911 Caller Claimed He Saw Brian Laundrie Slapping Gabby Petito Last Month
Written by SOURCE on September 21, 2021
A man reported a domestic dispute involving Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito before police pulled over their van in Utah last month, People reports.
Authorities in Utah released audio of a 911 call in which the person says he saw Laundrie slapping Petito. “We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl,” the caller said. “Then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off.”
The white van with a Florida license plate, as described by the caller, was pulled over on Aug. 12, and the couple was questioned. Petito claimed she hit Laundrie, and doesn’t mention anything about him striking her. In the police report, one officer believed their disagreement hadn’t “escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much that of a mental health crisis,” while another wrote, “It wasn’t clear, but I believe it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female.”
Petito’s family said the last time they were contacted by her was on Aug. 24. She was reportedly last seen on Aug. 30 at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and reported missing on Sept. 11. Her body was believed to be found Sunday in the same park.
On Sept. 1, Laundrie reportedly returned to his family’s home without Petito. He left with his backpack and was headed to a nature reserve on Tuesday. He was a person of interest in connection to her disappearance last Wednesday, but wasn’t considered a suspect. When his family’s home was searched on Friday, he was reported missing.
