Wyoming coroner says Gabby Petito was strangled

JACKSON, Wyo. – Cross-country traveler Gabby Petito was strangled to death, a Wyoming coroner announced Tuesday.

Petito, 22, died 3 to 4 weeks earlier her assemblage was recovered Sept. 19 adjacent an undeveloped camping country on the borderline of Grand Teton National Park successful distant bluish Wyoming, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said successful a quality conference.

It wasn't wide if the determination mightiness pb to further charges against Petito's fellow and traveling partner, Brian Laundrie, who is considered a idiosyncratic of involvement successful her disappearance and remains unaccounted for.

Blue declined to accidental much astir the autopsy oregon the lawsuit overall, saying helium was prevented by Wyoming instrumentality that limits what coroners tin release.

Petito had been connected a cross-country travel with her boyfriend. She was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents aft she did not respond to calls and texts for respective days portion the mates visited parks successful the West.

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Blue antecedently classified Petito's decease arsenic a homicide — meaning her decease was caused by different idiosyncratic — but had not disclosed however she was killed pending further autopsy results.

Petito’s lawsuit has led to renewed calls for radical to wage greater attraction to cases involving missing Indigenous women and different radical of color, with immoderate commentators describing the aggravated sum of her disappearance arsenic “missing achromatic pistillate syndrome.”

The hunt for Laundrie has generated a frenzy, with TV personalities similar Duane Chapman — known arsenic Dog the Bounty Hunter — and longtime “America’s Most Wanted” big John Walsh moving to way him down.

Petito and Laundrie posted online astir their travel successful a achromatic Ford Transit van converted into a camper. They got into a carnal altercation Aug. 12 successful Moab, Utah, that led to a constabulary stop, which ended with constabulary deciding to abstracted the quarreling mates for the night. No charges were filed, and nary superior injuries were reported.

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Investigators person searched for Laundrie successful Florida and besides searched his parents’ location successful North Port, astir 35 miles (56 kilometers) southbound of Sarasota.

Federal officials successful Wyoming past period charged Laundrie with unauthorized usage of a debit card, alleging helium utilized a Capital One Bank paper and someone’s idiosyncratic recognition fig to marque unauthorized withdrawals oregon charges worthy much than $1,000 during the play successful which Petito went missing. They did not accidental to whom the paper belonged.

In Florida, FBI-led hunt teams person been looking successful a immense quality sphere for immoderate motion of Laundrie. Weeks of searching successful the swampy Carlton Reserve southbound of Sarasota — wherever Laundrie’s parents accidental helium went aft returning location from the West — person turned up nothing.

Laundrie household lawyer Steve Bertolino said successful an email determination was “nothing new” successful the search.

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This communicative has been updated to close that Petito's archetypal sanction is Gabby, not Gaby.

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