week and is believed to have traveled to the Carlton Reserve near his home in North Port. Police announced today they had abandoned the search at the reserve and were looking for him elsewhere.
Today, the FBI raided his parents' home. Chris and Roberta Laundrie were led out of the home and into a police van while agents executed the search warrant. Some 10 minutes later, they were brought back inside for questioning.
A tow truck pulled up outside the home as agents were seen searching Laundrie's Mustang. The car had been found by his family after it was abandoned next to the reserve with a police note on its windscreen, demanding that the vehicle be removed from the area.
Steven Berolino, an attorney for the family, told ABC 7 that the family initially left the car there so that Brian Laundrie could drive it back, but they returned on Thursday to retrieve it, according to Bertolino.
FBI agents on Monday impounded Brian Laundrie's Ford Mustang after raiding the home of his parents in North Port, Florida
Laundrie's family found a police note on his Ford Mustang asking to move the vehicle after he disappeared last week
The image above shows FBI agents leading Chris and Roberta Laundrie out of their North Port, Florida home on Monday. The Laundries are the parents of Brian Laundrie, who has been missing and is considered a 'person of interest' in the disappearance of van-lifer Gabby Petito. The body believed to be that of Petito was found in Wyoming on Sunday
FBI agents and the Laundries are seen above while investigators execute a search warrant in North Port, Florida
It appeared at one point that FBI officers were looking for Brian Laundrie at the house. Five FBI agents at the side of the property searched a plastic garden lidded container
Agents were seen searching Laundrie's Mustang. The car had been found by his family after it was abandoned next to the reserve with a police note on its windscreen, demanding that the vehicle be removed from the area
FBI agents stormed his family's home on Monday and removed his parents from the house while declaring the area a crime scene moments after authorities called off a search of a nearby nature reserve, saying they have 'exhausted all avenues.
A tow truck pulled up outside the home as agents were seen searching Laundrie's Mustang
It appears that the FBI plan to take the car, and potentially his parents' vehicles away for further testing
The next day, the family filed a missing persons report.
FBI agents stormed his family's home on Monday and removed his parents from the house while declaring the area a crime scene moments after authorities called off a search of a nearby nature reserve, saying they have 'exhausted all avenues.'
The FBI tweeted on Monday that it 'is executing a court-authorized search warrant today at the Laundrie residence in North Port, FL relevant to the Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito investigation.'
'No further details can be provided since this is an active and ongoing investigation,' the FBI added.
Agents spent several hours inside the residence collecting evidence. By around 4pm local time, most had left the home while some officers of the North Port Police Department remained.
DailyMail.com was on the scene as FBI agents led Chris and Roberta Laundrie, Brian Laundrie's parents, out of the home and into a police van. They were allowed back into the residence about an hour later.
The dramatic development come a day after investigators found the body of a person believed to be his fiance, missing van-lifer Petito, in Wyoming.
A forensic pathologist from Sheridan, Wyoming will travel 360 miles east to Teton County Coroner's Office to perform the autopsy.
Laundrie's parents - Chris (left) and Roberta (right) - are seen outside their home on Wednesday in North Port, Florida
Law enforcement officials in Florida are being criticized for allowing the 'person of interest' - Petito's fiancé Brian Laundrie (seen right with Petito) - to go missing
The couple had been touring the US in their van together but the alarm was raised after Laundrie arrived hime with no sign of Petito
A large continent of law enforcement officials were seen arriving at the home on Monday.
FBI agents and police moved into the Laundrie house in force around 9.40 am this morning.
Five vehicles turned up with officers pouring out after the house was suddenly taped off with yellow police line tape. Shouts of ‘search warrant’ could be heard.
Laundries parents were taken swiftly out of the home and into a black propel carrier. FBI agents lined up outside the door before heading in at speed.
One directly pointed his pistol down inside it. Another officer stood behind a bullet proof shield next to him, while another shouted: ‘Check here!’
FBI agents raided the home of Laundrie in North Port on Monday - a day after police in Wyoming found the body believed to be that of Gabby Petito in Wyoming
The FBI tweeted on Monday that it 'is executing a court-authorized search warrant today at the Laundrie residence in North Port, FL relevant to the Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito investigation.'
One officer said to onlookers: 'Stand back. It’s for your own safety.'
It appeared at one point that FBI officers were looking for Brian Laundrie at the house.
Five FBI agents at the side of the property searched a plastic garden lidded container.
One directly pointed his pistol down inside it. Another officer stood behind a bullet proof shield next to him, while another shouted: ‘Check here!’
A large stack of flat packed boxes were brought into the house by a uniformed North Port police officer at 12.30pm, presumably to take away a great deal of evidence.
Earlier on Monday, it appeared the FBI agents and police officers were settling in for a long session as supplies of food and drink were also been brought in.
Investigators in Florida are being criticized for allowing Laundrie to go into hiding without ever being questioned in the disappearance of Petito after the FBI announced it found the body of a person ‘consistent with the description.’
The FBI announced that it had used 'ground surveys' to locate a body that is likely that of Petito on Sunday. Investigators warn, however, that they are in a race against time as the long exposure to the elements could cause the body to decompose, making it more difficult to determine exactly how she died.
The pair had been travelling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11
Search and rescue teams are seen above over the weekend at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming where a body was found in the area near where Gabby Petito was last seen
The Teton County Coroner was seen leaving the campsite Sunday afternoon with what is believed to be Petito's remains
Investigators were still seeking information from anyone who may have seen Petito or Laundrie around camping sites in the area of Spread Creek, where law enforcement search efforts focused over the weekend
Police under fire from missing persons experts for alleged 'missteps' in Petito investigation
Many experts argue that authorities let person-of-interest Brian Laundrie (pictured) 'slip through their fingers' because they didn't monitor him.
Outside investigators are criticizing law enforcement officers working on the Petito case for their handling of the investigation.
Many experts argue that authorities let person-of-interest Brian Laundrie 'slip through their fingers' because they didn't monitor him.
'They should've immediately placed him under surveillance. Immediately,' Ed Gavin, an expert in missing person cases argued.
His claims were echoed by a retired New York City cop who stressed that while there was likely not enough evidence to bring Laundrie in for questioning or to obtain a search warrant, they could've surveilled him.
'You always have to try to build a case and if it means surveillance to see where he's going or what he's doing … then you do that. You don't need a search warrant to surveil somebody,' the officer said.
North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor responded to the criticism, saying their department 'has no authority to execute a possible federal search warrant on our own'.
He also stressed that his department is looking for Laundrie under a missing persons investigation, not as a suspect in Petito's case.
'There is no information that a crime took place here in North Port. That is our jurisdiction,' said Taylor.
'We don't know when she died,' Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic scientist and professor emeritus of forensic science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told The Daily Beast.
'But we do know that she’s in an environment that's very hot. You can get decomposition in a matter of a week.'
Kobilinsky added: 'It leaves you wondering what the state of the body is.
'If it is Gabby, and if she's been deceased since around August 24, the body could be in really bad shape.'
High temperatures at Grand Teton National Park regularly exceeded 80 degrees Fahrenheit and even approached 90 degrees during the weeks that Petito went missing.
Jen Bethune, a travel blogger who identified Petito's white van in video footage shot during a chance encounter during a trip to Wyoming, told Fox News that she was happy to contribute to the investigation that could eventually lead to some closure for the girl's family on Long Island.
Bethune runs the 'Red, White & Bethune' channel on YouTube.
'I am so sad that we couldn't bring her back alive, but to be able to bring her back home to her family or to help with that is everything,' Bethune told Fox News.
'It is so heartwarming that everything fell in place in order to make that happen.'
She added: 'The reason why we noticed the van is because we're from Florida and the van had Florida plates and we wanted to stop by and say hi.'
The body found in Wyoming has yet to be confirmed to be that of Petito.
Bethune said she and a friend drove by the van, which was 'very dark, closed up...looked like no activity.'
Bethune noticed the van in her blogging footage in recent days after online users urged anyone who passed by the Tetons recently to look for photos and videos for any possible clues that could shed light into Petito's disappearance.
'I got chills all over my body and ran straight back to my laptop, got my GoPro footage, and lo and behold Gabby's van was on there,' she said.
After handing over raw footage to investigators, Bethune said she contacted Petito's mother.
'It was beautiful, we got to share some moments together on a FaceTime,' she said of the conversation with Nicole Schmidt.
'Just two moms, really just have a great cry.'
On Sunday morning, Petito's parents shared a video on their 'Find Gabby' Facebook page from 'Red, White & Bethune' that caught a Ford Transit Van with Florida plates that the posters believe to be the vehicle that Petito and Laundrie had used to travel the country.
Newly-released 911 audio claims on-the-run fiancé hit Gabby repeatedly during call that resulted in bodycam footage by Moab, Utah cop
A chilling 911 audio captured a caller in Utah reporting a domestic abuse incident involving van-life woman Gabby Petito and fiancé Brian Laundrie that claimed Laundrie slapped Petito on August 11.
In the audio, obtained by FOX, the male caller tells a Grant County sheriff that a 'gentleman' in a white van with a Florida license plate had slapped a girl in the vehicle before driving away.
The man also mentions the incident had happened 'by Moonflower' - likely referring to the Moonflower Community Cooperative in Moab, where Laundrie and Petito stayed the night of August 11 and where they reportedly were seen having an explosive fight.
'I'm right in the corner of Main Street by Moonflower and we are driving and I'd like to report a domestic dispute. Florida with a white van - Florida license plate, white van,' the man says before being interrupted by the officer, who asks him what he saw exactly.
'They just drove off. They're going towards Main Street. They made a right onto Main Street from Moonflower. We drove by him, a gentleman was slapping the girl,' the man continues.
'He was slapping her?' the sheriff asks.
A tearful Petito is seen in the back of the police car. Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation and cops determine Petito was 'the primary aggressor'
Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'
'Yes. And then we stopped. They ran down an up the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off,' the man says as the audio ends.
Shortly after the call, Petito and Laundrie were filmed in police bodycam footage when they were stopped by Moab Police. In the video, an emotional Petito with tears streaming down her face tells officers she 'was trying to get him [Laundrie] to stop telling [her] to calm down' and admitting the couple had 'been fighting all morning.'
The 911 call is the latest in a series of major developments in the case over the weekend. On Sunday police found remains believed to be Petito's at a campsite in Wyoming, just days after Laundrie 'went missing' from his parents' home in North Port, Florida, where he returned upon Petito's disappearance, using her van and refusing to talk to police.
FBI agents stormed his family's home on Monday and removed his parents from the house while declaring the area a crime scene moments after authorities called off a search of a nearby nature reserve, saying they have 'exhausted all avenues.'
The FBI tweeted on Monday that it 'is executing a court-authorized search warrant today at the Laundrie residence in North Port, FL relevant to the Gabrielle 'Gabby' Petito investigation.'
'No further details can be provided since this is an active and ongoing investigation,' the FBI added.
Steven Berolino, an attorney for the family, told ABC 7 that the family went looking for Laundrie on Wednesday. They found his Ford Mustang, which had a police note on it demanding that the vehicle be removed from the area.
The family initially left the car there so that Brian Laundrie could drive it back, but they returned on Thursday to retrieve it, according to Bertolino.
Emotional new police bodycam footage has revealed the moment Utah cops asked missing 'van-life' woman Gabby Petito why she slapped her boyfriend Brian Laundrie in a dramatic incident 13 days before she disappeared on their cross-country trip
Laundrie shows the officers his hands during the incident on August 12 - two weeks before his girlfriend vanished
According to the document, cops were called to a local business in Moab, Utah on August 12, after a witness reported seeing the couple 'arguing over a phone' outside their van
The next day, the family filed a missing persons report.
In the bodycam footage from Moab officers, Petito says she suffers from OCD and anxiety, with both her and Laundrie saying she was stressed because of the YouTube blog they were working on to document the doomed cross-country trip.
Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face and arm which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'.
He later said she was angry with him because of his dirty feet. When an officer asks Petito if her boyfriend hit her, she replies 'I guess' and makes a grabbing motion on her chin.
Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation.
The cops determine Petito was 'the primary aggressor' and say they are separating the couple for the night.
The couple had been traveling around the country in their camper van since early July and were visiting Moab, Utah when they got into an altercation, an incident report reveals.
The report says officers received reports of a 'possible domestic violence' incident involving the couple near the Moonflower Community Co-op in Moab on August 12 around 4:30pm.
The report, released by the Moab Police Department on Wednesday, documented that the couple admitted they had been going through 'issues' over the last couple days.
Last Thursday, North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said that it was Laundrie's 'constitutional right' not to speak with law enforcement.
A tearful Petito tells cops she has OCD and anxiety and that she was stressed because she was trying to 'build a blog'
When an officer asks Petito if her boyfriend hit her, she replies 'I guess' and gestures to her chin. Petito admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation
Laundrie shows cops his arms which they say note scratches on, before officers determine Petito was the 'primary aggressor'
The cops determine Petito was 'the primary aggressor' and say they are separating the couple (pictured together) for the night
Petito was reported missing on September 11 after her family hadn't heard from her in 13 days. She last spoke to her mother on the phone on August 25 and her last known location was Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Laundrie returned to their home in North Port, Florida, alone on September 1 in the couple's camper van - which has now been seized by police - 10 days before she was reported missing.
On Wednesday police officially named Laundrie a 'person of interest' in her mystery disappearance and said he is refusing to cooperate with their investigation.
Laundrie's attorney released a statement saying he is not speaking to police or making a statement 'on the advice of counsel' because 'intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focus their attention on in cases like this.'
Petito's father Joe told Fox & Friends First the focus must be 'to make sure we get my daughter home first' and then 'we'll start worrying about Brian' later.
'I don't care what happens to him right now,' said Petito's father.
'That can't be my primary focus if he's going to sit in the comfort of his home, you know, and get home cooked meals, why my daughter's out, you know, God knows where, you know, I don't give two craps about him.'
'I got to be out there to help her, because the one person who is supposed to be leading the charge is sitting home in his lazy boy chair, you know, not talking to anybody.'
Joe said learning about the August 12 incident and Laundrie being named a person of interest, had left him feeling 'it's not what you thought it was.'
However, he said he just wants to keep the focus on finding his daughter.
'It's not what you thought it was,' he said.
'August 12, the person of interest... I get it from a legal side of it but from a family side we don't have Gabby.
'I want to care about finding my daughter first. That's my first objective.'
The bodycam footage shows an officer reporting that the driver of a vehicle ahead is showing 'obscure driving', driving 45mph in a 15mph road, and is 'possibly intoxicated.'
He says the vehicle has bumped a curb and puts the sirens on.
The officer then gets out the vehicle and approaches the couple's white camper van, which they have pulled over.
Petito, who is crying, is seen sitting in the the passenger seat and Laundrie is driving.
The officer asks them to turn off the vehicle and asks their names and 'What's going on? Why are you crying?'
'We've just been fighting this morning, some personal issues,' says Petito.
Laundrie says it was 'a long day' of camping yesterday.
The officer asks Petito to step out of the vehicle and takes her down the road, separating the couple to ask her what happened.
In his report, responding officer Daniel Scott Robbins said he pulled the couple over as they were driving towards Arches National Park and noticed Gabby 'crying uncontrollably' in the passenger seat
'I have OCD and I was just cleaning and straightening...,' she says, while sobbing.
'And I was apologizing to him and saying I'm sorry that I am so mean as sometimes I am so mean because I have OCD and get really frustrated.
'Not like mean towards him, I guess my vibe is like in a bad mood, and I said I'm sorry I'm in a bad mood I am stressed I had so much work.'
She tells the officer they are traveling the country and trying to 'build a blog'.
'We have been fighting all morning and he wouldn't let me in the car before,' she says.
When the officer asks why he wouldn't let her in the car, she says 'he told me needed to calm down' adding that he 'really stresses me out' and that it's 'been a rough morning.'
The officer tells Petito she is 'not in any trouble' and escorts her to the back of the cop car so she can 'take a breath' and have 'a few minutes.'
The officer then asks Laundrie to step out the vehicle and asks him what has happened.
'She gets really worked up sometimes and I try to distance myself from it,' Laundrie says.
Laundrie also mentions her work on the blog and that 'she got worked up.'
He goes on to say they had a 'little squabble' which started in the coffee shop 'when I moved our food around' and 'I'm dirty, and I can't change being dirty, I got sand in my flip flops and stuff.'
The officer asks about the scratches on his face, with Laundrie explaining that there was an altercation involving her cellphone and their keys.
'She had her cellphone in her hand, that's why I was pushing her away,' he says.
'Coz I had the keys... I said let's take a breather and let's not go anywhere. Let's calm down a minute.'
He adds: 'And she had her phone, and was trying to get the keys from me.
'I know I shouldn't have pushed her but I was just trying to push her away to say take a minute step back and breathe. And she hit me with her phone.'
At one point, officers check Laundrie's hands, arm and torso, noting scratch marks on his arm.
Cops received reports of a possible domestic violence incident near the Moonflower Community Co-op in Moab on August 12
A second officer is then seen talking to Petito who is sitting in the back of the cop car.
'Did he hit you?' the officer asks.
'I guess,' she replies, becoming tearful.
When the officer asks where Laundrie hit her, she clasps her chin in a grabbing motion.
'He like, did that with his hand,' she says.
Much of the audio is unclear at this point.
Petito tells the officers she suffers from 'anxiety' and that Laundrie 'gets frustrated a lot'.
She insists neither of them have been drinking because 'we don't drink'.
Petito admits she was 'yelling at him', then said 'you're an idiot'' and made a punching motion.
She is later seen in the back of the car with a distressed expression on her face and her hands clasped in front of her on her lap.
'Were you attempting to cause him physical pain or impairment? Is that what you were attempting to do to him?' an officer asks.
Petito, who is looking at the officer, replies no.
'What were you attempting to do?' the cop asks.
'What was the reason behind the slapping and stuff? What was it you were attempting to accomplish by the slapping?'
'I was trying to get him to stop telling me to calm down,' Petito says, as her face crumples in tears.
The officer replies to her that 'it doesn't sound good.'
Later in the footage, the officer is seen telling Petito he will be keeping her and Laundrie apart for the night.
'I am separating you two tonight, okay?' the officer is heard telling Petito.
The 22-year-old nods through tears in response and mouths 'okay.'
'I want you guys both to be tonight, away from each other,' the officer says.
'Relax, breathe, because there's no need to be crying now,' he tells Petito.
Petito nods and wipes tears from her eyes.
'I understand that this can feel like a nightmare,' the officer says.
'But you have come out as the golden flower on top.'
The cops are also seen talking in the footage about the accounts given by Petito, Laundrie and the witness who reported the incident to police, where they agree she was 'the primary aggressor.'
Laundrie says he doesn't want to pursue any charges but the cops say they have no choice but to separate the pair for the night.
According to the police incident report, a witness, identified only as Christopher, had reported seeing the pair 'arguing over a phone.'
In his account, one of the responding officers Eric Pratt, wrote that 'all three individuals' - Gabby, Laundrie, and the witness - gave 'a similar and consistent story, consisting of the basic idea that the driver of the van, a male, had some sort of argument with the female.'
Pratt said no one reported 'that the male struck the female' and that both Gabby and Laundrie said 'they are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn't wish to see anyone charged with a crime.'
Nicole Schmidt, of Long Island, New York, gave a teary-eyed interview to reporters in Bohemia on Monday afternoon about her daughter Gabby Petitio, who has been missing since August 24. Schmidt tells DailyMail.com that on September 10 she texted Brian and his mother Roberta trying to get in touch with Gabby, but neither replied
The report reveals Laundrie told officers that he had tried to create distance between the two by telling Gabby 'to go take a walk to calm down', but 'she didn't want to be separated from [him] and began slapping him.'
'He grabbed her face and pushed her back as she pressed upon him and the van, he tried to lock her out and succeeded except for his driver's door, she opened that and forced her way over him and into the vehicle before it drove off,' Pratt states.
The bystander who reported the incident told cops a similar version of events but noted that he saw 'what appeared to him as Gabrielle hitting Brian in the arm and then climbing through the driver's window' after she appeared to be locked out.
A second officer, Daniel Scott Robbins, later located the couple - who had already left the scene by then - driving in their Ford Transit van towards Arches National Park and pulled them over.
He said he noticed Gabby 'crying uncontrollably' in the passenger seat as he approached the vehicle and asked to speak to her outside.
The report was redacted to conceal sensitive information but suggests Gabby told police she and Laundrie became embroiled in an altercation that was fueled by mental health issues.
'Gabrielle told me that she suffers from [redacted] with [redacted],' Robbins wrote.
'Because of her [redacted] and [redacted], combined with little arguments she and Brian had been having that day, she was struggling with her mental health, which led to the incident that was reported to law enforcement.'
He added that at 'no point' in his investigation did Gabby 'stop crying, breathing heavily, or compose a sentence without needing to wipe away tears, wipe her nose, or rub her knees with her hands.'
Robbins said that he had seen Petito and Laundrie's van traveling 45mph in a 15mph zone while he tried to catch up to them earlier and activated his lights to initiate a traffic stop.
Schmidt said they'd been a couple for a little over two years, but met growing up in Long Island. 'They went to high school together. They were friends. They got back in touch and started dating'
But upon doing so, he noticed the vehicle abruptly swerve to the right and the rear right wheels hit the curb before finally coming to a stop.
Robbins said Petito later told him that this was a result of her trying to get Laundrie's 'attention to notice me as I was behind them with my lights on' and that she did not intend to hurt him.
But during his conversation with the cop shortly after, Laundrie said that when he noticed police lights flashing behind them, he thought Gabby 'had grabbed the wheel of the van and pulled it, causing the van to hit the curb.'
The report says Laundrie told the officer both he and Gabby suffer from the same problem and that issues between the two 'had been building over the last few days.'
'This in turn, caused them to argue more than usual,' Robbins wrote. 'Brian explained he and Gabrielle have been traveling together for the last four or five months.
'That time spent created emotional strain between them and increased the number of arguments.'
Laundrie went on to describe the events leading up to the altercation, saying he and Gabby had gotten into an argument near Main Street and he tried to create space between them 'so they could calm their emotions.'
He said he then got into their van and that Gabby went into a 'manic state.'
'Brian said Gabrielle, thinking he was going to leave her in Moab without a ride, went to slap him,' the report states.
He then pushed her away in an attempt to dodge the hit, but still sustained minor visible scratches to his face.
When questioned about the scratches to his right arm, Brian told Robbins they must've happened when Gabby was trying to alert him that they were being pulled over by police, the report states.
'This, however, was not consistent with Gabrielle's statement, further suggesting her confused and emotional state,' the officer wrote.
Robbins later concluded that he did not believe the situation 'escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much as that of a mental health crisis.'
According to officer, both expressed a 'desire to remain together and ultimately agreed to be separated' with Brian staying in a hotel room and Gabby in the van until the following day.
A statement provided by a second responding officer, Eric Pratt, said he believed the initial witness reported that it was Laundrie who had 'assaulted' Petito.
'It wasn't clear, but I believe it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female,' he wrote.
Laundrie was then assessed to be 'at low risk of danger or harm as a result of his proximity' to Gabby and no charges were filed, Pratt wrote.
The video was taken on August 27 at around 6.30 pm at the Spread Creek Campground.
'We have this video, so does the FBI,' wrote the family on the Sunday morning post.
'We believe this is the van for multiple reasons.'
'It's a very important piece of information as it pretty much starts the timeline,' Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, told MailOnline. 'This new video of the actual van being seen on the 27th appears legit. That was the last location the van might have been seen. It's a huge piece of the puzzle.'
'It's essential and there might be more videos out there that people haven't even realized they have yet,' she added. 'If people were recording videos or just taking pictures, they need to start looking through their stuff.'
Meanwhile, a Wisconsin-based TikToker who was driving through Wyoming days after Petito is believed to have last made contact with her family says she picked up Laundrie as he was hitchhiking through the state alone.
Petito's parents shared a video on their 'Find Gabby' Facebook page early Sunday morning from YouTuber Red, White & Bethune', that caught a Ford Transit Connect Van with Florida plates that the posters believe to be the vehicle that Petito and Laundrie had used to travel the country. The video was taken on August 27 at around 6.30 pm at the Spread Creek Campground, where police were searching for the missing girl, and where the remains were found Sunday
Missing van-life girl Gabby Petito's father, Joseph, shared a tribute to his daughter on social media Sunday with a photo of her adorned with angel wings (pictured) and the caption: 'she touched the world' as authorities confirmed that remains matching her description had been found in Wyoming
Miranda Baker says that she picked up Laundrie as he was hitchhiking in Wyoming after the last time Petito is believed to have contacted her family. She made the remarks to Good Morning America on Monday
Baker told Good Morning America that she was informed by Laundrie that he had been camping alone while Petito stayed behind in their van and worked on their social media page.
But Petito's mother told MailOnline that she is 'not entertaining' Baker's claims, saying: 'The timeline seems way off.'
Weeks-long exposure to heat could cause corpse to decompose, making it harder to pinpoint cause of death, experts say
A rescue team member combs the Spread Creek River and its tributaries for missing van-lifer Gabby Petito on Sunday
Forensic investigators warn that authorities are in a race against time as the long exposure to the elements could cause the body believed be that of Gabby Petito to decompose, making it more difficult to determine exactly how she died.
'We don't know when she died,' Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic scientist and professor emeritus of forensic science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told The Daily Beast.
'But we do know that she’s in an environment that's very hot. You can get decomposition in a matter of a week.'
Kobilinsky added: 'It leaves you wondering what the state of the body is.
'If it is Gabby, and if she's been deceased since around August 24, the body could be in really bad shape.'
The loss of skin tissue that occurs when the body decomposes denies medical examiners the ability to spot key markings, including bruises, lacerations, or tears.
Bones and organs could also be damaged due to animal activity, according to experts.
'It's one thing if it’s a gunshot wound, and they find a bullet,' said Wisconsin-based forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey Thomas.
'If it's anything else, and they just have skeletal remains, then they may ultimately never know.'
Investigators will initially look to positively identity the body using metrics such as height, weight, eye color, and hair color.
They may also seek out certain body marks like tattoos. Petito was known to have several tattoos, including one on her forearm that read 'let it be.'
The most effective and fastest way to positively confirm identification would be through dental records and DNA technology, according to experts.
The coroner would then have to determine cause of death, choosing one of five possibilities: homicide, accident, suicide, natural causes, or undetermined.
'The likelihood is high that he’ll declare it a homicide,' Kobilinsky said.
'This is a healthy 22-year-old that went missing under mysterious circumstances.'
If the remains are mostly skeletal, coroners would looks for impressions on the skull or fracturing of the hyoid bone in the neck - key indicators of possible blunt force trauma or manual strangulation.
The coroner would also have to take into account the possibility that Laundrie could surface and say that Petito's death was an accident, according to Kobilinsky.
'We simply don’t have all the facts yet,' he said.
'In fact, nobody has declared yet this is definitely Gabby - although, you know, I think people are thinking it’s 99.9 percent [her].
'But you have to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.
'And the only way you can do that is with an absolute positive identification.'
Baker said she and her boyfriend were at Grand Teton National Park in Colter Bay, Wyoming, on August 29 when Laundrie approached the couple and asked them for a ride at 5.30pm.
'He approached us asking for a ride because he needed to go to Jackson and we were going to Jackson that night. So I said, ya know, 'hop in' and he hopped in the back of my Jeep,' Baker explained. 'So that was kind of weird.'
She noted Laundrie, 23, was wearing 'a backpack, a long sleeve, pants and hiking boots' and said that before he got in the car he offered to pay the couple $200 to give him a 10-mile ride.
As she started heading for Jackson Hole, she says Laundrie looked for another ride.
'He got out, and you know, he was thankful and he was kind of in a hurry. He said he was going to go across the street into the parking lot and find someone else to give him a ride, but, when we looked back 10 or 15 seconds after he got out of the vehicle he was just gone,' she said.
'The timeline seems way off,' Gabby's mother, Nicole Schmidt, told MailOnline.
'Maybe she thought it was him, but I just know the timeline is off.
'The van left there the night of the 27th or early on the 28th.
'The van was in Florida on the first. It's not possible for it to have been there on the 29th.'
The body was found at the Spread Creek campground in Bridger-Teton National Forest on the eastern edge of the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Sunday afternoon.
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. Investigators hope to confirm Petito's identity as well as nail down a cause of death.
Meanwhile, law enforcement is drawing scrutiny for allowing Laundrie to go missing.
Police and the FBI have no plans to continue their search on Monday for Laundrie in an alligator-infested nature reserve five miles from his home in North Port, Florida.
North Port Police said: ‘At this time, we currently believe we have exhausted all avenues in searching the grounds there.
‘Law enforcement agencies continue to search for Brian Laundrie. More updates when available.’
More than 50 police, FBI and other officers from a total of six agencies spent two days looking for Laundrie in the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve area.
They started at the Mayakkahatchee Environmental Park, a 200 acre area linked to the Carlton Reserve.
It is where Laundrie’s parents Christopher, 62, and Roberta, 55, said he told them he was going when he left their house on Tuesday last week.
They told police it was an area Laundrie - declared a person of interest over his missing girlfriend Gabby Petito - often frequented.
The Laundrie home in a quiet residential street in North Port remained quiet this morning, with police presence at both ends of the street.
DailyMail.com has asked North Port Police if Laundrie is now being treated as a suspect, not a person of interest, following the discovery of a body in Wyoming in the search for Gabby.
The police department has not yet responded. It said all media interviews from the department are currently on hold.
Laundrie has refused to talk to cops since coming back to Florida from their cross country road trip without Gabby on September 1.
Last Thursday, North Port Police chief Todd Garrison emphatically said his department knew where Laundrie was - despite it later appearing he vanished from his home two days previously.
North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor said that police are concerned Laundrie may have hurt himself in the reserve, saying it was a 'possibility.'
'Does anyone not think it's possible he went out there and shot himself in the head? Sure,' Taylor said.
On Friday, cops arrived at the Laundrie house and took away evidence in bags. Police said the couple had requested the visit.
Police show up at the scene of a protest outside of the Laundrie home after residents call the police on protesters that kept shouting "Where's Gabby" around 11pm Friday night
Police officers appear to be securing the area outside of the Laundrie family's North Port home on Friday
Charles Jones, supervisory senior resident agent for FBI Denver, delivered the tragic news on Sunday evening. It remains unclear how investigators were able to locate her body in such amount of short time.
After Sunday's announcement, the Laundrie family attorney released a statement, saying, 'The news about Gabby Petito is heartbreaking. The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family.'
North Port police also released a statement.
'Saddened and heartbroken to learn that Gabby has been found deceased,' they said. 'Our focus from the start, along with the FBI, and national partners, has been to bring her home. We will continue to work with the FBI in the search for more answers.'
Florida authorities called off the second day of their search for Laundrie - who has been named as a person-of-interest in Petito's disappearance.
Law enforcement have been searching at an alligator-infested Florida refuge after he fled his parents' home last week. He has refused to cooperate with police, and on Tuesday he disappeared from his family's North Port, Florida home.
His parents said Laundrie went for a hike and never returned home. However, they didn't tell officials he was missing until three days later.
Now, investigators are facing criticism for their handling of the case with many saying authorities let him 'slip through their fingers' because they didn't monitor him.
'They should've immediately placed him under surveillance,' Ed Gavin, an expert in missing person cases told the New York Post. 'Immediately.'
'They should've been all over him. The fact that they let him out of their sight, that's a no-no. Time is of the essence with these investigations.'
When asked why they didn't immediately call Laundrie out for questioning, Taylor told Fox News: 'The North Port Police Department has no authority to execute a possible federal search warrant on our own.
'I don't see how anyone without all the facts in this case can come up with a reasonable conclusion and opinion on the matter.'
He added: 'There is no information that a crime took place here in North Port. That is our jurisdiction.'
Missing persons experts also stressed that while there was likely not enough evidence to bring Laundrie in for questioning or to obtain a search warrant, investigators made several 'missteps' throughout the process.
'You always have to try to build a case and if it means surveillance to see where he's going or what he's doing … then you do that,' a retired New York City police officer commented.
'You don't need a search warrant to surveil somebody.'
Former veteran FBI agent Oliver Farache offered his opinion on the case topo, arguing that police should've asked for permission to look through Petito's communications with her family.
'I think what I would do if I was running the investigation is ask for permission to [look at Schmidt's phone] because you don't want to alienate the family, you want to do it in as cooperative a way as possible,' Farache said.
'You want to look at the phone, see if anything was deleted, see exactly what kind of conversation they were having and looking at the whole thing, not just the last few days. And the history of the texts that mom exchanged and dad as well will give you a clue into the missing person's mental state as well.'
However, Taylor lashed out at the critics saying that the are investigating Laundrie as a missing person: 'These guys are full of s**t.
'We have a missing person case and we don't have anyone to talk to and we don't have any evidence of a crime on a case that's outside our jurisdiction.
'This guy goes for a hike in a 25,000-acre nature reserve. How are we following him? I'm up for anybody's idea.'
After the FBI's announcement, Petito's father, Joseph, shared a tribute to his daughter on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with a photo of her adorned with a pair of angel wings, and the caption: 'she touched the world.'
Jones told reporters: 'As every parent can imagine this is an incredibly difficult time for the family, and friends, our thoughts and prayers are with them. We ask that you all respect their privacy as they mourn the loss of their daughter.'
Richard Benson, an attorney for the Petito and Schmidt family on her mother's side, thanked law enforcement and search and rescue teams for their efforts in finding the girl.
'Your tireless work and determination helped bring Gabby home to her parents,' he said in a statement. 'The family and I will be forever grateful.'
Meanwhile, demonstrators have been gathering outside the Laundrie family's home.
Late Friday night authorities were called to the residence as protestors were heard shouting 'where's Gabby' repeatedly.
Petito, who last spoke to her family on August 25, was reported missing on September 11 after Laundrie returned home alone from a cross-country trip the couple were taking.
A rainbow appears over Spread Creek camping area where a body believed to be Petito was found Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, after a two-day search of the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming
Members of the Teton County search and rescue team could be seen combing Spread Creek River and its tributaries for much of Saturday and Sunday in a bid to find Petito
Petito and Laundrie had been parking their van at the Spread Creek Campground according to her thedyrt.com account. Pictured are Members of the Teton County Search and Rescue team
Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, (pictured last week at a press conference) has slammed Laundrie saying 'he's not missing, he's hiding' after Laundrie, who is a person of interest in her daughter's disappearance, vanished
Police had been searching Spread Creek Campground, where the pair were parking their van during their stay at Grand Teton National Park, according to Petito's thedyrt.com account.
The Teton County Coroner could be seen leaving the campground Sunday afternoon with what was believed to be be Petito's remains.
Jones said the campground, where the remains were found, would remain closed for the foreseeable future as officials continued their investigation.
A short while after the body was found, a rainbow appeared in the same area of Grand Teton National Park.
Bethune said that she was amazed at Schmidt's resilience in the face of the tragedy.
'Even though it's not the best outcome, I'm happy that Gabby is home,' she told DailyMail.com.
'Nicole is absolutely amazing. Her strength is so apparent.'
On August 25th or 26th, the couple chatted with the owner of a shop called 'Rustic Row' in Victor, Utah for about 20 minutes, East Idaho News reported on Friday.
'They told me they were traveling from Florida. They had just been to Teton Park and they said they were interested in going to Yellowstone and I told them they could go to the west entrance,' the owner, who was not identified, told the outlet.
'They seemed happy and when they left, she hollered back from the door that they were engaged and then I said congratulations.'
The shop owner said that she contacted the FBI after seeing reports of Petito's disappearance on the news.
Laundrie's parents told investigators on Friday that their son told them last Tuesday, when they last saw him, that he was headed to his frequent hiking spot Myakkahatchee Creek Environment Park, which is tied to the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve.
Laundrie's attorney Steven P. Bertolino said the family went out to the reserve on Wednesday to look for him and found a note from the North Port Police Department on Brian's mustang saying that it needed to be moved.
The family left the car overnight 'so he could drive back,' Bertolino said, but when he didn't come home Thursday, they retrieved the car, which was seen in the driveway on Friday.
On Sunday, a team of 50 police officers from six different agencies 'used to dealing with [the] elements' of sprawling, alligator-infested Carlton Reserve, will search for Laundrie.
The swathe of officers are using bloodhounds, drones and 4x4 vehicles in their search, said North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor.
Taylor told the New York Post that an experienced outdoorsman could hide out in the area for 'months.'
The Denver FBI is the lead agency on the search and set up a mini base camp several hundred feet up the blocked off road away from the main highway. The remains matching Petito's description were found at the campground on Sunday
'She touched the world': Heartbroken father posts tribute to his daughter
Joseph Petito posted a picture of his daughter on social media with the caption 'She touched the world'
The father of missing van-life girl Gabby Petito paid tribute to his daughter hours after the discovery of her possible remains in Wyoming on Sunday.
Joseph Petito took to Twitter on Sunday to post a picture of his daughter, who had disappeared following a cross-country trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie.
'She touched the world,' the post said with a picture of Petito's daughter between a pair of angel wings.
TJ Schmidt, Petito's brother, posted a tribute of his own.
'I don’t even know what to say. I’m at a total loss. My heart is shattered,' he wrote on Instagram.
Schmidt posted a photo showing his sister wearing angel wings.
On Sunday morning, Petito's parents shared a video on their 'Find Gabby' Facebook page from YouTuber 'Red, White & Bethune' that caught a Ford Transit Van with Florida plates that the posters believe to be the vehicle that Petito and Laundrie had used to travel the country.
The video was taken on August 27 at around 6.30 pm at the Spread Creek Campground.
TJ Schmidt, Petito's brother, posted a tribute of his own
They did not find anything Saturday, although police said they took some of Laundrie's clothing from his parents' home to provide a scent for search dogs.
'We have had drones in the air, we have got bloodhounds, K9s, four by four vehicles. It's very wet, it's muddy. There are a few unpaved dirt roads. It's a place that people hike. There are mountain bike trails out here. The Myakkahatchee Creek runs down into the city.'
Asked if he believed there were concerns for Laundrie's safety, Taylor said: 'Sure, I think that's fair to say. There is an enormous amount of pressure I'm sure on him to provide answers on what's going on here.'
He could not confirm if Laundrie owns a gun.
On Saturday, as police combed the two locations, protestors amassed outside Laundrie's family home in North Port, chanting 'where is Gabby?' throughout the day.
Just two blocks away, an 18-year-old driving to the protest with his grandmother photographed a man who looked a 'heck' of a lot like Laundrie about two blocks from the home, just an hour and a half before the Laundries' family attorney reported the 23-year-old missing and investigators from the North Port Police Department showed up at the family's home, according to the New York Post.
Zachary Randazzo explained that when he and his grandmother turned down the street they 'were shocked (because) what looked like his clone was walking down the street'.
'We then watched him as he turned down the next street over and we drove past him again to get a second look,' he added.
Randazzo then drove around the street a third time, and took the photo.
'After taking it and pulling up a picture of him online and looking at them side-by-side we were thinking, ''Wow this looks just like him, how can it not be him?''
Officials began their search for Petito in an area on the east side of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Saturday and Spread Creek campground was closed around 7 am.
The Denver FBI is the lead agency in the investigation, and set up a mini base camp several hundred feet up the blocked off road away from the main highway.
DailyMail.com observed search and rescue vehicles carry kayaks and rafts along with off road quads enter into the dispersed campground early on Saturday - at 4PM DailyMail.com about 25 search vehicles left the campground.
A source told DailyMail.com, the search was called off for the day because of inclement weather.
Authorities believe that Petito's last known location was in or around the Grand Teton National Park.
The park itself spans more than 310,000 acres and 485 square miles the backcountry consists of several hundred square miles on the west side of the park, it's a hike- in area only.
DailyMail.com went to several of these campsites which were in remote areas near the park- off the grid.
Cellular phone service was spotty.
In one dispersed campsite, Dailymail.com arrived minutes after a grizzly was observed at the side of the road digging up an animal it had previously buried.
Grizzly bears aren't the only predators Petito would face out in the wilderness, there are red foxes, coyotes, bobcats and cougars that roam the park.
- Woman tells GMA she picked up Brian Laundrie as hitchhiker in Wyoming, days after last call by Gabby Petito - ABC7 New York
- Woman tells GMA she picked up Brian Laundrie as hitchhiker in Wyoming, days after last call by Gabby Petito - ABC7 New York
- www.thedailybeas...
- Gabby Petito update: Missing woman's remains believed to be found, while search for her missing fiancé shifts focus - CNN
- Gabby Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie: why he isn't talking
- Body matching Gabby Petito found in Grand Teton, Wyoming; Brian Laundrie still missing in Florida - ABC7 Los Angeles
- Gabby Petito investigation: 911 call reveals Brian Laundrie seen hitting, 'slapping' her before disappearance | Fox News
- Travel blogger describes stumbling on Gabby Petito's van in Wyoming video: 'I got chills' | Fox News
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