INTERNET sleuths wonder if the final text from Gabby Petito to her mom may have been sent from her ex-fiancé Brian Laundrie who intended to reach his own mom.
A recent post that appeared on a Facebook page dedicated to sharing ideas about Gabby Petito’s mystery homicide pegs Brian for possibly using the 22-year-old’s phone and communicating with his mom.
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The post by Christina Jensen accuses Brian of “using her phone to [reach] HIS mom but he was frazzled and sent to ‘mom’.
Brian’s mother Roberta Laundrie, 55, and her husband Christopher Laundrie, 62, have remained mum and released their statements about the search for their son and the missing and then homicide death of Gabby through family attorney Steve Bertolino.
Gabby’s mother Nichole Schmidt had come forward confirming that she received a chilling message on August 30 – weeks after Gabby and her boyfriend Brian had begun their cross-country van-life road trip across America.
The family said they had last heard from the vlogger on August 25 when she and her boyfriend were visiting Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
The text, dated August 30, read: “No signal in Yosemite” and Schmidt alleged it was not sent by her daughter.
She told MailOnline: “That text was NOT from Gabby I know it!”
More specifically, Schmidt explained the date of the text didn’t add up.
“The van was in Florida on the 1st [of September],” she told the New York Post.
“I think I can do the math.”
‘STAN’ TEXT
Gabby’s mother also shared that she received another message from her daughter’s phone number on August 27 that read: “Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls.”
Read our Brian Laundrie live blog for the very latest news and updates…
The text has drawn various intrigue by many internet sleuths.
Some say the vlogger used the word “Stan” which internet sleuths claim is a codeword for “Send The Authorities Now“.
Others contend the name may have been a reference to the Eminem song in which a male partner tied up his pregnant girlfriend before killing her.
Gabby’s grandfather is called Stan – and it appears she is talking about him.
Initially, Gabby’s mother Nicole Schmidt believed it likely referred to Gabby’s grandfather Stan.
But the mom also couldn’t get past how “odd” the text as Gabby never called her grandfather by his first name.
Posts by sleuths are also looking closer at the “Stan” text.
“If it WAS actually her grandfather texting and calling her (by asking him if he was texting/calling her),” asked Courtney Thomas Irwin.
“Seems like verifiable information and I haven’t heard anything about it surprisingly.”
Christina Jensen chimed in with what she thinks could have happened.
“What if she was scared but didn’t want Brian to get angry so then she added “I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls” just to show him she wasn’t asking for help,” according to one response.
STILL A ‘PERSON OF INTEREST’
It’s not known who sent the text message.
Yosemite is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California – around 800 miles from Grand Teton.
The remains of 22-year-old Gabby, of Long Island, New York, were found at a campsite near Grand Teton National Park, in Wyoming, on September 19.
Two days later, the Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed that Petito died as a result of a homicide.
On Tuesday, the official autopsy report was released by Teton County revealing that Gabby’s cause of death was strangulation.
Special Agent Michael Schneider issued a statement after, asking for anyone with information on where her fugitive ex-fiancé is to contact them immediately.
“The FBI’s commitment to justice is the forefront of each and every investigation,” Schneider said. “The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Mr. Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions.”
“Mr. Brian Laundrie has been named a person of interest. Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabout should contact the FBI.”
It comes as police said that Brian remains a “person of interest” in the case.
Brian has not been named a suspect in her death, but is wanted only for fraud for allegedly racking up $1,000 on a card belonging to Gabby in late August and early September.
He has now been missing for more than four weeks.
Officers allege that Gabby’s boyfriend is “hindering their investigation” by not cooperating with them.
Florida’s North Port Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday: “Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in this case.”
North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison added: “As a father, I can imagine the pain and suffering Gabby’s family is going through.
“We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past few weeks.”
Garrison said: “The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation. The answers will eventually come out.
“We will help find Gabby and we will help find anyone who may be involved in her disappearance.”
MOAB DOMESTIC AND MYSTERY
Police responded to an alleged “incident” involving Gabby and her boyfriend on August 12, but neither was the reporting party.
Moab Chief of Police Bret Edge told Fox: “Officers conducted an investigation and determined that insufficient evidence existed to justify criminal charges.”
A police report documenting the alleged incident revealed Petito was sitting in the van’s passenger seat “crying uncontrollably” when a cop pulled up to their vehicle.
The document, obtained by The Sun, states: “At no point in my investigation did Gabrielle stop crying, breathing heavily, or compose a sentence without needing to wipe away tears.”
Officer Daniel Scott revealed a witness saw Brian and Gabby “arguing over a phone” before the pair drove away.
Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
Cops have said that they are “not ruling out” a potential link between the missing case and a couple’s murder near where the alleged incident occurred.
Married couple Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner were found dead by a friend in the La Sal mountain range in Utah days later on August 18.
A spokesman for the Grand County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News: “We’re looking at everything.
“I mean, anything and everything that was suspicious around that time, or we’re not ruling anything out at this time. So we’re just investigating the information as it comes in.”
There is no evidence that the two cases are connected.
Schulte held a job at a grocery store called Moonflower – the same location where Gabby and Brian reportedly got into an argument.
Cops said Brian returned to his parent’s house in Florida on September 1 – weeks before Gabby’s family reported the vlogger missing.
The white camper van they were traveling in has since been seized and investigators are searching the vehicle for fingerprints and clues.
HISTORY TOGETHER
Gabby and Brian lived together in Florida the past two years having met in high school in New York, her family said.
The pair started their road trip on July 2 and planned to visit Portland, Oregon so they could see a friend at Halloween.
They had been documenting their “Van Life” travels on their social media accounts and set up a YouTube channel just three weeks ago to chronicle their adventures through national state parks.
The couple visited Colorado Springs and many national parks in Utah but left the state due to the risk of wildfires.
A map reveals the final movements of Petito and the places that they visited before she vanished.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
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Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito’s disappearance:
- June 2021 – Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 – Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
- July 8 – Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
- July 18 – Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah’s Zion National Park.
- August 12 – Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip.
- August 24 – Gabby is spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- August 25 – Gabby Facetimes her mom, Nichole Schmidt, for the final time. In a later police report, Schmidt said her conversations with her daughter revealed “more and more tension” between her and Brian.
- August 25 – Gabby also posts her last Instagram. No location is given.
- August 27 – Gabby is seen for what’s believed to be the final time. Witnesses claim they saw Brian in an explosive argument with staff at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, leaving Gabby in tears.
- August 27 – Four hours later, travel bloggers driving through Grand Teton National Park drive past the couple’s van “abandoned” on a dirt road.
- September 1 – Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
- September 11 – Gabby’s parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 14 – Brian’s family issues a statement saying he has retained an attorney and will not be cooperating with investigators.
- September 14 – Brian is allegedly last seen by his family. He reportedly told them he was going hiking in Cartlon Reserve but failed to return.
- September 15 – Florida’s North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 – Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 – Brian’s parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days and report him missing.
- September 18 – Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 – Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby’s but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
- September 20 – Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie’s home, seizing his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain “evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed.”
- September 21 – Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
- September 21 – The FBI announced the body found in Wyoming was identified as Gabby’s. The cause of death was not yet revealed.
- September 21 – The Teton County Coroner’s office said Gabby’s official cause of death was still pending but the initial manner of death is homicide.
- September 22 – Police continue to scour Carlton Reserve for a trace of Laundrie but yield no leads. A specialist dive team is called in to assist with the hunt.
- September 23 – Officials announced a federal arrest warrant for Brian was issued.
- September 26 – Gabby’s funeral was held on Long Island, New York.
- October 12: Gabby’s autopsy results were made public. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed Gabby died by strangulation.
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