Inside Gabby Petito’s final days on cross-country road trip from FaceTiming with family to visiting Arches National Park
GABBY Petito spent her final days FaceTiming with family and visiting national landmarks as she continued on her cross-country road trip with fiance Brian Laundrie.
The vlogger, 22, had documented their journey, using the hashtag VanLife, after the couple set off in June from Florida and headed West.
They had planned to end their trip in October in Oregon, documenting each stage of the adventure online with pictures and video blogs of their time together.
But after Laundrie returned his family home in North Port on September 1 and Gabby's Instagram posts came to an abrupt stop days earlier concerns were quickly raised for her safety.
WORST FEARS
Gabby's family's fears were confirmed on Sunday when a body was found at a national park in Wyoming.
Two days later a coroner confirmed it to be Gabby's, saying the initial manner of death is homicide.
Now Brian remains missing, after being named as a person of interest in the case.
Gabby had started her trip with her fiance in June, with Gabby posting photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
Most read in The Sun
She continued to share images of their journey through Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado and later Utah's Zion National Park and Arches National Park.
She shared insights into their time on the road, writing: "Turning this Ford transit essentially into a camper was such an adventure in itself, but I couldn't love the way it turned out more!"
Read our for the very latest news and updates...
She added: "All the places it's brought us so far have been amazing!"
In a separate post, Gabby said: "We hiked up here in about 100° and it was so nice coming back to our campsite, watching the sky fill with dark clouds, and view the lightning storm in the nice cool air of the light rain.
On July 22 she shared: "Rain sounds like a negative thing when camping, but after coming back from a strenuous long hike in the sun with no shade for miles, it's nice to lay listening to the cold rain hit your tent and fight (Laundrie) for the blanket."
YOUTUBE LAUNCHED
The couple launched their YouTube channel Nomadic Static on August 19, sharing highlights from their time together.
But that same month a police report details how the pair were pulled over with cops separating the two for the night.
Video released by the Moab police showed that an over on the same day after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near Arches National Park.
The body-camera footage showed an upset Gabby.
On August 19 the couple was back to posting more idyllic content, sharing a video to their YouTube page.
SPEAKS WITH MOM & DAD
Gabby's dad Joe said he last spoke with his daughter two days later, saying he helped her with her blog.
Joe told KSL: "There was a power outage. She said she didn't have WiFi, so I ordered her some food. I know it was in Salt Lake City. It was the last time I spoke to her."
Three days later, on August 24, Gabby was last seen leaving at a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Petito called her mom Nicole Schmidt on August 24 via FaceTime. It would be the last time they would speak. They had spoken three times a week during the trip.
Schmidt told : "At least three times a week we would FaceTime, call, text frequently. She kept me updated on this whole trip."
FINAL INSTA POST
A final post to Gabby's Instagram came on August 25, showing pictures of Gabby holding a knitted pumpkin.
A day later Jessica Schultz claims to have noticed white Ford Transit van several times while camping out at Spread Creek in between August 22 and 29.
It was at Spread Creek Gabby's body would later be found.
Then on August 27 came the message from Gabby's phone which read: "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls."
Gabby's family said that message strikes them as odd as she was referring to her own grandfather as Stan.
That same day, Nina Celie Angelo said at a Wyoming restaurant called Merry Piglets.
Speaking to Fox News, Angelo claims she watched on in shock as an agitated Laundrie began arguing with a waitress. Petito was with him at the time, she said.
COUPLE SPOTTED
Around four and a half hours after she claims to have seen the couple, bloggers Jenn and Kyle Bethune passed Petito and Laundrie's van at a campsite north of Grand Teton National Park.
They described the van as looking as if it had been "abandoned".
TikToker Miranda Baker then said she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride at 5.30pm on August 29.
Laundrie allegedly approached the couple while hiking alone at Grand Teton National Park in Colter Bay, Wyoming, and offered them $200 to give him a ride.
FINAL TEXT
Gabby's phone sent a on August 30, claiming: "No service in Yosemite." But her family has cast doubt on whether that message had actually been sent by Gabby.
The at Spread Creek - where her body was found - between the dates of August 27 and 30.
"The first couple of days when I wasn’t getting responses, I believed she was in a place with no service. It was like day eight and nine that I really became concerned." her mom Nicole said.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"As a mom, I had concerns for my daughter going on a road trip in general, but I felt safe.
"They were together, they had a plan, they had an itinerary, and we were excited for them."
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at [email protected] or call 212 416 4552.
Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at