Did Brian Laundrie wrap Gabby Petito's body in black tarp? Internet sleuths claim so
GRAND TETON, WYOMING: The disappearance and subsequent death of Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito has attracted internet sleuths from across the board. True crime aficionados have pored over details of the case, looking for connections and speculating on how things may have gone down. A new such theory suggests that Petito’s finance Brian Laundrie, who is a person of interest in the case, may have wrapped Petito's body in a black tarp the duo carried with them on their cross-country trip, one that was seen in several photos posted by the couple, often on top of the white camper van they were traveling in.
According to a report on a website called YourTango.com, in images of Petito and Laundrie standing with their van, the tarp appears to be on top of the vehicle. But in more recent images, it is not there. The website cited drone footage after police arrived at the scene in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming where Petito’s body was found, in which there it appears (though it has not been confirmed) that authorities were carrying a body in a black tarp.
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The website speculated that while this might be crucial evidence if it is the same tarp from Petito and Laundrie’s van, it is also likely that investigators wrapped Petito’s body after discovering her in order to preserve evidence.
TikTok user Miranda Baker claimed that she and her boyfriend picked up Brian after she spotted him hitchhiking alone at Grand Teton National Park on August 29. Baker claimed Brian told her he had been sleeping on a tarp and wasn't carrying a full backpack. “He said all he had was a tarp to sleep on. You think if you’re going camping for days on end, you’d want food and a tent and he had none of that.”
These theories, the YourTango report said, were taken from multiple discussions groups on Facebook that focus on Petito’s death that has been ruled a homicide. And while internet sleuths try to solve the case, authorities are now in their second week of searching tens of thousands of acres of the Carlton Reserve swampland for Laundrie.
As per a CNN report, FBI agents returned to the Florida home Laundrie shared with his parents on September 26. At least two agents could be seen at the home and one had a bag in his hand. During the FBI's visit to the family home, "The FBI requested some personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie to assist them with DNA matching and Brian's parents provided the FBI with what they could," the Laundries' lawyer, Steven Bertolino said in a statement.
Laundrie faces a federal warrant for his arrest for the "use of unauthorized devices" stemming from his actions following Petito's death. Laundrie allegedly used a debit card and PIN number for accounts that did not belong to him for charges exceeding $1,000 between the dates of August 30 and September 1, according to a federal indictment. Two separate rewards totaling $30,000 have been offered to anyone who provides law enforcement officials with Laundrie's whereabouts.