Four theories around Gabby Petito’s ‘Stan’ message probed & debunked from a cry for help to asking about grandpa
ONE of Gabby Petito's last texts to her mother raised concerns about her safety to family members shortly before she was found murdered - and internet sleuths believe the message may have had a hidden meaning.
Gabby's mother Nichole Schmidt received a text from her daughter's phone on August 27, the last time she's believed to have been seen alive, which read: "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls."
Nichole's suspicions have spurred legions of conspiracy theories among sleuths and armchair detectives online, who have been following the case intently since Gabby's disappearance started making headlines across the world in mid-September.
ACRONYMS AND CODED MESSAGES
One popular theory currently circulating on social media is that the Stan referenced in Gabby's text is actually an acronym that stands for "Send The Authorities Now."
In a Facebook dedicated to finding Petito, some have speculated that's indeed what STAN means, despite it not being a recognized acronym.
"What if she was scared by didn't want Brian to get angry so then she added 'I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls' just to show him she wasn't asking for help," one person theorized.
Others have sensationally insisted Stan may actually be a coded reference to the 2000 Eminem song of the same, which is about an obsessive fan who is desperate to meet his idol.
In the song, Stan grows increasingly more hostile and angry before tying up his pregnant girlfriend and driving her off a bridge in a murderous rage.
As the theory goes, the name Stan was used by Gabby as an attempt to warn her mother that she was in danger without alerting the attention of Laundrie.
Sleuths previously claimed that Gabby - much like the woman in the song - was pregnant at the time of her disappearance and subsequent death, pointing to a Pinterest board shared between her and Brian titled 'Oh baby'.
However, those assertions were who confirmed Gabby was not pregnant when she was murdered.
For the theory to ring true, Gabby's mother would also have to have a rather detailed knowledge of Eminem's back catalog if she were to understand the alleged hidden meaning of the text.
"I just got the shivers when I saw the name Anderson," a woman wrote on Twitter. "I think Brian is with Stan Anderson (Chris Laundrie business partner [sic] that lives in Mexico).
The manner of was ruled a homicide and coroner's revealed on Tuesday that she had been , which is otherwise referred to as throttling.
She had also been left out in the wilderness for between three to four weeks, coroners said.
A tireless four-week search for Brian has so far failed to yield any concrete leads.
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Law enforcement has been focusing their efforts on the Carlton Reserve, while TV star Dog the Bounty Hunter has been conducting his own search in Fort De Soto Park, where Brian had gone camping with his parents before disappearing.
An investigation into Gabby's murder continues.
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