A family believes they captured footage of missing YouTuber Gabby Petito's van on the day she is believed to have disappeared, offering a potential breakthrough in the case. The FBI confirmed on Sunday that search teams discovered a woman's remains in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, ending the search for the 22-year-old influencer. Investigators are working to forensically identify the remains, as Petito's family expressed heartbreak at the discovery.
The footage, shared by Petito's family, was recorded by a couple who realised they had filmed what they believe to be the missing YouTuber's van parked on a roadside near where the remains were found. The couple also claims to have spotted a dark shape digging in a field beyond the trees behind the van, speculating it could be a person. The video was taken on August 27, around the time Petito is believed to have vanished.
Petito disappeared while on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, 23. Concerns arose when Laundrie returned to his family home in North Port, Florida, in Petito's van without her and declined to speak to police. He has since vanished himself, just days before the body was discovered. The FBI's attention now turns to finding Laundrie.
The case has drawn widespread attention, with a timeline emerging that includes a police stop in Utah on August 12 after a report of a domestic problem. Bodycam footage showed a distressed Petito, with the couple telling officers that tension had been building. They were separated for the night, with Petito sleeping in the van and Laundrie in a hotel. The couple continued to post on social media until late August, when Petito's last known communication occurred.
