Utah police release body camera image of Gabby Petito after apparent fight with boyfriend
Police in Utah have released body camera images of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who went missing during a cross-country road trip, and her boyfriend during an incident Aug. 12.
The photos show Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, talking to an officer after her 2012 Ford Transit had been pulled over by Moab police.
Another image shows Petito, who appears to be crying, sitting in the back of a police vehicle.
On Aug. 12, police in Moab responded to an "incident" involving the couple, but "insufficient evidence existed to justify criminal charges," Moab Police Department Chief Bret Edge said in a statement Tuesday night.
Officers responded to a report of a domestic problem after a witness said the couple, involved in an altercation at the Arches National Park, drove off in a white van, according to a police report.
When officers located a van and pulled it over for a traffic stop, the couple admitted to arguing and that Petito had slapped Laundrie, according to the report. The couple also stated to police that Laundrie did not hit Petito.
Petito told police she suffers from severe anxiety and other medical conditions, which were redacted from the police report, and that the couple's argument had been building for days. Police labeled the incident as a "mental/emotional break" rather than a domestic assault, according to the report.
Police also are "actively looking" into a connection between Petito's disappearance and a double homicide of two women that occurred in Grand County, Utah, on Aug. 13, the Grand County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday.
Investigators searching for Petito have expressed frustration that Petito's boyfriend has not shed any light on her possible whereabouts.
In June, Petito and Laundrie left on a trip from the Florida home they shared with Laundrie's parents in Petito's van, North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison told reporters in a news conference Thursday afternoon. They intended to drive west, visiting state and national parks along the way, Garrison said.
"Two people went on a trip. One person returned," he said. "And that person that returned isn't providing us any information."
Petito's family said she maintained regular contact with them throughout the journey, and she and Laundrie documented their travels on Instagram and YouTube. Posts show them at the Mystic Hot Springs in Utah on July 26 and on a large rock structure at Arches National Park in Grand County, Utah, on Aug. 12, the same day police in Moab, Utah, responded to the incident involving an altercation between the couple.
Communication from Petito "abruptly stopped" toward the end of August, Garrison said, adding that investigators have not yet pieced together a complete timeline of Petito and Laundrie's travels.
Petito was last seen leaving a hotel in Utah with Laundrie on Aug. 24. The next day, she spoke to her mother, Nichole Schmidt, informing her that their next stops would be Grand Teton and Yellowstone, Schmidt told ABC News earlier this week.
"She sounded good and excited to continue her trip and excited to start her YouTube channel," Schmidt said in tears. "She seemed OK."
Schmidt received two text messages from Petito's phone since Aug. 25, but there were no photos or details from the trip, so it is unclear whether Petito actually sent those texts, Schmidt said.
Laundrie returned to Florida with Petito's van on Sept. 1, police said. Petito's family reported her missing on Saturday after they hadn't heard from her in more than two weeks.
Laundrie, named a person of interest in the case on Wednesday, has not made himself available to speak with investigators, despite numerous pleas from the police department and Petito's parents, authorities said.
The latest statement from the attorney representing the Laundrie family, Steven P. Bertolino, said he's advised Laundrie not to speak with authorities.
"Many people are wondering why Mr. Laundrie would not make a statement or speak with law enforcement in the face of Ms. Petito's absence," the statement read. "In my experience, intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focuses their attention on in cases like this, and the warning that 'any statement will be used against you' is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito's disappearance. As such, on the advice of counsel, Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on this matter."
The statement continued: "I have been informed that the North Port, Florida, police have named Brian Laundrie as a 'person of interest' in this matter. This formality has not really changed the circumstances of Mr. Laundrie being the focus and attention of law enforcement and Mr. Laundrie will continue to remain silent on the advice of counsel."
While police are still treating Petito's disappearance as a missing persons case, Garrison acknowledged that investigators have grown weary of Laundrie's refusal to speak to them, even if he is "exercising his constitutional rights" to remain silent.
"We share that frustration with the world," Garrison added.
During the press conference, Petito's father, Joseph Petito, made an emotional plea to Laundrie, his family and the public to help find his daughter.
"I'm asking for help from everyone here," he said. "I'm asking for help from everyone at home. I'm asking for help from the parents of Brian.
"There is nothing else that matters to me now. This girl right here. This is what matters."
Laundrie's sister, Cassie Laundrie, described Petito as "like a sister," calling any alleged involvement by her brother "just a big misunderstanding."
"Obviously me and my family want Gabby to be found safe," Cassie Laundrie told ABC News on Thursday. "She's like a sister and my children love her, and all I want is for her to come home safe and found, and this to be just a big misunderstanding."
ABC News' Will Gretsky and Bonnie Mclean contributed to this report.
