What Happened in Gabby Petito Case? Where Was She Found? A Timeline of Events That Led to Her Killing - Netflix Tudum

  • Timeline

    Where’s Gabby? Follow the Timeline of Events in American Murder: Gabby Petito

    Trace the story of a young woman’s life and disappearance with glimpses of her art, diary entries, and more.
    By Roxanne Fequiere
    Feb. 17, 2025

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. 

 

Early Days


Brian and Gabby in formalwear

Brian and Gabby

March 2019

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.

December 2019

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.

July 2, 2020

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.

#Vanlife


Gabby in front of her van

Gabby poses in front of her van.

July 2, 2021

After traveling from Florida back to Gabby’s hometown to see her family, she and Brian embark on their cross-country road trip.

“Why Were They Questioning Her?"Gabby’s parents and friends recall seeing the Moab police bodycam footage on the news.

August 12, 2021

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.

August 19, 2021

Gabby posts her first and only YouTube video, which documents the progression of the road trip.

August 22, 2021

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.

August 25, 2021

Gabby uploads her last Instagram post: a photo of herself smiling in front of a large butterfly mural.

August 27, 2021

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.

Disappearance


Brian flies a drone around the Spread Creek campsite.

August 28, 2021

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.

August 29, 2021

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.

 
Covering His TracksInvestigators detail the ways Brian attempted to create an alibi.

August 30, 2021

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 of writing and drawings from Gabby’s notebook.

Pages from Gabby’s journal.

September 1–7, 2021

Gabby’s mother texts Gabby repeatedly and receives no response.

September 9, 2021

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.

September 10, 2021

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.

Investigation


Police Visit the Laundries’Never-before-seen footage reveals what happened when law enforcement went to the Laundries’ after Gabby was reported missing.

September 11, 2021

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. 

September 13, 2021

Gabby’s stepfather, Jim, travels to Wyoming, where Gabby was last seen, to assist in the on-the-ground search.

September 17, 2021

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.

September 18, 2021

Authorities ask the public for assistance in tracking down Gabby and receive thousands of tips.

Aftermath


Police on horseback riding through Wyoming

Wyoming police search on horseback.

September 19, 2021

Gabby’s body is found at the Spread Creek camping area in Wyoming. Her death is ruled a homicide, and her family is notified.

September 23, 2021

A federal arrest warrant is issued for Brian Laundrie.

October 20, 2021

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.

Watch American Murder: Gabby Petito now on Netflix.

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