48 Hours - What Happened to Gabby Petito?

Episode Date: September 26, 2021

"48 Hours" goes inside the disappearance of Gabby Petito and the hunt for Brian Laundrie. CBS News national correspondent Jericka Duncan reports.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. Oh, she's hilarious. And she always made me laugh, always. And she's easygoing. She's like, hey, I love nature.

Hey, camping, why not? Oh, my God! The tent is just coming in on me. The wind is so bad. Much as I know Gabby and feel like I know Brian, you just never know when it comes to relationships. know when it comes to relationships. FBI agents say that they found what appears to be the human remains of Gabby Petito. Can you describe your daughter to us? She's a beautiful, free spirit, just wanting to take a journey and have fun while she's young. She knew she wanted a van.

They worked and saved up for it. They bought the van. They converted it. I love the van. And we supported her on that. All the chocolate mountains. It's a river of chocolate. Anyone that's met the two of them

has been like, they seem like such a nice couple. But a lot of couples look nice on Instagram. I was concerned with them spending that much time together because when I was last seeing them and everything, they were rocky. I feel like Brian never thought that he was going to be enough. And obviously he sees the beauty in Gabby.

She's gorgeous. And jealousy can turn into rage. Two people went on a trip, one person returned, and that person that returned isn't providing us any information. Where's Gabby? Where is Gabby, Brian? We're out of here! I immediately just, where is she? Where is Gabby? Where is she? Over and over again.

I mean, I immediately made like a collage of all of our photos for a TikTok and posted the information. I rushed back to the computer and lo and behold, Gabby's van was on our footage. Okay, I have a theory. I absolutely think the amazing community on social media came together and found Gabby. One million percent, it was social media. The FBI announcing a medical examiner says the body found in Wyoming was indeed that of Gabby Petito, the coroner calling her death a homicide. FBI agents descended on the Florida home of 23-year-old Brian Laundrie. They were inside for nearly six hours, questioning his parents and collecting evidence.

A massive search. More than 50 officers and FBI agents combing a 24,000-acre park near Sarasota, Florida, looking for Brian Laundrie. Sarasota, Florida, looking for Brian Laundrie, who hasn't been seen since the 14th, according to his parents, and is a person of interest in the death of Gabby Petito. I've never felt a pain like this. I've always described her as this light, you know, she's just, she'll do everything to bring the light out in you. And if she can't, she'll give you some of hers. We will get justice for her no matter what. Thank you. Продолжение следует... A massive manhunt continued this week for Gabby Petito's fiancé, Brian Laundrie.

Can you see how poor I am? Authorities searched dense swampland in Florida. And the FBI has now issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie, charging him with unauthorized use of a bank card, withdrawing sums of money around the time Gabby went missing. This warrant would also allow the FBI to arrest anyone aiding or bedding Laundrie if he is on the run. Last week, when Gabby's remains turned up in a national forest in Wyoming, it upended what had begun with so much promise. Gabby Petito never goes outside just the coolest chick you ever met man

by far she's just gonna make you she's gonna make you smile Gabby's dad, Joseph. She's the coolest chick you ever met. Simple as that. 22 years old, a New York girl from Long Island, an appetite for adventure. She knew she wanted to take this trip. Her mom, Nicole Schmidt. She had told me about it probably a year before it started.

Brian's stretching, doing some morning yoga. Brian's very charismatic. He always comes off as such a sweet person and just kind of like, I'm here. One of Gabby's close friends, Rose Davis, they met soon after Gabby moved to Florida. She texted me one of the sweetest messages I think I've ever got from someone. And it was just like, you seem so cool. I really want to be your friend. And I was just, absolutely. They made TikTok videos together for fun. Rose says Gabby was good friends with Brian back at high school in New York. Then, after Brian moved to Florida, Gabby moved there too, to be closer to him. I always told her her life was kind of like a movie, because I was just like, this happens in movies. Soon, they were in

love and living together. She'd let me know what they did, and he'd make her breakfast, and it was always such a cute little thing, and they did cute little dinners. In July of 2020, they got engaged. They even got tattoos together. But Rose says Brian could sometimes exhibit what she calls toxic traits. When Brian wants something, he's going to get it. And I don't mean in a physical way he's going to force it. He's just going to...

I don't want people to say I'm calling him a full manipulator, but he'll manipulate the situation to get what he wants out of it. And, you know, he didn't want her to go out one night with me, and he stole her ID, because you can't get into the bar without your ID. And, you know, this was really upsetting to her. You know, you're you're engaged. It's not you know, it's not supposed to be like that. But the couple seemed to put any drama behind them as they got ready for their adventure.

any drama behind them as they got ready for their adventure. Gabby worked hard at Taco Bell and with Brian at Public Supermarket, saving money for their trip. They bought the van, they converted it. The goal was to spend four or five months crisscrossing the country, having adventures, even working on organic farms and chronicling it all in real time on social media. She was just like, I want to document this. This is so cool to be doing. And she just kind of, yeah, kind of like a vlogger, just let everyone know what she was up to. She was excited starting her van life digital journey where she's creating this whole, you know, following of van lifers. And that's what she was really into at the moment.

They rolled out officially on July 2nd. Gabby posted constantly. Hello, hello and good morning. Every little detail. You can't keep chocolate in Utah. Not in July. You can't keep chocolate in Utah. Not in July.

Brian mostly gave her kisses, but sometimes said a few words. We've been lucky so far at all the places we've stayed, but I'd say this is one of the best so far. But all those selfies may have been hiding a darker story. There's everything behind the scenes you don't know, and this, this is, this looks bad. Six weeks into their trip, on the afternoon of August 12th, in Utah, near the Arches National Park,

Gabby and Brian's Instagram road trip came to a shuddering stop. Driver is showing some obscure driving, possibly intoxicated. It was around 4.45 in the afternoon, according to this police officer's body cam. Currently doing 45 miles an hour. Zone through here is 25. Oh! Subject just hit the curb.

Correction speed limit is 15. What's you guys' names? Gabby. Gabby, Brian, okay. Okay. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly? Introducing The Best Idea Yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk takers who brought them to life.

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and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It was August 12th in Moab, Utah, four weeks before Gabby Petito was reported missing. We're driving by and I'd like to report a domestic dispute. When a 911 caller reports seeing an alarming confrontation between Gabby and Brian. Florida license plate, white land. What were they doing?

We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl. He was slapping her? Yes, and then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off. Police are dispatched, and within minutes, Gabby and Brian's white van is spotted driving erratically outside Arches National Park. Currently doing 45 miles an hour. Zone through here is 25.

Oh, subject just hit the curb. They're pulled over. It's not clear if responding officers were given details of that 911 call. But we do know that Gabby and Brian tell a very different story. I'm just going to agree with you. Gabby never clearly says that Brian hit her. Do you want to tell me what's going on? Yeah, I don't know. It's just some days I have really bad OCD.

And I was just cleaning and straightening up back in the van before and I was apologizing to him and saying, I'm sorry that I'm so mean and I'm trying to start a blog. I have to have a blog and stuff. So I've been building my website. So I've just been really stressed and he doesn't really believe that I can do any of it. So that's kind of been like a, I don't know, he's like, I don't know, we've just been fighting all morning. And he wouldn't let me in the car before.

Why wouldn't he let you in the car? Because of your OCD? He told me I needed to calm down. So, tell me, what's going on? You see this gets worked up sometimes, and I try and really distance myself from her. So, like, I locked the car car and I walk away from her. Brian tells police that Gabby attacked him, scratching his face and his arm as she tried to get back into the van. She had her phone and was trying to get the keys from me.

I was just trying to, I know I shouldn't push her, but I was just trying to push her away. To go, let's just take a minute, step back and breathe. And she got me with her phone. SO-229. I need a 29 name and date of birth. While the officer wearing the body cam places a call, another officer continues to question Gabby. Where'd you get him? Slopped him first, and then saw his face.

He just grabbed you. Did he hit you, though? I mean, it's okay if you're saying he hit you, but we want to know the truth. Did he actually hit you? Where did he hit you? Don't worry, just be honest. That's as far as Gabby would go when placing blame on Brian. But for his part, Brian seems to dismiss Gabby. Do you know if she talked to him? She's crazy. No, I don't think so. In the video, the officers never asked Brian if he hit Gabby.

But there was a second eyewitness that day. The witness says, I never saw him hit her. I saw him shove her, but I couldn't tell you if it was an aggression against her or a defense against her. So at this point, unless the guy's screaming that he needs to go to jail and did something to this girl, it sounds to me like she is the primary aggressor. For over an hour, the officers at the scene tell the couple they have no choice but to arrest Gabby. But then they take a different approach. Gabby, this is a very, very important question. How you answer this question is going to determine what happens next.

But the only person who can answer this question is you. They determine they may not have to arrest her if Gabby did not intend to harm Brian. When you slapped him those times, were you attempting to cause him physical pain or physical impairment? Was that what you were attempting to do to him? No. What were you attempting to do? What was the reason behind the slapping and stuff? What was it you were attempting to accomplish by slapping?

Well, it doesn't sound to me like she attempted to injure him. Ultimately, she's not arrested. I've decided I am not going to cite you for domestic violence battery, okay? Police then separate them for the night. I'm going to give you the keys to the van. Gabby remains with the van. I'm giving him a ride over to the hotel. And because they think Brian is the victim of domestic abuse, they arrange a hotel for him.

I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. For everything. No problem. It's nice to meet you, Brian. Nice to meet you. Can I get you to step out of the vehicle for a minute? Yeah. Weeks later, when the body cam tapes were released, the account of what happened and the sight of her close friend crying horrified Rose Davis. I'm perfectly calm all the time and he really stresses me out. It takes a lot for her to get that hysterical. And so when I saw the body cam, I knew it was more than just a little argument. She's not going to slap him for no reason.

And she wasn't the only one concerned. When that 911 call became public... Who's slapping her. ...Twitterverse exploded. My blood is boiling at how they failed this poor girl. All I know is this didn't have to end like this. Police missed an opportunity. They had enough to arrest him.

They gave him the benefit of the doubt. They could have saved her, her poor mother. Domestic violence experts say the officers seem to miss classic signs of domestic abuse, such as Brian describing Gabby as crazy. She's just crazy. And Gabby accepting the blame. I'm sorry that I'm so mean. It is unfair for anyone evaluating this case to blame those two officers

for something that there is no way they could have known. Jim Winder was Moab police chief until 2019. They did the best job they possibly could do, given the resources they had. He says often officers do not have all the information relayed during 911 calls and do not always have the chance to follow up with witnesses. These officers are there making real-life decisions. They're seeing what they see, they're hearing what they're hearing, and they're trying to make the best decision possible for both parties involved.

The officers involved did not respond to our request for an interview. The city of Moab issued a statement saying it will investigate how the police department handled the incident. The city said it is not aware of any breach of policy at this time. Just days after that traffic stop, Gabby and Brian were back on the road, headed north to Salt Lake City. Hello, hello and good morning. On August 19th, Gabby posted an edited eight-minute video showing their journey together. It is really nice and sunny today. The video showed no signs of any tension between Gabby and Brian. Later, Gabby told her mom they were leaving Utah and driving to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. She was happy. She was excited to keep going on her journey.

And that was the last time I spoke to her verbally. On August 25th, Gabby posted a series of photos on Instagram in front of a butterfly mural in Ogden, Utah. It would be her final post on Instagram. Gabby Petito never goes outside. While the Instagram post from August 25th is believed to be the last time Gabby Petito was seen on social media, it may not have been the last time she was seen in public. A girl came in with long blonde hair with a guy and they ordered a milkshake and our employees had mispronounced her name. They said Gabby instead of Gabby, which is why it stood up. How's it going? Sunny Mason was working at a popular tourist shop, Victor Emporium in Idaho,

where she believes she spoke with Gabby on either August 25th or 26th. The store is located about 30 miles from the Grand Tetons. I noticed her flower tattoo, which I've always really liked though, so we were talking a little about her tattoo. She says Gabby talked about visiting national parks with Yellowstone next on their tour. It was an ordinary conversation, the type Sunny has with many customers, but one thing did stand out, she says. It was Brian's behavior. It felt kind of weird because he it felt like he almost prompted her to mention to me that she was engaged and we get a lot of engaged couples and it doesn't usually come up that way it just felt kind of odd like like it was like a reminder to her to be like

oh look we're engaged. It felt like he felt slighted for her not talking about her engagement or not like being excited. Odd was also how Gabby's mother, Nicole, would describe a text message she received from her daughter's phone on August 27th. It read, can you help Stan? I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls. I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls. Stan is Gabby's grandfather, but her mother says Gabby never referred to him by his first name. It was out of character and concerning, but as far as the Petito family knew, Gabby and Brian were still together on their trip. Hi, my name is Miranda Baker, and on August 29th, my boyfriend and I picked up Brian at Grand Teton National Park at 5.30 at night at Coulter Bay.

Two days after Gabby's mother received that cryptic text, Miranda Baker says she and her boyfriend picked up a man who she believes was Brian Laundrie. She says he was alone. He approached us asking us for a ride because he needed to go to Jackson. Before he came in the car, he offered to pay us like $200 to give him a ride, like 10 miles. So that was kind of weird. He then told us he's been camping for multiple days without his fiance and that she was working on their social media page back at their van. Suddenly, says Miranda, things took a turn when there was confusion over where they were going.

He freaked out. He's like, nope, I need to get out right now, like pull over. We dropped him off at 6.09 p.m. on August 29th. Meanwhile, Gabby's mother, Nicole, and stepfather, Jim, hadn't heard from their daughter since that worrisome text message from August 27th. Nicole, though, did receive one more text. The last text I received from her phone was August 30th. And what did that text say? I can't comment on that. Are you confident that was from her or you're not sure? I can't comment on that. The text, according to some reports, read no service in Yosemite. During Gabby's travels, she had been staying in touch with her friend Rose Davis. Rose was expecting to hear from Gabby on her birthday.

So we talked and my birthday is August 29th. So we decided call me then. But no birthday call or text came. I honestly didn't think anything of it when she didn't text me or anything because she's traveling cross-country and you know once it got it got later into it around like 8th and 9th of September that was the point where I was like, she would have called me. Why haven't I heard from her yet? What Rose did not know was that on September 1st, Brian Laundrie was back in Northport, Florida. He had driven the van there and he was alone. The Petito family knew none of this,

but they had already become alarmed when they stopped hearing from Gabby altogether and her cell phone had stopped working. Did you ever reach out to her boyfriend to figure out what happened and where your daughter is? We can't comment on that. We're not commenting on that. But Gabby's mother did reach out to police. It was actually Friday the 10th that I decided to call police because I had had 10 days, 10, almost 11 days was enough for me to not hear from my child.

And I got the runaround. Nobody wanted to report her missing. She's an adult. She's traveling. But as a mother, I said, it's not like her. Finally, that Saturday, I went personally to Suffolk County Fifth Precinct and a wonderful detective decided to take the case. Gabby Petito was officially declared a missing person on September 11, 2021. As the nation remembered so many lives lost 20 years earlier, the Petito family focused on one life, that of their missing daughter. We're looking for her and only her, not the van, not the two of them, just her.

Keep your eyes out and we'll find her. I think our plan for today is to just hang out here. And soon, the cross-country journey documented on social media turned into a cross-country virtual search party from Instagram to Twitter to TikTok. The question was, where was Gabby Petito? Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career

in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. Listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman.

But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, wherever you get your podcasts. What happened to Gabby Petito? A woman disappears on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend in a van. On Monday, September 13th, the story of her disappearance hit the news. The parents of a missing woman from Long Island need help finding her. Gabby's mom and stepdad, Jim and Nicole Schmidt, held up her photo for reporters. Gabby's 23 years old. She's an absolutely beautiful, beautiful soul inside and out.

Rose Davis was devastated to see her friend's picture on TV. My mom called me into her room and Gabby's face was all over the news. And I kind of just went into shock. The last place Gabby was seen was reported to be here, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Along with her mom and stepdad, her father Joe Petito and stepmom Tara set up a Find Gabby page where people could post tips and information. What are you hoping comes out of this? Our child is missing. We want her home.

We want her home safe and sound. I immediately, immediately made, like, a collage of all of our photos for a TikTok and posted the information and sent it out there. Facebook, Instagram, everything. The early social media presence surrounding the case was kind of a small fire at first. Tanya Chen writes about Internet culture for BuzzFeed News.

She says people instantly connected with Gabby. Oh, yeah, no, we're actually driving across the country to help look for Gabby. It was maybe like minutes after news broke that people were already kind of compiling what they were seeing online into these videos. We're going to be going to the Grand Tetons to see if there's anything that we can do to help in the search of Gabby Petito. And I was being fed them ahead of reports that I was seeing, you know, so that was something new for me. Chen says she's been stunned by how quickly finding Gabby became an internet sensation. Online sleuths instantly elevate an event or headlines. The more they talk about, the more other people are paying attention and learn about it. In this case, it galvanized

millions of people instantly to follow what was happening and to talk about it and to find answers for themselves. One person who wasn't helping? Gabby's fiance, Brian Laundrie. Northport Police spokesman Josh Taylor said the police were frustrated. Brian had driven the van back without Gabby, but neither he nor his parents were talking to police, even though Gabby had lived with them. We were essentially handed the information for their attorney. That is the extent of our conversation with them. First word that popped in my brain was coward, to be honest with you.

You're supposed to love her. You're supposed to marry her. Where is she? Police confiscated the white Ford van, searched it for evidence, and then released it, posting that Brian was now a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance. Laundrie family attorney Stephen Bertolino spoke briefly to the press. On behalf of the Laundrie family, I will hope that Ms. Petito is located and that she's reunited with her family. For Gabby's family, it wasn't nearly enough. Two days later, their attorney, Rick Stafford, read a scathing letter from them to Brian's parents. We believe you know the location of where Brian left Gabby.

We beg you to tell us, as a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us? On Friday, September 17th, the Laundrie family reported that they didn't know where Brian was. They said he'd left for a hike at the Carlton Reserve three days earlier. The next day, police began to comb the huge local park with its miles of bike trails and alligator-infested waters. The hunt for Brian began. A massive search. More than 50 officers and FBI agents combing a 24,000-acre park near Sarasota, Florida, looking for Brian Laundrie. Anger at Brian and his family's silence spilled over. Where is Gabby? When protesters gathered outside the Laundrie home, demanding answers.

Where's Gabby is admirable, it also highlights a disparity concerning race about how missing persons cases are treated. The fact that it's garnered this level of attention is largely due to the fact that she is a pretty young white woman. As there are hundreds of indigenous people, of black and brown people, who go missing across this country every single day, it should beg us to ask ourselves why those names and faces are not plastered everywhere, across social media, across TV screens. Why don't they become household names? Gabby's father says the attention on Gabby has been unique.

I'll tell you, I'm very fortunate. All the social media, the media attention. I mean, it's really hard to deal with, you know, but it is needed. And I'll tell you, I haven't seen this type of attention on something like this, and I am extremely grateful. One van life couple had been paying close attention to Gabby's story, Kyle and Jen Bethune. All right, so we're trying to find a spot on this fucking room. It turns out the Bethunes had been in Wyoming's Teton National Park around the time Gabby's family last heard from her.

National Park around the time Gabby's family last heard from her. On August 27th, the Bethunes drove around a campground there looking for a place to park with GoPros rolling for their YouTube channel. We're driving down this road past this van and it had Florida plates. We're Floridians and so we wanted to stop and say hi to whoever was there. However, the van was completely dark. We assumed that they were just out hiking or doing something else. Once the Bethunes left the park, they didn't think about the van again. Until late on Saturday, September 18th, when Jen checked her phone and was stunned to learn authorities now believed Gabby had been in the Tetons the very same night the Bethunes were there. Jen instantly remembered the white van. And I immediately got goosebumps all over my body. I rushed back to the computer and I saw that white speck of van

and I was like, please keep going, please keep going keep going and it did and it got bigger and bigger we just some reason instantly knew that it was hers when I called the FBI I was like I have found Gabby's footage like patch me across to somebody like this is huge because I knew deep down what it was and I knew how important this footage would be to finding Gabby. As instructed, the Bethunes uploaded their footage to the FBI website. They also posted it on YouTube and Facebook. Sunday morning, Jen says she received a request to call Gabby's mom, Nicole. More than most people, Jen understood what Nicole might be going through.

She had lost her son Ethan in a car accident 10 years earlier, and his birthday was that very day. You know, we didn't talk specifics. She just thanked me, and we both sat on FaceTime and had a good mama cry, heart to heart. Just hours later came the devastating announcement. Earlier today, human remains were discovered, consistent with the description of Gabrielle Gabby Petito. Go inside the case at 48hours.com. It was the news the nation did not want to hear.

Eight days after 22-year-old Gabby Petito was reported missing. Good afternoon. My name is Charles Jones. An FBI supervisor announced the tragic end to the search that had riveted the country. On behalf of the FBI personnel and our partners, I would like to extend sincere and heartfelt condolences to Gabby's family. Joe and Tara Petito and Jim and Nicole Schmidt. Authorities say they have found a body in northwestern Wyoming, and it's believed to be Gabby. The FBI says Gabby's remains were found

at the Spread Creek camping area inside Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. An autopsy confirmed the remains were Gabby's and the coroner determined her death was a homicide. We have no additional comments. Gabby's family asked for privacy, but her father Joe sent out a tweet that summed up the moment. It read simply, she touched the world. A lawyer for Brian's parents, who initially refused to speak with investigators, released this statement via text. It read, the news about Gabby Petito is heartbreaking. The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family.

After hearing that Gabby was found in the campground, internet sleuths gave Jen and Kyle Bethune a lot of credit for coming forward with their footage of Gabby's white van. I don't want to take any credit for that. We feel like we did the right thing that anyone would have done in our shoes. But they prefer to credit the millions of people who viewed their video and all the others who came forward with tips. I absolutely think the amazing community on social media came together and found Gabby. One million percent it was social media. 48 Hours analyzed a map showing the location where the Bethune say they spotted the van. It's within walking distance from where searchers discovered Gabby's remains.

It's a very emotional case because Gabby touched so many people and she had no idea that she was doing it. She just knew inside her that she wanted to live a life of her dreams and she did it. Jen grew emotional as she recalled talking with Joe Petito. He said that you will never be able to repay us for what we've done. He doesn't want his daughter's life, for her to die in vain. And he wants everyone's help to find Brian, because this family deserves justice and they deserve answers. The discovery of Gabby ended one mystery, but a big one remained. Where was Brian Laundrie? I think at this point anything's on the table. Josh Taylor is the

spokesman for Northport Police. We certainly think Brian has some explaining to do. Hours after it was announced Gabby had been found, over a dozen FBI agents and police officers swarmed the home of Brian's parents. There has been a flurry of police activity today at the Florida home of Gabby Petito's fiance. Police arrived, the FBI arrived, they were carrying a battering ram. They also announced that they had a warrant. The search warrant revealed that police were looking for one or more computers, and the cops also towed away Brian's Mustang. The next day, Northport Police, the FBI, and other agencies returned to the nature preserve

near Brian's home to continue the search. The terrain's very difficult. Essentially 75% of it's underwater. The manhunt was back on. I tell you, these guys, they're motivated and they're hungry to find Brian Landry. Rose Davis says Brian is no stranger to the outdoors. He's good with nature. He can go into nature. So my first thought was he's in the woods. He's somewhere in the woods. Searcher spent days combing the nearly 25,000 acre nature reserve, looking for Brian, but could find no trace of him.

Brian was the focus of the police investigation. But from the beginning, Gabby's friends were thinking mostly about her. There's no words to even describe her. Saying she's great or caring is just not enough to describe how great and how caring she truly, truly is. This past summer, Gabby Petito set out to cross America with a man she loved. I've always described her as this light, you know. She'll do everything to bring the light out in you. And if she can't, she'll give you some of hers.

And somewhere, her light is shining still. A socialite living in paradise. Her friend, a senior police official, shot dead. These two people wind up on a lonely pier together. That was a terrible accident. Or was it? My brother was shot. Execution time. Murder. 48 Hours, Saturday on CBS.

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