Following reports that authorities may have found the body of Gabby Petito, a newly released 911 call has revealed some very concerning details of an alleged domestic violence incident involving Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie. People reported on the call, which came in from a passerby who phoned for help, claiming they witnessed the roadside incident between Petito and Laundrie that took place on Aug. 12. “We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl,” the caller told the 911 dispatcher, to which the dispatcher replied, “He was slapping her?”
“Yes, and then we stopped,” the caller continued. “They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off.” Police officers in Moab, Utah responded to to the call, and reported that Petito and Laundrie were “engaged in some sort of altercation,” per CNN. One officer stated in his report that “both the male and female reported they are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn’t wish to see anyone charged with a crime,” even though they did appear to notice evidence of some kind of physical fight. “After evaluating the totality of the circumstances, I do not believe the situation escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much as that of a mental health crisis,” another officer added.
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The nation has been gripped by the story of Petito’s disappearance for the past two weeks. Her family reporting her missing on Sept. 11, after not hearing from her for nearly two weeks. According to reports, Petito and Laundrie had set off on a cross-country trip in June. Near the end of August, Petito reportedly began to be less communicative before sending one last text on Aug. 30, which her family questions the authenticity of, as they feel it may not have been sent by her. Laundrie returned home to North Port on Sept. 1, but reportedly was unwilling to cooperate with police the investigation of Petito’s disappearance. At this time, Laundrie’s whereabouts are unknown. His family reported him missing on Friday, telling police that he left home on Sept. 14.
Reuters reports that, per witness accounts, Petito was last seen alive on Aug 24 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her family believed that she was headed toward Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming at that time. On Sunday, authorities discovered a body near where Petito was believed to be, but they have not yet confirmed if it is the missing 22-year-old. Medical examiners are set to conduct an autopsy on Tuesday. There is no word on when the results may be made public.
