Timesuck with Dan Cummins - Short Suck #6 - A Van Life Nightmare: The Gabby Petito Story

Episode Date: March 22, 2024

On July 2nd, 2021, 22 year-old Gabby Petito and her fiancé, 23 year old Brian Laundrie, left the quaint hamlet of Blue Point, Long Island to embark upon on a cross-country adventure in a white, modified, 2012 Ford Transit Connect van. Less than two months later, what appeared to be the trip of a lifetime based on social media posts, ended in both of their deaths.  Hope you enjoy this Short Suck! Have a great weekend!Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rsN67r9hnLUFor Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com

Welcome to this edition of Time Sucks, Short Sucks. I'm Dan Cummins and today I'll be sharing the tale of van life nightmare, the Gavi Petito story. On July 2nd, 2021, 22-year-old Gavi Petito and her fiance, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, left the quaint hamlet of Blue Point, Long Island to embark upon a cross-country adventure in a white modified 2012 Ford Transit Connect van. Less than two months later, on August 27th, Gavi would be seen alive for the last time in Jackson, Wyoming. Soon, a nationwide search for Gavi would be launched, and what followed would first captivate

the online world of social media, blogs, and vlogs, and then the national mainstream media, unlike any other missing persons case, had in years. Digging into the details of today's story gave me a lot to think about. Some things to keep in mind as I tell this tale. What falls inside the limits of responsibility regarding law enforcement officers when it comes to responding to a complaint of domestic violence? In a situation where both members of a couple have minor scratches on their faces, for example, should you automatically assume that the bigger and stronger looking person is the guilty

party? Even if the smaller person quickly looking person is the guilty party. Even if the smaller person quickly tells you that they struck first. Is that fair? Do you automatically assume in a male, female domestic violence situation that the male is the aggressor? Is that rational? Or is that sexist?

And when someone is later murdered following a domestic violence report, if officers got it wrong, if they assumed based on victim testimony that the person they thought was the abuser was actually the victim in the initial report. Should they be blamed for somehow then allowing the murder to happen? Or should only the actual murderer be held responsible? Also, today's story made me think about how far I'd truly be willing to go to protect my child if they had done something horrible. Would I help them escape justice just because they're my kid?

Or if my child was the victim of a tragedy, what would I do to honor their memory? Would I dedicate my life to run a charity that raises money to help other people from suffering the same fate? Would I launch expensive lawsuits against anyone I thought might be partially responsible for my child dying like they did. Or would I want to just put the whole thing behind me? Finally, today's story made me really think about how just how fake our online lives can truly be, how we can sure seem to be living our best life to the rest of the world who

only sees Instagram and YouTube highlights, but in reality, we're suffering. A young couple who seems to be perfectly in love and post can in fact be in a dangerous domestic violence situation. Gabrielle Venora Petito, who would go by Gabby, was born on March 19th, 1999. She grew up in Blue Point, a little census designated hamlet on Long Island, New York. Part of the large suburban town of Brookhaven, and

a big family with six younger siblings and half-siblings. She was born to Joe Petito and Nicole Schmidt, who had already gotten divorced and remarried by the time of the events of today's story. Gabby's fiance was Brian Christopher Laundrie, born a year and a half before her on November 18, 1997, to parents Christopher and Roberta Laundrie. He had just one sister, Cassie. Brian and Cassie both grew, Brian and Cassie grew up in Bayport, Long Island. Another Long Island hamlet in the neighboring town

of Islip. He and Gabby grew up less than two miles from one another and both attended Bayport Blue Point High School. Brian was a year ahead of Gabby and when they first met he was a junior, she was a sophomore. They wouldn't become romantically linked for several years at this point, just friends. And a friend of them both would say that the two liked each other because they were both loners who didn't always fit in with the rest of the kids around them. Gabby's mom Nicole described her daughter as someone who was a free spirit, but also someone who could be very dependent and didn't like to be on her own.

Gabby graduated high school in 2017. That same year, Brian's parents left Long Island, moved to North Port, North Port, Florida, which lies on the western side of the state right between Sarasota and Fort Myers. The laundries ran a juicing equipment business out of their new home. After high school, Gabby moved to North Carolina, where from September of 2017 to January of 2019, she worked as a hostess and kitchen aide at Smoke on the Water, a restaurant at Carolina Beach just south of Wilmington. Her general manager, Laura Wichin, described Gabby as a bright soul, a bright light.

She was always happy, always had a smile on her face trying to bring people up with her. At some point while in North Carolina, she reconnected with Brian, who had moved to Florida to live with his parents. She was living there with him and his parents as well by March of 2019 Soon both Gabby and Brian were working at a local Publix grocery store where Gabby was a pharmacy tech and Brian worked in groceries They saved up some money at the end of 2019 rolling into early 2020 They went on a cross-country drive to California and loved it. I really got the travel bug

Gabby would later say they immediately wanted to do it again, but in something bigger than her tiny car and, you know, hopefully with more time so they could explore a lot more places. Not long after returning to Florida, at the start of the 2020 COVID pandemic, they both quit their jobs at Publix with designs on working elsewhere to save up more money to do a lot more traveling. On May 27th, 2020, Gabby posted a picture on Instagram of she and Brian hugging on a beach somewhere in California. I can't wait to get back to days like this, traveling the world with you and asking strangers to take our picture. Never taking moments like this for granted again. Love you. Brian got a job at a juice bar. Gabby found work as a nutritionist on top of putting

in around 50 hours a week at Taco Bell and then later working at a juice bar at some point. What a funny combo, the Taco Bell and nutritionist. What do you do? I'm a nutritionist. Oh, that's awesome. What do you work? Taco Bell, mostly. It feels kind of like being a drug counselor who also works at a cannabis dispensary. In July of 2020, Brian proposed to Gabby and she said yes. July 2nd, she posted a pic of the two of them sharing some sushi somewhere in Florida by the looks of it. Caption reads, here's a picture from our first date because I have so much love for you. Brian asked me to marry him and I said yes. You make life feel unreal and every day is such a dream with you heart emoji They look so completely in love very cute couple with huge smiles on their faces

I would share what Brian posted as well He was tagged in this post and many others but his account at bizarre underscore design no longer has any posts In December Gaby purchases a Ford Transit van and she and Brian began converting it into a camper to prepare for a much bigger cross-country journey. Were the two having any problems by this point? Not according to Instagram. January 11th, Gavi posted another pic of her and Brian. Been listening to morbid podcasts all morning and I'm obsessed. She will later be talked about herself on this podcast and not for reasons anyone would will later be talked about herself on this podcast and

not for reasons anyone would want to be talked about on a true crime podcast. Gabby's friend Rose Davis later told People magazine that she believed Brian was a jealous and controlling boyfriend. She said that Brian was able to watch Gabby when they worked at Publix and he didn't like her working so much after they both quit their jobs there. She felt that Brian rushed into the van life trip so Gabby wouldn't be able to work anymore. She also said he was not supportive of Gabby's later desire to become a van life influencer. I will note that I find it strange that she said that Brian rushed Gabby into this van life because it seems from videos and content that Gabby was the one pushing for the van life more than Brian. But who knows?

Van life influencers, typically people who live in a modified van full time, traveling around creating online content about their lifestyle and adventures, you know, free from the trappings of a permanent residence. I have two friends who have both fantasized about this kind of life for years. A couple of nomads who just aren't into material things and would love to just live free and not be tied to any singular place. Interestingly, Gabby's disappearance will later be solved by a family living this kind of life but in a 1983 vintage Silver Eagle bus instead of

a van. I think I get the appeal of this kind of life but not for me. I like my space. I love Lindsay and we get along well enough to parent and work together very closely but trapped in a van with her all the time with anybody all the time. I think my misophonia alone would make that hell on earth for me. I need a few hours a day by myself to at least eat alone, not eat around other people and hear their eating sounds. And she feels the same about me, I assure you. On July 2nd, 2021, Gabby and Brian leave Blue Point, New York. They'd returned to Long Island for Gabby's brother's graduation ceremony. And then they embarked on a planned four-month cross-country road trip in the

Ford van. They were going to visit and camp at a bunch of different national parks all around the U.S. planning to end up on the Pacific coast around Halloween. Now why did they do this? Just for the adventure, I guess. Not sure they had a real concrete plan for what was supposed to happen after the trip wrapped up Based on her post hashtags like adventure blogger and van life I think Abby wanted to make a living and just from you know What her friend said and other sources wanted to make a living as a traveling influencer and keep the party going as long as possible Not sure if she wanted that from the get-go or as it went on

Not sure Brian wanted that and not sure either one of them, you know, just 22 and 23 years old while they're doing this, were thinking a whole lot about the next stage of their life. So just a fun little early adulthood adventure. Before they left Brian posted that they were downsizing our life into this itty-bitty van. Gabby posted regularly on Instagram during their trip to document their travels. On July 4th she posted a picture from the Monument Rocks National Landmark in Scott City, Kansas. There is no place like the tiny home we built.

Again, she tags Brian. And like in all her posts, she seems super happy. Tan, fit, very healthy looking, enjoying the beauty of the great outdoors and perfectly framed pic after perfectly framed pic. On July 10th, Gaby posted a photo in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After going on our first road trip across the country in my tiny car, we felt like there was just so much we missed. Turning this forward transit essentially into a camper was such an adventure in itself, but I couldn't love the way it turned out more. All the places that brought us so far have been amazing. As soon as we got to the

great sand dunes, I didn't want to leave. There's so much to hike. But as soon as the campsites on the dunes opened for summer, they fill up instantly, along with the overnight parking permits. Lucky enough, I called the right time when someone canceled and was able to score a campsite for us for two nights overlooking the dunes. I'm so grateful we got such an awesome spot to spend the night and surf the dunes. And the night sky here was insane. Never seen so many stars. Hashtag van life. And Brian again is tagged.

She posted a pic of her surfing down one of those sand dunes later that same day. Looks like she's having the time of her life. Gabby and Brian spent July 16th to the 22nd at Utah Zion National Park. On July 26th, Gavi posted photos from the Mystic Hot Springs in Monroe, Utah. One is of her and Brian passionately kissing as they stand in the water. Again, they could not look happier. You know, healthier, more in love.

On August 12th, Gavi posted a carousel of photos of her sitting under an arch in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. We decided to take the path less traveled on the other side of the arch. While Brian climbed down some steep slopes with the camera, I shimmied my way along a thin flat narrow line that led directly to a big flat rock with the absolute most beautiful view from directly underneath the arch. After taking a few cool photos of each other, Brian and I sat drawing and enjoying nature without seeing anybody. It felt like we had the entire delicate arch to ourselves. Once again, could not seem happier, more in love. But all was not what it seemed. Later that same

day, Gabby and Brian are pulled over in their van by the Moab, Utah police department near the park entrance. The officers were responding to a report of a domestic problem. A 911 caller had reported seeing Brian slap Gabby in the face and chase her down the sidewalk. Another witness saw the couple talking aggressively and noted that something seemed off. They said they saw Brian take Gabby's phone, get in the van, and attempt to leave, but then Gabby climbed over him and into the van. The following quotes come from the 911 call. I'm calling, I'm right in the corner of Main Street by Moonflower and we're driving by and I'd like to report a domestic dispute. Florida license plate, number redacted. We drove by and the

gentleman was slapping the girl. Yes, and then we stopped and they ran up and down the sidewalk, hopped in the car and they drove off. The caller also added that he feared the worst. Soon afterwards, Brian, who was driving the van, is pulled over by Officer Daniel Robbins, who was later joined by his superior and two park rangers. Important to note that it does not seem as if Officer Robbins and the other officers on scene

were told all of the details of the domestic violence disturbance that was called in. They just knew that details of the domestic violence disturbance, you know, that was called in. They just knew that there was a domestic violence disturbance involving a couple driving this van. Gabby was quote, crying uncontrollably in the passenger seat when they were pulled over. In police body cam footage, you can see over an hour's worth of the full unedited interaction on YouTube. I watched it. Both Brian and Gabby have light scratches on their faces. While Gabby is taken to a police SUV and sits in the back seat with the door open, Brian has walked away and has to sit on a curb a short distance down the street so the officers can question each of them privately out of earshot of the other

person. Both speak of a verbal argument that escalated outside the van back at the park of tension building for days. Brian says that he didn't have his phone on him when they had this argument that Gabby tried to get the keys to the van from him. He would not give the keys to her because with no van and no phone, he would have been totally stranded if she left him. He does not say that he took Gabby's phone from her per that witness report. He said at this point after he refused to give Gabby the key she began to get physical with him swinging her arms and while he tries to keep her at arm's length she hits him with her phone in the face also scratched him with her nails and some rings that she has on her fingers.

Officers point out scratches on his nose both sides of his face and on his neck. This does not match up with what the 911 caller said but that's what Brian said and he does definitely have marks all over his face and neck. When officers also point out he has more scratches on his right arm and ask if he is okay. He says he's fine that he does not want Gabby to get in any trouble you know he loves her yada yada yada yada. Gabby questions separately is asked if Brian hit her and officer says at one point excuse me we want to know the truth if he hit you. She's crying and pauses and excuse me, we want to know the truth if he hit you.

She's crying and pauses and he tells her not to worry that it's okay to tell them, you know, whatever happened. Eventually, she says that Brian did not hit her, but that he did grab her face. Now the officer asks, did he slap you in the face? And she says, no, never. And she explains how him grabbing her scratched her face. He asked her if Brian had been drinking because when they went to pull them over, he ran their van into a curb and she explains that neither one of them drank. That he only swerved because she hit him while he was driving. She talks about how she's been really stressed out lately.

How she's been working on building this website to make money as an influencer and how she's frustrated that Brian doesn't believe she can do it and that this upsets her and stresses her out and she has a lot of anxiety. And eventually she tells officers that she struck Brian first, that she slapped him in the face. When asked why, she said she was mad that Brian would not let her get into the van and that he would not stop telling her that she needed to calm down. Gabby and Brian both tell the police that they're in love, they're engaged, they desperately don't want to see anyone charged with a crime. Eventually, to avoid pressing charges on Gabby, not Brian, since she insisted she hit Brian first and never wavered from that, and Brian attested that this was also true, that she did hit

him but he did not want to press charges, the officers, after privately convening, decide that the episode can be classified as a mental slash emotional health break instead of domestic violence, not an assault, which would have meant they would have had to arrest Gabby and she would have had to stay overnight in jail. They state that they were able to classify the crime as such because Gabby did not intend to harm Brian. In a summary written later the officer wrote, the driver of the van, a male, had some sort of argument with the female Gabby. The male tried to create distance by telling Gabby to go take a

walk to calm down. She didn't want to be separated from the male and began slapping him. He grabbed her face and pushed her back as she pressed upon him in 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. Part of the report also reads, it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female. But Brian was listed as the victim in the report based on what he and Gabby both said when questioned by officers. Arrangements were made for Brian to stay in a hotel while Gabby stayed in the van for the night. Both were told to stay away from each other for the night that they could not see each

other till the next day. Gabby was also asked by one officer if she should maybe reevaluate their relationship. He tells Gabby, not sure who he is because this is all based on me just taking notes from the body cam footage video, that just because you love someone that does not mean you need to stay in a relationship with them And the two people who love each other can still engage in an abusive toxic unhealthy relationship Gabby is also encouraged to call her family and talk about all this After watching the entire video, I will say it doesn't seem if you don't know anything else about them If it doesn't it doesn't seem like Brian is the abuser and Gabby is the victim

Not to me if anything based on what Brian and Abby say when they are questioned and how they hold themselves Had I been there I could have easily assumed that Gabby was the aggressor the instigator She may not have been but based only on this interaction when they're pulled over. That's what it seems like to me but based only on this interaction when they're pulled over. That's what it seems like to me. Seven days later, August 19th, 2021, Gaby posts an eight-minute YouTube compilation video titled Van Life Beginning Our Van Life Journey. This is the only video posted on her and Brian's channel,

Nomadic Static. It's a good name. The channel has 180,000 subscribers and the video has over 7 million views now based on comments. I'm guessing pretty much all the views and comments amassed after excuse me after her disappearance. And again in this video they seem so happy, so in love, patient with one another, gentle, too really sweet, kind, you know hippie-dippy nomads doing yoga, enjoying nature, eating organic food. They just seem like really, like very non-violent.

I would have never guessed this couple was in a violent relationship. Just very peaceful, gentle, patient, loving people is how they come across. Here's a little snippet. Gabby is filming herself inside their tent on a sunny Utah morning at the start of this section here. their tent on a sunny Utah morning at the start of this section here. Me and Brian just got up and got ready. Made the bed in the tent. Set up. I think our plan

for today is to just hang out here in the tent. It's a beautiful day. Brian's stretching, doing some morning yoga. She's getting in the back of the van. They've got a really cool setup. You know, she has a little bench she can sit on and kind of like put food together back there. Get some yogurt. She's putting together some some Chobani yogurt with granola and blueberries. That looks like they're living the dream. Brian's off-camera. She's just smiling. All the chocolate melted. It's a river of chocolate. Walks into frame. Be cautious. You can't keep chocolate in Utah. Not in July. We're both very thin. We're in a clear plastic container.

That is always in the sun. It's in the tent this morning. That's why. Maybe the story hits hard for so many people. I mean, they just look like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend.

I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. I mean, they're just like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or her friend. Maybe the story hits hard for so many people.

I mean, they just look like, I don't know, they could be my friend, you know, or, you know, like some friends kids, my son, Kyler could be like, you know, him and a girlfriend, him and a buddy. Yeah, just nothing seems off. Absolutely nothing. Gabby also posted on Instagram on the 19th. Interestingly, she does not post a pic that shows either her face or Brian's face, both of which

had marks at this point. I'm sure this footage you know that the video was taken earlier. Four days later, August 23rd, Nicole and Jim Schmidt, Gabby's mother and stepfather, speak to Gabby on a FaceTime call. Gabby said she and Brian were leaving Utah driving to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. They did not mention the domestic dispute, or Gabby did not. Gabby texted her mother a few times after this on both the 23rd and on the 24th. Based on hotel records, we know that they checked out of their hotel in Salt Lake City August 24th.

Then Gabby made her final post on Instagram the following day August 25th. No location is given for this little carousel of photos. Pics are all of just Gabby, all taken in front of this cool mural. One pic she's holding some little crochet little pumpkin post just says happy Halloween little pumpkin emoji. And before I reveal what happens after this final happy post, time for today's mid show sponsor break. If you don't want to hear ads like this, join our Patreon. And for $5 a month as a space lizard, you can get the entire catalog of Time Suck, including these short sucks, ad free and more. And I'm back. And we return to late August 2021 following 22 year old van life traveler Gaby Petito posting her final pics on Instagram. On August 27th, Petito and Laundrie are both captured

by a CCTV recording filmed at a Whole Foods in Jackson, Wyoming. They still, from what you can tell from the not exactly high def, well lit footage, gonna be happy and healthy. They arrived at the parking lot, 2.11 p.m., entered the store at 2.14 p.m., before exiting at 2.30 p.m. and heading back into the van.

After about 20 minutes of sitting in the van they eventually drive away get on highway 89 the road north to the Bridger-Teton National Forest Campsite at 2 56 p.m. This is the final footage of Petito while she was still alive. Later a witness will say that before the couple made it to Whole Foods between 1 and 2 p.m. that day they saw or she saw laundry and Petito together at the Mary Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant in Jackson Hole. Per this witness laundry was aggressive and had an argument regarding money with the manager, waitress and hostess. The witness said she later saw Petito return to the restaurant crying and apologizing for

laundry's behavior. So it seems that Brian had a side to him that did not show up on social media posts or in YouTube videos. On August 27th, Gabby's mom Nicole receives an odd text from Gabby that said, can you help Stan? I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls. Stan is Gabby's grandfather but she had never before referred to him by just his first name like that to Nicole's knowledge. Already, Nicole is suspicious, thinks that something might be wrong, but she can't get ahold of Nicole to confirm anything, which is not totally unusual for this trip since the couple often is, you know, finding themselves in remote locations with no cell service.

Three days later, August 30th, Nicole Schmidt receives a text from Gabby's phone that just reads no service in Yosemite. Nicole did not believe Gabby sent this text. Grows more suspicious, you know, if it was Gabby, you know, felt like she would give more details. September 1st, Brian returned to his parents' home in North Port, Florida in the couple's van alone. He said that Gabby was in Oregon where he would soon join her.

They were going to work on a pumpkin farm. Not sure what he does to address Nicole's suspicion other than just lie and tell her if he told her anything if she's you know talking to him that she was in an area with no cell phone service. However he also told his parents that she was working on a website for their travels and if she was able to work on a website she would also be able to communicate with her family. Now this is making sense. Why Gabby's family does not freak out long before they did is something I don't understand. September 6th and 7th, Brian and his family go camping together in Fort DeSoto Park, just an hour's drive north of Northport.

Gabby's family finally report her missing on September 11th. They had not heard from her in almost two weeks by this point. Over the ensuing days, more and more people began to worry that Gabby is definitely not in Oregon waiting to pick pumpkins. Working on a website. Three days later, September 14th, the Laundrie family issues a statement that they intend to remain in the background during the ongoing search now for Gabby. This same day, Gabby's family issues a public statement accusing Brian of refusing to tell them where he last saw her and can you imagine your daughter has been dating someone for over two years living with him and his family for most of that time and after spending two months with your daughter in a van touring the country and then driving that van home alone he won't tell you what the

fuck happened to her. Why she's not you know you fuck happened to her why she's not you know You know answering calls why she's not texting. I'm always so surprised in situations like this that someone Frankly, this doesn't get their ass beat if Gabby was your daughter Wouldn't you want to fly to Florida immediately? Get in Brian's face and demand some answers Next day September 15th authorities named Brian as a person of interest. Say he is the last person to have been with Gabby before she went missing. The story has already gone viral now on social media.

A good friend of Lindsay's and I's, looking to you lids, became obsessed with this story like many people. Checking for news throughout the day, updates, digging into Reddit threads. A lot of people were obsessed. Lindsay got really curious. I remember thinking that pretty much everyone believed by this point, if not earlier, that Brian had killed Gabby. Northport police chief Todd Garrison posted on Twitter addressing Brian's lawyer. What a strange sign of the times that you reach out on Twitter

to somebody's lawyer. Steven Bertolino asking him to arrange a conversation with Brian Bertolino said he advised Brian not to talk to the police Shady Meanwhile officials at Grand Teton National Park said their park Rangers were working with the National Park Service the FBI and local authorities to Try and find Gabby Following day September 16th Northport police chief Todd Garrison holds a news conference and announces that Brian was exercising his right to not speak To the authorities. He said they were still treating the search for Gabby as a missing persons case. But also even he clearly thinks that Brian has done something to her. Everyone is thinking that now.

Gabby's father Joseph Petito appeared at the news conference to ask for tips and help from the community. On September 17th, Brian's parents called the police to report that Brian is now also missing. They say they hadn't seen him in three days. And they just think to call authorities now seems almost like they were helping him. That they knew he did something fucking terrible and they helped give their son a few days head start to go on the run. Back on the 14th, Brian had left their home to go hiking alone in the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000 acre park 13 miles from Northport. I mean totally why not? That's what an innocent guy does 100%. You know while his fiance is missing and people around

the country are convinced that he's you know killed her. Authorities are looking all over the damn place you know. You definitely don't want to just help join the search at that point. No way. You don't want to work with authorities to try and locate her. You don't want to dress the media and talk about how you're helping. No, you want to refuse to talk to her parents, refuse to talk to authorities, and then just go on a hike alone. That same day, a woman named Miranda Baker posted a video on TikTok claiming that she

had picked up Brian Laundrie while he was hitchhiking alone back in Wyoming right around the time Gabby went missing. Miranda said that she and her boyfriend picked up Brian August 29th, 2021 at Colter Bay in the Grand Teton National Park and that they reached out to authorities after hearing about Gabby's case. She said that Brian approached the couple at 5 44 p.m. asked for a ride to Jackson, Wyoming, offered them 200 bucks for a ride to Jackson, Wyoming. Offered them $200 for a 10-mile drive. Little suspicious. Also very specific time that she remembers, 5.44. While they were chatting, he mentioned that he had been camping for multiple days without his fiance. He said she was working

on their social media page back at the van. More suspicious. When Miranda mentioned their plans to go to Jackson Hole, Brian freaked out, out quote unquote freaked out and insisted he get out of the car. She dropped him off at the Jackson Dam at 6 o' 9 p.m. Even more suspicious. He said he was going to find someone else to hitchhike with. So strange he is clearly freaking out. Probably trying to figure out how to fix a problem that is unfixable. You cannot un-murder someone. Back in Florida on September 18th, the North Port police announced that they are searching for Brian in the Carlton Reserve. Meanwhile, the FBI still searching the Grand Teton

National Park for Gabby. And then the next day, September 19th, they find her. They discover human female remains believed to belong to Gabby Petito. The remains were found in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger Teton National Forest, which is on the east boundary of the Grand Teton National Park. Two fellow travel content creators, some bus life folks, told them where to look. Kyle and Jen Bethune have been living in a bus with their three kids and four dogs since 2019. They travel around the U.S. making content for YouTube and Instagram.

At Bean Bethune is their handle if you are curious. And in September of 2021, they were watching the coverage of the Gabby Petito case along with the rest of the country. Just before midnight on September 18th, a friend contacted Jen told her that Gabby and Brian might have been in the Bridger Teton National Forest at the same time they were. So now, you know, Jen starts to review videos she had taken during their time in Wyoming. She takes a lot of videos. Her and her husband have posted over 1,200 videos since their first video on January 30th, 2019. She

remembered seeing a white Ford camper van and she went back and, good for her, this is, you know, awesome, found it in the footage. Jen called the FBI, told them about her video, where exactly they had seen the van. Now the NPS, local authorities and the FBI launched a search the next day and they find human remains near the van's location in the video. Something poetic, darkly poetic maybe, about Gaby wanting to build a career taking travel videos and then after she disappears having her body found thanks to a travel video. Would have been much better obviously if she had been found alive. Meanwhile the search for Brian continues in Florida with no new updates.

September 20th the FBI executes a search warrant at the laundry home in Northport. Agents seized Brian's car in a hard drive that was thought to contain quote, evidence that a felony has been committed. In their application for the search warrant it was written that texts between Gabby and her mother showed an increasing level of tension between Gabby and Brian as the trip progressed. On September 21st, the FBI confirmed that the remains found in Wyoming

were indeed the remains of Gabby Petito. The manner of death was listed as homicide. Meanwhile, the North Port police resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve. A spokesman for the North Port police said about the search for Brian, It is currently waist-deep in water in many areas. This is dangerous work for the search crews, as they are wading through gator and snake-infested

swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails. Nope. Would you work on a search and rescue team if you had to wade through gator and snake-infested floodwaters? Unless it was to track down who killed my own kid. I'm not sure I would. If I was looking for a missing victim and there was a chance they were still alive, okay. I'd like to think I'd, you know, be able to try and man up.

But in this case, looking for a fucking piece of shit murderer? Nope. Let the gators get him. Better him than me. shit murderer? Nope. Let the Gators get him. Better him than me. September 23rd, a federal arrest warrant is unsealed in Wyoming, charging Brian with one felony count of debit card fraud for using Gabby's debit card after she had died. This warrant would allow federal agents to arrest Brian if they found him alive and give investigators time to gather enough evidence to convict him, you know, to charge him with murder and, you know, convict him

later. September 27th, Brian's family issued the following statement. Chris and Roberta Laundrie, I always want to say Landry. I've never seen Laundrie other than this family. I've seen a lot of Landrys. Chris and Roberta Laundrie do not know where Brian is. They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him. The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong.

I remember people reel into this case assuming that Brian was dead at this point, that he had killed Gabby and then himself. Gabby's parents and step-parents hold a press conference, September 28, where they thank the public for their support and announce the creation of the Gavi Petito Foundation, which supports efforts to locate missing persons and helps organizations that assist victims of domestic violence. Check out their website, gavipetitofoundation.org. From the About Us section, with a mission to turn our tragedy into purpose, the Gavi

Petito Foundation was born. We wish to address the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons and to provide aid to organizations that assist survivors of domestic violence through education, awareness, and prevention strategies. In part of a statement, Joe Petito said, social media has been amazing and very influential.

And to be honest, it should continue for other people too. The same type of heightened awareness should be continued for everyone. Everyone. It's not just Gabby that deserves that. It is cool to think about how social media can be used to help locate missing persons and solve crimes. On October 12th, Teton County coroner Brent Blue announced that Gabby had died from quote, homicide by blunt force injuries to the head and neck had died from, quote, homicide by blunt force injuries to the head and neck with manual strangulation. Her body had been outside for three to four weeks when she was found and due to decomposition, the exact date of her death was unknown.

Dr. Blue also quashed some rumors floating around online by confirming that Gaby was not pregnant when she died. On October 20th, another set of human remains is found in a wooded area of the Carlton Reserve adjoining the Mayakahatchee Creek Park, thanks to the help of a cadaver dog. Mayakahatchee is a heavily wooded 160-acre park in Northport that connects to the Carlton Reserve. A notebook and backpack belonging to Brian were found near the remains. The items were found in an area that had been underwater during the earlier searches. The previous day, on the evening of October 19th, Brian's parents had informed the FBI

and the police that they were going to come to the park the following morning to conduct a search. The family briefly searched an area off a trail that Brian frequented and found some of his items. And that prompted a more thorough investigation of the area. On October 21st, dental records confirmed that the remains were Brian Laundrie. On November 23rd, the medical examiner's office in Sarasota announced that Brian had died of suicide via a gunshot wound to the head. January 22, 2022, the FBI Denver office provided a final investigative update before the case was closed. Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said,

All logical investigative steps have been concluded in this case. The investigation did not identify any other individuals other than Brian Laundrie directly involved in the tragic death of Gabby Petito. The FBI's primary focus throughout the investigation was to bring justice to Gabby and her family. The public's role in helping us in this endeavor was invaluable as the investigation was covered in the media around the world. On behalf of the FBI, I want to express my deepest appreciation to the public for the thousands of tips that were provided during the investigation and to our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners for their work throughout the investigation.

The update confirmed again that Gabby died of blunt force injuries to the head and neck with manual strangulation. So violent. Clearly another fight broke out. This one escalated and went to a place that you cannot come back from. The update continued after Ms. Petito's death. There were several text messages identifiable between Mr. Laundrie's telephone and Ms. Petito's telephone. The timing and content of these messages are indicative of Mr. Laundrie attempting to deceive law enforcement by giving the impression that Ms. Petito's telephone, the timing and content of these messages are indicative of Mr. Laundrie attempting to deceive law enforcement by giving the impression that Ms. Petito was still alive. When investigators found Brian's remains, they also found a note he wrote claiming responsibility for Gabby's death. And I'll share some of that note here in a bit.

On March 11, 2022, Gabby's family sued Brian's parents, claiming that Brian told his parents he had killed Gabby on August 28th before he returned home alone from the trip. The lawsuit sought damages of at least $30,000 and alleged that the laundries concealed Brian's confession from investigators and from Gabby's parents. The laundries moved to dismiss the motion on March 30th, but a judge denied that motion June 30th. On August 8th, 2022, Gabby's family filed a $50 million wrongful death suit against the police department in Moab, Utah, as well as three officers and 10 unnamed defendants. The suit alleged negligent failure in the department's investigation into

the alleged assault on August 12th, 2021. The suit accuses the defendants of wrongful death, saying Gabby's death was caused by their wrongful acts or neglect. I would say it was caused by Brian and Brian alone. Back on January 12, 2022, the city of Mohab released an investigative report on a review of the incident. And the report stated that independent agencies' investigative report finds that the officers who responded to the incident made several unintentional mistakes that stem from the fact that officers failed to cite Ms. Petito for domestic violence. The city acknowledges that this finding may raise questions and the issue is examined extensively in the investigative report. The lawsuit claimed that Gabby showed the classic hallmarks of an abused partner by trying

to take the blame for the incident and asking to stay with Brian. The Petito family conducted an independent investigation and found that the officers made several mistakes and could not rule out that Gabby's murder might have been prevented if the officers had handled the situation properly. I'll address my thoughts on this lawsuit before we wrap up. June 24, 2022, Steven Bertolino released images of Brian's suicide note, where Brian explained why he killed Gabby and why he chose to end his life. This is ridiculous. Brian wrote that Gabby had fallen and was in extreme pain.

He wrote, quote, I don't know the extent of Gabby's injuries, only that she was in extreme pain. I ended her life. I thought it was merciful. Get the fuck out of here. That it was what she wanted. But I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn't go on without her.

Brian wrote that he rushed home to spend my time I had left with my family. He said he wanted to drive north and let James or TJ kill me, but I wouldn't want to spend, I wouldn't want them to spend time in jail over my mistake even though I'm sure they would have something to. It's an unknown word. Brian wrote that he was ending my life not because of a fear of punishment, bullshit, but rather because I can't stand to live another day without her, Gabby. I'm sorry for everyone's loss. Please not make life harder for my family. They lost a son and a daughter. The wonderful girl in the world. Gabby, I'm sorry. I have killed myself by this creek in the hopes that animals may tear me apart. That it may make

some of her family happy. Please pick up all of my things. Gabby hated people who lit her." Holy shit, that's a weird suicide note. Why would you lie as he obviously did in a suicide letter to try and make yourself look better? You're gonna be fucking dead. When anyone reads it, wouldn't you want to get the truth off your chest? He's so full of shit. I thought it was merciful. Somebody falls down, you're like, I better fucking kill him so they're not in pain. That's fucking crazy talk. The autopsy report that said that she died from blunt force injuries to the head and neck with manual strangulation. It doesn't say anything about a fall and that she also had blunt force injuries, right? Says she was strangled. Let's say hypothetically

received she received those injuries in a fall. The brain had nothing to do with the fall. What kind of psychopath decides to then strangle the person instead of calling for help or running off to go get help driving to get help something Fuck out of here. He murdered her. They got into a fight. He snapped he killed her and then he couldn't live with himself And he couldn't even fucking bring himself to tell the truth in his own suicide note. So pathetic November 3rd 2022 Gabby's parents filed another lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department for failures and negligence that led to Gabby's death. The lawsuit alleges that negligent hiring and failure to properly train led to Gabby's death, and this is actually part of the same $50 million lawsuit.

It's just I don't know why it's like a refiling. Despite the witnesses report, the officers treated Brian as if he were the victim of domestic abuse rather than the perpetrator. The officers egregiously misinterpreted Gabby's extreme emotional distress, seen it as the cause of the domestic violence rather than its result. Officer Pratt, in particular, was fundamentally biased in his approach to the investigation, choosing to believe Gabby's abuser, ignoring evidence that Gabby was the victim and intentionally looking for loopholes to get around the requirements of Utah law and his duty to protect Gabby. Ah, okay. law and his duty to protect Gabby. Okay, November 17th, 2022, the Petito and Laundrie families reached a three million settlement

in the $50 million wrongful death suit. Why was the Laundrie family part of this? Why were they getting money from this? That is insane. Let's say the Moab police department was negligent and should have arrested Brian. Why would when Brian later kills Gabby, Brian's family get money? That's absurd. Hey, man, if you guys would have done your fucking jobs right, my sweet baby boy

wouldn't have had a chance to kill anybody. And then feeling bad about killing somebody because you didn't stop him earlier, he killed himself. And that's also on you. Now where's my money? I truly hate how litigious our society has become, how like people just don't want to assign proper responsibility. It's asinine. Gabby's family said any money they received would go to the Gabby Petito Foundation. Laundry family, nah they didn't say shit. Now check this out. A letter was shared in court May 24th, 2023, revealing what Roberta Laundrie offered, uh, revealing that

Roberta Laundrie offered Brian a shovel and garbage bags if he ever needed to dispose of a body. You heard that right. Gabby's family requested a copy of the letter months earlier. It was released to them after a judge determined it could be relevant to their lawsuit. Roberta wrote, burn after reading, on the outside of the letter. She wrote that nothing could make her stop loving Brian. One part of the letter she says,

I just want you to remember I will always love you and I know you will always love me. You are my boy. Nothing can make me stop loving you. Nothing will or ever could divide us no matter what we do or where we go or what we say. We will always love each other. If you're in jail, I will bake a cake with a file in it. If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags. If you fly to the moon, I will be watching the skies for your re-entry. If you say you hate my guts, I'll get new guts. Okay, the letter ends with, nothing can separate us. Not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not threats, not even sin, not to thinkable or unthinkable can get between us,

not time, not miles and miles and miles. Roberta's attorney filed for a protective order on the letter, March 2023, saying that, you know, she wrote it months before Gabby died. Bullshit. Roberta claimed in an affidavit that she wrote the letter to Brian when their relationship was strained. She didn't know the exact date, but she knew she gave it to him for sure. You know, before he left for the road trip, because if she, you know, doesn't say that she looks like a fucking monster.

She explained that Gabby had once given Brian a book titled Burn After Writing that they joked about and that's why she wrote Burn After Reading on the cover. Hmm? Roberta added, while I used words that seem to have a connection with Brian's actions and his taking of Gabby's life, I never would have fathomed the events that unfolded months later between Brian and Gabby. How they would reflect the words of my letter. Roberta noted that the letter was not found in Brian's backpack which was found near his remains. The FBI had the letter and questioned the family about it before Brian was found. The Petito family responded, the letter is undated

and while Roberta Laundrie has suggested it was written before Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito left on their trip, a reasonable inference or inference Oh man, sometimes his words escape me. Is that it was a reasonable inference? Is that it was written after Gabby Petito was murdered and is evidence that the laundries and attorney Bertolino were aware of Gabby Petito's demise when the statement at issue was released on September 14th, 2021. We look forward to having a jury determine when the letter was written at the time of the trial. In an amended complaint filed November 30th, 2023, Gabby's family alleged that Brian told his parents in a frantic phone call on August 29th that Gabby was gone and he needed a lawyer, but he didn't give any more details. This was first revealed during depositions in October.

The complaint also stated that on August 30th, Brian sent a text from Gabby's phone to her mom in an effort to trick Nicole into believing Gabby was still alive. The lawsuit was based on the Laundrie's September 14th statement, "...on behalf of the family, it is our hope that the search for Ms. Petito is successful and that Ms. Petito is reunited with her family." And the suit alleges that they knew she was dead, that Brian had killed her at that time. In his deposition, Christopher Laundrie described August 29th, 2021 as the day everything hit the fan. Laundrie said in his deposition he, Brian, was not calm and he got very excited and he told me

things had, you know, Gabby's gone and he got very frantic. Everything was frantic and quick. He was very panicked and he said he didn't know what to do. He said you know, can you help me, you know, and he said he might need a lawyer. Laundrie further testified and I would, I asked him why he wouldn't tell me. He was very frantic. Everything was frantic. He's like, he's getting extra points for saying frantic and I started to not really comprehend and then he said, you know, can you help me? And I said, okay, I'll help you. And I calmed down and I said, I don't know. It was all mumbled and I still don't remember everything that happened.

But you know, he said he needed help and to get an attorney. And I told him, yeah, I'll help you. I'll call Steve Bertolino and just stay put. And then I asked him again and he said, just help me. And I said, yeah, I'm going to. So stay calm, stay put. And he hung up. That's all he knows.

Christopher described his conversation as a five minute scattered phone call. When asked what he thought Brian meant by gone, Christopher said, yeah, he had no idea. Get the fuck out of here. Your son goes on a trip with a girl who lived with you for almost two years. She's like family to you.

And now he says she's gone. And in the same frantic call says he needs a lawyer. And you don't think to maybe ask hey There's something bad happened her is she okay? Also Christopher and Roberta they had to have had her cell phone number That would be so weird if they didn't have her number you can't text her you can't call her check on her You don't think that's maybe a good thing to do. You can't call her parents ask them if she's okay Christopher just like his son is full of shit and then he goes camping with Brian after this fungal

Hang out for a week get the fuck out of here. I'm with Gabby's family the laundries are dirtbags They 100% knew Gabby was dead and that Brian killed her long before the public and law enforcement did Chris explained he didn't call Gabby's parents because he had no reason to think anything was going on because Gabby took off and did things that I you know, she on her own free will so I had no idea what where she was. He's rambling, he's stammering, he's flustered. He's trying to remember what his lawyer coached him to say so he won't get in trouble. According to the depositions, Brian moved all of his belongings from the family home into a storage unit before he left with Gabby but never said why. When he came home on

August 17th, he moved his things out of the storage unit back into the house. Parents offered to do it for him but Brian wanted to come home do it himself. I guess he didn't question why. Chris claimed he didn't notice anything about Brian that caused concern other than his girlfriend's fucking missing and he won't say why. Brian didn't tell him about the August 12th police incident. Christopher said Brian told him that Gabby just wasn't with him because she wanted to work on her on her website. That doesn't make any sense. You can work on a website from any place that has wi-fi or a cell phone signal. Right? Guessing that laundry home had

better wi-fi than some random campground or some fucking pumpkin patch in Oregon. And it doesn't take that long to build a website anymore for as little as 10 bucks a month. I just looked this up. You can use a free wordpress template and have your website hosted for 10 bucks a month. I just looked this up. You can use a free WordPress template and have your website hosted for $10 a month. You can build out a travel website in less than a day even if you don't know shit about building websites, about coding. You just have to know how to type, I want to build a website, and then follow the instructions on the fucking website building website. In her deposition, Roberta spoke further about the letter she wrote to Brian. She testified that she wrote the letter before the trip. She said about the timing, yeah, like right before they left, like just a few days.

She continued, I thought he might be concerned since I was disappointed that he might think, yeah, I don't love him. But no, I mean, I really didn't think he, I just wanted to reassure him that I loved him no matter what. No matter if he moved away, if he decided to stay out west, if he decided to murder Gabby. I added that. If he, whatever he did, if he didn't buy a house and decided to do something else, I don't know. Whenever he did, I would always love him. She said about the letter, yeah, it was embarrassing and I didn't want, you know, yeah, it's a silly letter. I didn't want, he's a grown boy and it was a joke, really.

He didn't have to destroy it and now I think it's it's sweet that he saved it. It was just a little joke. This whole family's full of shit. You don't send that letter to your kid who tells you that Gabby's gone and needs a lawyer. That's still a little joke. I'm just joking around. You know because he's heading out on a road trip. Hey you're heading on a road trip I'm gonna miss you. Hey if you kill anybody I'll be there with the garbage bag in the shuttle or trip. I'm gonna miss you. Yeah, if you kill anybody, I'll be there with the garbage bag and a shovel. Yeah, Christopher, Roberta, Brian, they're all terrible liars. The two families reluctantly reached the settlement February 21st, 2024 to avoid a civil trial that was scheduled for May of 2024. The terms of how much the Landrys, Laundries,

change your fucking dumb name, Laundries, paid the Gabby's mom and stepped out her confidential. I bet they settled. They knew their bullshit ramblings weren't gonna hold up in court. Okay, and now that this story has been laid out here to circle back to the beginning of this episode, I asked some questions to start, right? Beginning with what falls inside the limits of responsibility regarding law enforcement officers when it comes to responding to a complaint of domestic violence. In a situation where both members of a couple have minor scratches on their faces, should

you automatically assume that the bigger, stronger looking person is the guilty party, even if the smaller person quickly tells them that they struck first? Excuse me, is that fair? You automatically assume in a male-female domestic violence situation that the male is the aggressor, right? Is that fair? And when someone is later murdered following a domestic violence report, if officers got it wrong, if they assume based on victim testimony that the person they thought was the abuser was the victim in the initial report, should they be blamed for somehow causing the

death, allowing the murder to happen? Or should only the actual murderer be held responsible? Well, I think that the answer to all of this, you know murderer be held responsible? I think that the answer to all of this you know it is tricky. I think that Brian likely was the abuser in this relationship before he killed Gabby probably was the whole time. I don't know that I wasn't there but I think that and I think that the officer sure could have done a better job asking Gabby more questions like do you feel safe? I also think we could likely you know all be a little better at our jobs damn near every

day and that Gabby would have likely said that she did feel safe had she been asked that question. From what I saw, officers did ask her repeatedly if Brian hit her and she didn't ever tell them that he did. She stated that she was the one who started things, that she was the one who got the most physical, she was the only one, you know, to hit the other person. She hit Brian in the face. You know, do victims often lie to protect their abusers? Yes, they do. Is that beyond tragic?

Yes, it is. But officers can only respond to evidence, to what people say, to what they see, to what gets reported. Melissa Holes, a park ranger who was at the scene at the time of the arrest, noted that it's easy to scrutinize the body camera footage versus being in the moment where we saw minor injuries and two people that were apologetic. Also easy to come up with a strong opinion of what the officers should have done now that we know that Brian killed Gabby. Hindsight 2020, easy to play armchair quarterback, but they didn't know that back then. I feel terrible for Gabby's family, but I don't agree with the lawsuit

or settlement. Officers like the rest of us, not mind readers. You know, they can't all be experts either in subtle domestic violence cues. They're not psychologists. They're not specialists. They're men and women writing traffic tickets one minute, looking for a missing person the next, trying to find out who's cooking up fucking meth in the neighborhood the next and on and on. They have to be versatile, especially in a rural area like Moab. I'm not trying to make excuses, just trying to be realistic and not hold people to, you know, inhuman standards. I think it's unfair to expect them to be perfect, but clearly people have disagreed and do disagree

because they did pay out a settlement and based on comments I see online. I'm sure a lot of you will disagree with me and that is fine. I just don't want to bullshit you regarding what I think. I also asked how far would I truly be willing to go to protect my child if they had done something horrible? Would I help them escape justice just because they're my kid? I do not think you can know the answer to that question until you are put in that exact situation. But if I knew my kid had killed her partner in cold blood, I would hope I would be brave and strong enough to do the right thing and turn them in. Be so fucking hard. Be hell on earth. But I don't think that long term I could live with myself if I didn't do that. I would think

about also like what's going to happen now to the next person. Are they going to kill again? Hope I never have to find out. I hope you never have to find out either. Another question up top, if my child was the victim of a tragedy, what would I do to honor their memory? Would I dedicate my life to run a charity that raises money to help other people from suffering the same fate? Right? Would I launch expensive lawsuits against anyone I thought might be partially responsible for my child dying like they did? Or would I want to just put the whole thing behind me? Again, I don't think you can ever know but until it happens but while

I'm not sure on the lawsuit part I sure hope I would be as strong as Gabby's stepdad and mom and do something to honor their memory like founding running a charity that helps others avoid that fate. Last thing I said that today's story made me think about how fake our online lives can truly be. I cannot tell you how many comics I've known over the years. Some of whom very very successful well-known comics and if you just look at their social media posts you would assume that their life is perfect. They are living the dream they couldn't be happier. But the truth is, they're fucking miserable.

They're exhausted. They're lonely. They're frustrated about something or the other. They're trying to fill a hole they can't fix through more shows. They're tired of the road, whatever. Not all of them. Some seem to truly be, you know, overjoyed. You know, they've found their calling. But a lot of them.

There's a huge disconnect oftentimes between someone's Instagram posts and their real life. That's very, very common. So if you find yourself doom scrolling and you're getting depressed, which studies have shown people do because you think that your life doesn't match up to the lives you're looking at, not as cool as the lives of the people you follow. If you think you're not as happy as they seem to be, remember that they also are probably not as happy as they seem to be. For damn near everyone, life is beautiful in moments and dog shit in others.

The grass is not always greener, often is not always greener, even if an Instagram filter makes it look that way. So try not to be jealous. Try to remember that few people post pics of their worst days. Almost everybody posts pics of their best days. And finally, rest in peace, Gabby Petito.

She truly seemed like a gentle, beautiful soul. And if you think someone you know is a victim of domestic violence or you are yourself, please say something. Make it clear to law enforcement officers to counsel so they can help you. In the US call 1-800-799-7233 or text START, S-T-A-R-T, to 88788, or go to thehotline.org, where you can chat with a specialist online anonymously 24-7, 365 days a year. In other countries, search domestic violence help. On the web, a variety of top results will point you to both nonprofit and governmental

organizations for assistance. Do not wait. In domestic violence situations, the abuse almost always escalates. And the escalation is not always gradual. It is sadly not that uncommon for it to jump from a light altercation to murder. And that is the story of Van Life Nightmare, the Gabby Petito story. Thanks for listening to this edition of Time Suck Short Sucks. Check out the rest of the Bad Magic catalog, bigger beefier episodes of Time Suck every

Monday at noon Pacific time. New episodes of the now long running paranormal podcast Scared to Death every Tuesday at midnight and on some Fridays, the new fiction horror series within the Scared to Death podcast feed called Nightmare Fuel. Thank you to Olivia Lee again for the initial research. Thanks to Logan Keith for recording recording uploading today's episode. Please go to BadMagicProductions.com for all your bad magic needs including merch. Stay safe and have a great weekend. Add Magic Productions