A witness has come forward with new details about Brian Laundrie's erratic behavior just before he murdered his fiancée, Gabby Petito, in 2021. According to newly released FBI documents, a man traveling with his family near Moab, Utah, on August 12, 2021, reported seeing Laundrie "acting like a lunatic" as he and Petito were involved in a heated altercation near their van. The witness said he observed Laundrie pacing, slamming doors, and appearing to plead with Petito before shoving her into the vehicle.
The man, who remained unidentified in the documents, said that both Laundrie and Petito were visibly distressed, with Laundrie at one point putting his head in his hands while both of them cried. He told authorities he considered intervening but ultimately decided against it after having already contacted 911 earlier that day regarding an unrelated incident. Shortly after the witness's account, police in Moab pulled the couple over following a separate report of domestic disturbance. Body camera footage from that stop later gained widespread attention, showing Petito in tears while officers ultimately labeled the incident as "disorderly conduct" and took no further action.
Petito's body was discovered weeks later in a remote Wyoming campsite on September 19, 2021. The 22-year-old vlogger had been strangled and suffered blunt-force trauma to the head and neck, according to the FBI's findings. Laundrie, who returned to Florida alone before disappearing, was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a nature preserve. In a notebook found near his remains, he admitted responsibility for Petito's death.
The new details about Laundrie's disturbing behavior emerged as public interest in the case resurged following the release of a three-part Netflix documentary, American Murder: Gabby Petito. The series, which premiered on February 17, delves into the timeline of Petito's disappearance and sheds new light on the abusive nature of her relationship with Laundrie. It features never-before-seen text messages, journal entries, and interviews with Petito's friends and family, many of whom participated in the documentary to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Laundrie's family, however, has criticized the series. Their attorney, Steven P. Bertolino, issued a statement saying that the documentary is filled with "many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact." He added, "We all know Brian took Gabby's life and Brian then took his own as well. Let the parents of both Gabby and Brian mourn and remember them in peace."
Petito's family members have taken a different approach, working closely with the filmmakers and providing access to personal materials such as her phone, diaries, and computer records. They say the goal of the documentary is to highlight warning signs in abusive relationships and help others recognize toxic dynamics before they escalate into violence. The documentary also includes interviews with a close friend of Petito who witnessed troubling behavior from Laundrie before the couple embarked on their road trip.
One of the most striking revelations from the documentary comes from Petito's ex-boyfriend, identified only as Jackson, who shared that she had reached out to him during the trip, suggesting she was considering leaving Laundrie. "She kind of hinted at the fact that they had gotten in an argument," Jackson recalled. "She was like, 'I have a plan. I think I want to leave him.'" The two continued exchanging messages until August 27, when Petito attempted to call Jackson one final time-a call he missed while at work. That was the last time he heard from her.
The series also makes use of artificial intelligence to recreate Petito's voice, allowing her own words from her journal entries to be narrated in a voice that closely resembles hers. The decision to use AI has sparked mixed reactions, with Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, describing it as "weird" but acknowledging its emotional impact. "We know her actual voice, [so] it's a little off. It's just hard to hear," she said.
