Gabby Petito strangled 3-4 weeks before body found

Gulf Today Report

The autopsy results of the young American traveler, Gabby Petito, whose murder sparked an uproar in the United States last September, revealed that she was strangled to death, raising questions about the role of her fiancé, who is still unaccounted for.

"The cause of death was strangulation, which is a murder," said Dr. Brent Blue of Teton County, Wyoming, where the 22-year-old's body was found on September 19.

He added that she was killed three to four weeks before her body was found near Grand Teton National Park, without giving further details of the autopsy.

The authorities are actively searching for her fiancé, Brian Laundrie (23 years), but have not yet found him.

Laundrie has been described a few days ago as a person of "investigation importance" and has been charged with credit card fraud, in the absence of other compelling evidence.

In a statement to the American media, Laundrie’s lawyer described the young woman's death a "tragedy."

But he stressed that Brian Laundrie is only required to use his fiancée's bank card.

The two young people left New York last July in a truck specially prepared for this trip, which was supposed to last four months. During their trip, they continued to post photos and videos on Instagram and YouTube about the various stops of their trip showing the scenic views of the national parks in the American West.

But Laundrie returned alone by bus to his parents' home in Northport, Florida, where he was staying with his fiancée.

The family of Petito submitted a report of her missing on 11 September, indicating that they had not known anything about her since the end of last August.

Soon, Internet users became active through social networks to find the young woman, and the media picked up on the case.

A video posted by police in the small town of Moab, Utah, contributed to suspicions about Laundrie’s role.

In this clip, Petito appeared crying in a car after police intervened on August 12, following a quarrel between them.

Laundrie told the police, "She gets a little angry sometimes," explaining that they had an argument and that she hit him with her phone.”

The last direct contact between Petito and her family dates back to August 21, according to her father, Joseph.

Her mother said that she last received a text message from her on August 30, but she was not sure that it was her daughter who wrote it.

After Gaby was reported missing, Laundrie categorically refused to answer Northport Police's questions, and soon disappeared.

The police pursuit of Petito's fiancé in a swampy reserve in Florida, and then the intervention of a reality TV star bounty hunter, arouses great interest among Internet users in the United States and the world, as they follow and comment on all stages of the investigation.

Petito's funeral was held on September 26, near New York, although her body is still in Wyoming.

Extensive media coverage of the case sparked a debate about the imbalance between attention to the disappearances and murders of white women, and those affecting minority women.