Gabby Petito’s Cause of Death, Autopsy Results Revealed

Gabby Petito’s cause of death has been ruled a homicide by strangulation by the Teton County Coroner’s Office, Dr. Brent Blue announced Tuesday at a press conference. The influencer and travel blogger’s body was discovered near Grand Teton National Park on Sept. 19 by search teams, and two days later, Blue’s office confirmed Petito’s identity and classified her death as a homicide. Tuesday’s press conference revealed her cause of death as strangulation.

Petito’s body was found after an eight-day search after her family reported her missing on Sept. 11. This was 10 days after her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, returned home from their months-long cross-country road trip without her. Blue shared during Tuesday’s press conference that Petito’s body was outside for three to four weeks before being discovered and that she was not pregnant at her time of death. 

Just days before Petito’s body was discovered, Florida police revealed they no longer knew where Laundrie was, and authorities have been searching for him ever since. Federal authorities issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie, accusing him of illegally using a bank card between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, but Laundrie has not been charged in connection with Petito’s death. He has been named a “person of interest” in the case. 

Blue answered questions about Laundrie’s involvement in Tuesday’s press conference by saying he was unable to comment on that part of the investigation: “Who committed the homicide is up to law enforcement.” The hunt for Laundrie has sparked interest internationally, with even reality TV personality Dog the Bounty Hunter taking on the case. 

On Aug. 12, just over a month before Petito’s body was found, the Moab Police Department said officers received reports of a physical altercation between Laundrie and Petito. The blogger told officers she had been “fighting all morning” with her fiancé, and Laundrie was seen with visibly scratches on his face. The two agreed to spend the night in different places, and the officers chose not to file charges at the time. Petito last spoke with her parents on Aug. 25, when she told them she was at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.