Gabby Petito

[Faith-manor]

3 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

The FBI has hauled his parents in for questioning, and are searching the house.  

I'm skeptical the parents really thought he was "just" going off to his favorite camping spot.  (assuming that story was true- and not their contribution to a cover-up.) They *knew* his girlfriend had disappeared, and they had to have realized he would be the prime suspect.

I think my worst suspicions when I think about them is that they may have deliberately mislead police and he is in Mexico, or Brazil, or wherever there isn't an extradition treaty by now that he could get to given covid restrictions. I hope not. But this thing in my gut keeps niggling at me that his parents may be very bad people. Sigh.

[itsheresomewhere]

3 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I think my worst suspicions when I think about them is that they may have deliberately mislead police and he is in Mexico, or Brazil, or wherever there isn't an extradition treaty by now that he could get to given covid restrictions. I hope not. But this thing in my gut keeps niggling at me that his parents may be very bad people. Sigh.

I have been thinking this too.  If he is alive,  they helped him get away.  

[TravelingChris]

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

You lived near the abduction site then.....as did I.  I have friends who know the family personally.  But I am wondering if the board at large knows who she is without googling.  

No, and I don't remember this story.  I do remember the Renisha Rudd-- but she isn't missing as much as her body is missing just as Gabby wasn't missing, her body was missing.

[TravelingChris]

18 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I think my worst suspicions when I think about them is that they may have deliberately mislead police and he is in Mexico, or Brazil, or wherever there isn't an extradition treaty by now that he could get to given covid restrictions. I hope not. But this thing in my gut keeps niggling at me that his parents may be very bad people. Sigh.

Kind of like the Murtaugh family in the Carolina's.  I think there was a thread on that one too.  Some of the family was murdered a few months ago.  Then it turned out that there were two suspicious deaths possibly linked to this family that happened within the last five or ten years.  Then Dad, who wasn't killed, was shot but survived.  Then the gunman was caught who shot the Dad and Dad has now confessed to arranging his own shooting so that his surviving son could get a 5 million dollar life insurance policy--so Dad is now under arrest and probably covered up his sons' or his own running down of a pedestrian and the boating accident death too.  

[pinball]

26 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I think my worst suspicions when I think about them is that they may have deliberately mislead police and he is in Mexico, or Brazil, or wherever there isn't an extradition treaty by now that he could get to given covid restrictions. I hope not. But this thing in my gut keeps niggling at me that his parents may be very bad people. Sigh.

You think the US lacks extradition treaties with Mexico and Brazil?

 

[gardenmom5]

9 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I think my worst suspicions when I think about them is that they may have deliberately mislead police and he is in Mexico, or Brazil, or wherever there isn't an extradition treaty by now that he could get to given covid restrictions. I hope not. But this thing in my gut keeps niggling at me that his parents may be very bad people. Sigh.

They will still extradite if the death penalty isn't sought.  (and possibly life in prison.) 

years ago - the son of a local company owner burned down the warehouse to collect the insurance money.  (his elderly parents didn't know).  Four firefighters were killed when the floor collapsed under them.   He fled to Brazil.  It took a few years - but he was eventually extradited back to our state after felony murder charges were dropped (he pled guilty to manslaughter and served 23 years of a 35 year sentence.).   Now he wants to change his name.  He still owes $3M to the court. (which he's trying to get out of paying.)

 I'm sure his parents were lying for him - they came out and claimed he was missing mere hours AFTER it was announced a body had been found.  (hopefully her body isn't so badly decomposed - due to the heat - that they can't determine a cause of death.)  I think the FBI doesn't believe the parent's story either.  They stopped searching the preserve they claimed he went to.

[Katy]

This is not confirmed through anything official at all, but there’s someone on Twitter in Alabama who said the cops came in and took the video from his store.  Apparently someone that used to work at Walmart with Brian admitted giving Brian a ride to a small town near Mobile and cops were grabbing all security footage they could.  My guess is they saw evidence to that effect and that’s why local searches stopped. But this was linked through Reddit and not confirmed so idk if it’s true or not. 

[Katy]

And since GP’s body was only found yesterday BL’s parents obviously DID NOT report him missing after the fact. That’s incorrect. And I seriously doubt the death penalty will apply since it is a federal case.  

[Janeway]

2 hours ago, Katy said:

It’s been a long time since I read her story but I think she was kidnapped shortly after everyone went to bed and not found missing until morning. She’d been hiking for hours at that point and was kept in a tent in the mountains outside time for a long time.  So it likely wouldn’t have mattered. 

Her sister woke her parents to tell them in the middle of the night.

[Katy]

And there’s another rumor that he accidentally went live on Instagram for 2 seconds this morning from a boat. Which may or may not be in Puerto Rico.

[gardenmom5]

20 minutes ago, Katy said:

And since GP’s body was only found yesterday BL’s parents obviously DID NOT report him missing after the fact. That’s incorrect. And I seriously doubt the death penalty will apply since it is a federal case.  

"A" body was found last week in the Spreadcreek campground area of WY.  There is a picture of the van taken by another couple in that location at the time she stopped communicating with her mom.  His parents announced him missing (since tuesday) after it was announced "A" body had been found on Friday.

Yesterday the body was confirmed to be hers.

Edited September 20, 2021 by gardenmom5

[pinball]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

I think my worst suspicions when I think about them is that they may have deliberately mislead police and he is in Mexico, or Brazil, or wherever there isn't an extradition treaty by now that he could get to given covid restrictions. I hope not. But this thing in my gut keeps niggling at me that his parents may be very bad people. Sigh.

 

1 hour ago, pinball said:

You think the US lacks extradition treaties with Mexico and Brazil?

 

 

5 minutes ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

I've asked you five or six times why you are so rude to people on this forum. 

Here's how you could phrased this in a much less rude and threatening manner. 

"Are you sure the US does not have extradition treaties with Mexico and Brazil?"

See how much nicer that is? 

First, I’ll let you review what the post I quoted said. 
Now, with that in mind…it is not clear based on the phrasing if the post is saying that the US does not have extradition treaties with those countries so that is why is I asked: 

“you think the US lacks extradition treaties with Mexico and Brazil?”

which is a completely different question than:

”"Are you sure the US does not have extradition treaties with Mexico and Brazil?"” which assumes things not clear in the post.

As for my question being rude and threatening….that is ridiculous . That is YOU projecting.

[Carrie12345]

4 hours ago, Janeway said:

Remember when Elizabeth Smart went missing and instead of looking for her they spent ours an hours just questioning the dad and her older brothers? I wonder if they would’ve found her if they would’ve gone looking for her right away.

The fact that a police department can’t multitask is the most concerning part of that to me.

Hold me for days! I don’t really care, so long as you’re also looking for my kid!

[Katy]

50 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

"A" body was found last week in the Spreadcreek campground area of WY.  There is a picture of the van taken by another couple in that location at the time she stopped communicating with her mom.  His parents announced him missing (since tuesday) after it was announced "A" body had been found on Friday.

Yesterday the body was confirmed to be hers.

Do you have any proof of this because its directly the opposite of what every single verified piece of news I have seen from the FBI or any other reputable news source.  And you've repeatedly posted false information in this thread, so I suspect you did not hear this from a credible source. Please link your sources.

[lauraw4321]

2 hours ago, TravelingChris said:

No, and I don't remember this story.  I do remember the Renisha Rudd-- but she isn't missing as much as her body is missing just as Gabby wasn't missing, her body was missing.

I disagree. There was always a possibility, however small, that she was trafficked by her abductor. 

[Katy]

Multiple people on Twitter claim Brian was in Mobile yesterday.

 

[Sneezyone]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-mom-destini-smothers-crusade-for-justice-20210705-w65l657cqfcmzbn3qzlhhvgtn4-story.html%3foutputType=amp
 

Female victim…check.

Intimate partner last seen with victim…check.

Suspicious partner behavior…check.

Reported missing by parents…check.

Suspect not talking to police…check.

Suspect gone missing…check.

If sleuthing is your calling, there are lots of families that need answers.

Edited September 20, 2021 by Sneezyone

[katilac]

16 hours ago, lauraw4321 said:

Relisha Rudd. Her story haunts me. What if there had been this attention? This outpouring of attention, sleuthing, focus. What if it had been put toward her case?  So sad. 

The Relisha Rudd case actually had quite a lot of national attention and quite a lot of sleuthing in the true crime communities, and a decent amount of that continues to this day, seven years later. It was not a case that flew under the radar by any means. It may not have been quite as hyped as the Petito case, but there are key differences between them. 

Relisha was not reported missing for 18 days and the main suspect (almost certain perp) committed suicide as soon as she was. There was a minute or two of haunting video footage that showed Relisha in a hotel hallway with the suspect, and that was certainly viewed by many, but everyone already knew she was with him. There was no wondering how he got the little girl; he knew her and her mom let her go with him. Nobody needed to look for the suspect; he was dead. Nobody needed to figure out the most likely place to look for a possible body; the police knew exactly where he was after spending the night with her and then buying trash bags and such, they just didn't find anything. And there just wasn't much 'evidence' or information beyond that to focus on. 

Contrast that to the Petito case, which had an overabundance of information, and which was happening almost in real time. Lengthy body cam footage that showed both of them and had clear audio of them talking and explaining the big fight. Text messages. Social media posts. Photographs. Sightings. The proximity of time and place to the lesbian newlywed murders. Police did need to figure out the most likely places to look for a body, and they did need to figure out where the suspect might be. And while there were true crime online communities in 2014, the podcasts, YouTube vids, and TiKToks that reach larger numbers of people have exploded since then (Making a Murderer came out in 2015). 

I'm not saying that who the victim is never plays a role in coverage, I just don't think these two cases are a valid comparison or a good example of that. 

Edited September 20, 2021 by katilac

[Faith-manor]

8 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-mom-destini-smothers-crusade-for-justice-20210705-w65l657cqfcmzbn3qzlhhvgtn4-story.html%3foutputType=amp
 

Female victim…check.

Intimate partner last seen with victim…check.

Suspicious partner behavior…check.

Reported missing by parents…check.

Suspect not talking to police…check.

Suspect gone missing…check.

If sleuthing is your calling, there are lots of families that need answers.

 This is horrific. It hurts so much that our system is just epically failing on so many levels for so many people.

[Sneezyone]

14 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

 This is horrific. It hurts so much that our system is just epically failing on so many levels for so many people.

Intimate partner/domestic violence and child abuse is a scourge. Period. It doesn’t seem to get the same attention with all victims tho and, IMHO, that’s absolutely worth considering. I’m not suggesting that this woman’s killer shouldn’t be found or investigated. Every family deserves justice. We need to take all victims and forms of abuse more seriously and support all families like this. We don’t. I don’t think that’s a personal flaw but a systemic one in terms of which lives are publicized or not (valued/discounted) for reasons of relative wealth/poverty, race, social status, etc. It’s both sad and entirely predictable. This case just isn’t that special.

[Katy]

6 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

Intimate partner/domestic violence and child abuse is a scourge. Period. It doesn’t seem to get the same attention with all victims tho and, IMHO, that’s absolutely worth considering. I’m not suggesting that this woman’s killer shouldn’t be found or investigated. Every family deserves justice. We need to take all victims and forms of abuse more seriously and support all families like this. We don’t. I don’t think that’s a personal flaw but a systemic one in terms of which lives are publicized or not (valued/discounted) for reasons of relative wealth/poverty, race, social status, etc. It’s both sad and entirely predictable. This case just isn’t that special.

We need to teach kids about abusive relationships and what the red flags are, and what a healthy relationship looks like, and how to listen to your intuition.  And how to recognize different forms of personality disorders.

[Sneezyone]

3 minutes ago, Katy said:

We need to teach kids about abusive relationships and what the red flags are, and what a healthy relationship looks like, and how to listen to your intuition.  And how to recognize different forms of personality disorders.

Couldn’t agree more.

[Scarlett]

3 hours ago, Katy said:

Do you have any proof of this because its directly the opposite of what every single verified piece of news I have seen from the FBI or any other reputable news source.  And you've repeatedly posted false information in this thread, so I suspect you did not hear this from a credible source. Please link your sources.

Yeah I think the body was found yesterday.

[Katy]

Just now, Scarlett said:

Yeah I think the body was found yesterday.

Yeah, reporters at the scene tweeted that the coroner arrived on scene and the dogs left.  A local news helicopter flew above and got shots of them putting up a canopy over the body. 20 minutes later the FBI confirmed it had found a body and there would be a press conference in 45 minutes.  They announced they found her.   All after 2pm mountain time yesterday.  I just re-watched a clip of the FBI press conference.  He said they had just found her that day.

Temps have been ranging from the low 20's to the low 70's over the last three weeks and she was a tiny woman with distinctive tattoos and long blonde hair.  It was probably relatively easy to confirm it's likely her.

[KSera]

2 hours ago, Katy said:

Multiple people on Twitter claim Brian was in Mobile yesterday.

 

It concerns me that all of this being reported real time on social media is going to make it easier for him to evade police. If this was being reported only to police and not shared, he would likely be a lot more careless because he wouldn’t know that anybody knew he was there. Without all the social media sharing of this stuff, all he would know was that the police had called off their search for him in the Everglades or wherever it was (I haven’t been following this closely). Seems this just will send him on the run more. 

[Katy]

1 minute ago, KSera said:

It concerns me that all of this being reported real time on social media is going to make it easier for him to evade police. If this was being reported only to police and not shared, he would likely be a lot more careless because he wouldn’t know that anybody knew he was there. Without all the social media sharing of this stuff, all he would know was that the police had called off their search for him in the Everglades or wherever it was (I haven’t been following this closely). Seems this just will send him on the run more. 

Probably a mixed bag.  They may not have ever found her without social media. And criminals have long used police scanners, which are now a simple and free phone app.

[Katy]

 

[TravelingChris]

5 hours ago, lauraw4321 said:

I disagree. There was always a possibility, however small, that she was trafficked by her abductor. 

Super, super, super unlikely. The father abducted the mother and killed her and then went to Rock Creek Park and killed himself.  First of all, that is typical behavior of males killing entire family and then themselves.  Those perps don't sell as anyone into child trafficking.  Those murder-suicides have nothing to do w trafficking.  

Kids sold into trafficking are sold by addicts and/or child abusers who want other children.  Not by men murdering their families and then themselves.

 

Also,child trafficking, especially of very young children, is quite rare.  Most trafficking is teens when get themselves into the problem and can't get out.

[Idalou]

7 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

"A" body was found last week in the Spreadcreek campground area of WY.  There is a picture of the van taken by another couple in that location at the time she stopped communicating with her mom.  His parents announced him missing (since tuesday) after it was announced "A" body had been found on Friday.

Yesterday the body was confirmed to be hers.

No. The body was found yestsrday. And it wasn't just a pic of the van, but rather a long video taken it 6pm on the 27th. His parents announced him missing prior to yesterday's discovery of a body 900 feet or so from where the van was parked on the 27th

[Idalou]

6 hours ago, Katy said:

Do you have any proof of this because its directly the opposite of what every single verified piece of news I have seen from the FBI or any other reputable news source.  And you've repeatedly posted false information in this thread, so I suspect you did not hear this from a credible source. Please link your sources.

 No, your timeline is correct

[Idalou]

8 hours ago, Katy said:

And there’s another rumor that he accidentally went live on Instagram for 2 seconds this morning from a boat. Which may or may not be in Puerto Rico.

Well, I know Reddit is just a 100,000 opinions, but I read several times that that didn't happen. I think the mods there have been amazing at keeping the kooks at bay, and even the posters are clamping down on the fringe weirdos. It's actually a fairly empathetic , extremely  large group of decent people in the one I have been following.

[Scarlett]

40 minutes ago, Idalou said:

Well, I know Reddit is just a 100,000 opinions, but I read several times that that didn't happen. I think the mods there have been amazing at keeping the kooks at bay, and even the posters are clamping down on the fringe weirdos. It's actually a fairly empathetic , extremely  large group of decent people in the one I have been following.

I don’t really understand Reddit.     How do you find a decent thread full of not kooks?

[katilac]

30 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

I don’t really understand Reddit.     How do you find a decent thread full of not kooks?

Subreddits are like the different boards here on the forums, but members can add subreddits on their own, and each one has its own moderation rules and vibe. There are general true crime subreddits, but widely discussed cases like this one will have a subreddit of their own. Then each subreddit will have multiple threads. 

You just look up a topic to find a subreddit, and read a bit to see if you think it's a good one. 

 

[Katy]

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

I don’t really understand Reddit.     How do you find a decent thread full of not kooks?

You accept the kooks.  Some subreddits are good, others are not.

[Pawz4me]

I don't understand Reddit at all. I've tried many times. It seems like a jumbled, chaotic, nonsensical mess.

But probably I'm just old. 

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

I don't understand Reddit at all. I've tried many times. It seems like a jumbled, chaotic, nonsensical mess.

But probably I'm just old. 

I am right there with you.

[OH_Homeschooler]

12 hours ago, katilac said:

Subreddits are like the different boards here on the forums, but members can add subreddits on their own, and each one has its own moderation rules and vibe. There are general true crime subreddits, but widely discussed cases like this one will have a subreddit of their own. Then each subreddit will have multiple threads. 

You just look up a topic to find a subreddit, and read a bit to see if you think it's a good one. 

 

These are good tips. It really can be intimidating!

If you do a keyword search you will probably see several subreddits related to that. You will also see the number of members, join the ones with the most followers and you'll probably be able to avoid the crazy people as those have more rules and are well-moderated generally.

Also, once you join some subreddits, you'll get suggestions for similar subs to join. 

[Janeway]

On 9/19/2021 at 6:55 PM, regentrude said:

None of these explain why her case gets this much national attention when hundreds of missing girls and women barely make their local paper.

You forgot the most important reason: she is white and attractive.

Just for clarity: Of course I want her killer be found and brought to justice. But don't kid yourself for a moment that a poor black woman vanishing from a problematic neigborhood would get a even fraction of the public attention and armchair sleuthing.
 

It’s not her race. It’s the circumstances surrounding her disappearance as well as a likelihood that her parents contacted the media. Remember when the MPLS cop shot and killed the white and blond Australian woman, who had no criminal history or otherwise? Probably not. Remember when a MPLS cop held his knee to a black man with a long and violent criminal history? The world knows about him and there is even a statue up for him. 

[Corraleno]

9 minutes ago, Janeway said:

It’s not her race. It’s the circumstances surrounding her disappearance as well as a likelihood that her parents contacted the media. Remember when the MPLS cop shot and killed the white and blond Australian woman, who had no criminal history or otherwise? Probably not. Remember when a MPLS cop held his knee to a black man with a long and violent criminal history? The world knows about him and there is even a statue up for him. 

Um, that case had a HUGE amount of publicity and not only do I remember it well, it was back in the news recently because the murder part of the conviction was just thrown out, although the manslaughter charge still stands and Mohamed Noor will still serve time for that.

[Pawz4me]

26 minutes ago, Janeway said:

It’s not her race. It’s the circumstances surrounding her disappearance as well as a likelihood that her parents contacted the media. Remember when the MPLS cop shot and killed the white and blond Australian woman, who had no criminal history or otherwise? Probably not. Remember when a MPLS cop held his knee to a black man with a long and violent criminal history? The world knows about him and there is even a statue up for him. 

I absolutely remember that. It was huge news and got tons of coverage.

[Katy]

It was Gabby.  It was murder.  FBI will release no further details at this time but did tweet a warning about those complicit in the crime will be charged too. 

[Jenny in Florida]

On 9/20/2021 at 3:31 PM, Faith-manor said:

 This is horrific. It hurts so much that our system is just epically failing on so many levels for so many people.

"Horrific" and "appalling" were the words that leapt to mind for me, too. 

[Jenny in Florida]

On 9/20/2021 at 3:47 PM, Sneezyone said:

 This case just isn’t that special.

I agree with everything you said, including that this case isn't "special" in any meaningful way. I think -- aside from the obvious pretty young blonde thing, which I am not in any way denying or defending -- people may have jumped on this one in part because there is just so much information floating around online. The victim already had an online presence, and because she was actively documenting and sharing her journey, there is lots of "evidence" readily available for amateur sleuths to dissect. 

It's not fair. Gabby was in no way more "special" as a person or more precious to her family than was Destini. And much/most of the reasons that Gabby's case has gotten the attention is has betray things that are very wrong with our country. However, I also think there are reasons people can plug into and feel involved in this case that are not entirely attributable to those failures. 

[Scarlett]

 I saw on the news this morning that BL and Gabby were in a restaurant in Jackson on August 27th.  He was causing a big scene with the employees I think, and Gabby was crying.  August 27th was the day the van was spotted by the YouTube couple sitting on an isolated road between Jackson and Colter Bay. 2 days later (29th) in Colter Bay he gets a ride from TikTok lady and her boyfriend but they let him out in a parking lot at Jackson Lake Dam.  2 days after that (1st) he is back at his parents house in FL in Gabby's van.  

[Faith-manor]

On 9/21/2021 at 6:39 PM, Jenny in Florida said:

I agree with everything you said, including that this case isn't "special" in any meaningful way. I think -- aside from the obvious pretty young blonde thing, which I am not in any way denying or defending -- people may have jumped on this one in part because there is just so much information floating around online. The victim already had an online presence, and because she was actively documenting and sharing her journey, there is lots of "evidence" readily available for amateur sleuths to dissect. 

It's not fair. Gabby was in no way more "special" as a person or more precious to her family than was Destini. And much/most of the reasons that Gabby's case has gotten the attention is has betray things that are very wrong with our country. However, I also think there are reasons people can plug into and feel involved in this case that are not entirely attributable to those failures. 

I too think this. I will say that Vanlife is very trendy right now, lots of vloggers, lots of GenX'ers, like us planning on doing it for a year, many corporate advertisers. So there is just a ton of social media following occurring that probably doesn't occur with other missing persons. I am not saying it is right, just saying there is a subset of people involved in a specific lifestyle that became even more prominent during covid because it was a fairly safe thing to do for those with work remote jobs, and young folks fresh out of college who managed to land work remote are adopting this lifestyle in large numbers while they pay off their student loans. All of my twenty-something kids know people doing it. This creates a big crowd of folks interested in the case. It does highlight some of the dangers of a transient lifestyle. 

Sigh, and then ratings. The stupid reality of the news. Higher ratings, more advertising buy. So reporting heavily on a case with a large, built in following is financially lucrative. Ugh.

[annandatje]

I think I have probably said this here before.  Not long after moving to this city, our local newspaper had a large feature story that was a almost a full page about a pretty affluent young blonde coed who was shot in arm while driving through upscale neighborhood.  Meanwhile, the MURDER of a minority child during a drive by shooting got about two paragraphs.  

[Scarlett]

I just saw in an article on CNN that BL left his parents home without his phone or wallet.   That could mean he went off to kill himself or that he wanted to not be ID'd if stopped by police or tracked by his phone.

 

 

[Katy]

5 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

I just saw in an article on CNN that BL left his parents home without his phone or wallet.   That could mean he went off to kill himself or that he wanted to not be ID'd if stopped by police or tracked by his phone.

 

 

His arrest warrant is for taking in excess of $1000 out of Gabby’s account over 2 days. He could have the cash to last off grid for a long time. 

[Faith-manor]

7 minutes ago, Katy said:

His arrest warrant is for taking in excess of $1000 out of Gabby’s account over 2 days. He could have the cash to last off grid for a long time. 

And if his parents gave him cash.....

I suspect that they have helped him. I am not convinced he is hiding out in Florida. It would be easy enough to change his appearance, pay cash for everything, and hit the road. 

[Scarlett]

12 minutes ago, Katy said:

His arrest warrant is for taking in excess of $1000 out of Gabby’s account over 2 days. He could have the cash to last off grid for a long time. 

Yes, it makes more sense that leaving his phone and wallet home was to avoid being tracked and caught.  If he wanted to kill himself surely he would want his parents to know he was dead.  I think he is probably on the run and he is NOT in that nature reserve....but who knows.  FBI probably knows more than we do and they have 75 people out there searching, including divers.  

I really would not have thought BL smart enough and experienced enough to go off grid on the run though.