Revealed
DAMNING FOOTAGE
Brian Laundrie cops tried to cover up damning bodycam footage that showed Gabby Petito’s injuries, leaked emails suggest
COPS have been accused of covering up bodycam footage which saw a sobbing Gabby Petito revealing her injuries to officers after a bust-up with fiance Brian Laundrie.
A leaked email suggested Moab police department were withholding damning footage, taken weeks before Gabby was found dead, as the police department came under fire for not doing more to protect the doomed hiker.
7
7
7
On September 16, officer Daniel Robbins' bodycam footage was released showing the moment Gabby and Brian were pulled over by cops after witnesses reported the couple fighting in the street.
But further bodycam footage from a second officer, Eric Pratt, wasn't released until two weeks later and shows details of how cops handled the incident before deciding not to charge the pair.
The footage, which cops failed to release despite media requests, reveals Gabby had injuries to her neck and face and later shows her acute anxiety at being separated from Brian.
Throughout the footage, the cops can be heard discussing how they can allow the pair to go on their way, despite claims that there were clear signs Gabby may have been in danger and being abused by her partner.
The two officers were also seen laughing and joking with Brian Laundrie before telling him 'we feel bad for you', despite Gabby sobbing in the back of a cop car.
Happy Morgan, a lawyer who served as Grand County attorney for eight years, criticized the police department's handling of the case in an email which read: "The sooner you come clean about Pratt's body camera for the August 12 Petito/Laundrie matter, the better.
Most read in The Sun
Read our for the very latest news and updates...
"If it was withheld, you need to provide it and apologize."
Speaking during a council meeting the lawyer Happy Morgan also said: "It became obvious to me watching the news that information had been withheld from the media."
Moab Police Acting Chief Braydon Palmer claimed that too many media requests had been submitted, causing the "delay" but admitted that the “process should’ve occurred more timely”.
RED FLAGS
In the haunting clip, Laundrie's fiancé Gabby Petito told officers that Laundrie had “grabbed her face” and left a “burning” gash on her cheek and red marks on her arm.
A cop asks the vlogger: “Did he hit you though? I mean, it's okay if you're saying you hit him. I understand if he hit you, but we want to know the truth if he actually hit you.”
Gabby replied: “I, I guess, yeah, but I hit him first. He like grabbed my face, like, like I guess. He didn’t like hit me in the face. He didn’t like punch me in the face.
"Well, he like grabbed me, like, with his nail, and I guess that's why it hurts. I definitely have a cut. Like, I can feel it.”
The footage also appeared to show Laundrie handing cops two cell phones – despite telling cops that has no phone.
Laundrie said that he was phoneless and feared he would be without the means to communicate as he and Petito were separated for the night.
The cops can then be heard discussing the incident and whether the roe should be classed as a domestic violence case despite saying that abuse victims 'end up getting killed'.
Cops, Robbins and Pratt go on to release Gabby and Laundrie separating for the night with 23-year-old Brian being told that he should check into a motel room, while Gabby should stay in their van.
GRIM FIND
Less than two weeks after the encounter at the Moab roadside, Gabby was seen alive for the last time in Wyoming, sometime around August 27 in Jackson Hole.
Brian then quietly returned home to Florida alone on September 1, failing to alert police or Gabby’s family that she was missing.
Gabby was eventually reported missing by her mother Nichole Schmidt on September 11.
Laundrie was reported missing on September 17 - days after allegedly telling his parents that he was going for a hike at the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota.
Gabby's remains were eventually recovered from a campsite near Grand Teton National Park on September 19, after an eight-day search.
An investigation has been launched into how officers Pratt and Robbins handled the August 12 incident.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Moab PD has since announced that Bret Edge had taken a leave of absence.
It's unclear how long he will be away from his post. It's also not known if Pratt or Robbins have been placed on leave or administrative duty while the probe is carried out.
7
7
7
7
Brian Laundrie appears to walk 'duck-footed' in police bodycam footage as sleuths think he is disguising walk to dodge cops
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
Topics