Gabby Petito's strangulation showed 'a lot of anger' towards victim, says anatomist
TETON, WYOMING: The exact cause of Gabby Petito's death was finally ascertained to be strangulation, as revealed by Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue on October 12, 2021. The autopsy results were revealed nearly a month after the remains of her body was discovered on September 19 at the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. "In the manner of death we find the cause and manner to be death by strangulation and manner is homicide," Dr Blue stated.
He added that Petito was manually strangulated or throttled, and no murder weapon was used. Dr Blue did not provide any specific date for her death, though he noted that the 22-year-old vlogger's body was left to decompose in the wilderness for at least three to four weeks. Noted forensic pathologist Priya Banerjee shared her insights regarding Gabby Petito's death, as she remarked that the murderer had "a lot of anger" towards the victim.
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Speaking on CNBC's 'The News with Shepard Smith', board-certified anatomist and forensic pathologist Banerjee shared, “I think it’s important to know that, first of all, they were able to tell that she still had significant internal injuries, despite having decomposed, the body is not in the normal state after three or four weeks, so that’s really critical."
Explaining the exact manner of her death, Banerjee described manual strangulation as a crime that is "up close and personal". "You know, manual strangulation is done with the hands, or body part, for that matter. You don’t need anything outside of that...It's a lot of anger and very targeted toward the victim," she noted.
Meanwhile, the main 'person of interest' in Gabby Petito's murder and the mass-speculated suspect Brian Laundrie still remains on the run. Petito's fiance, 23, has been missing since September 14, 2021, five days before her remains were discovered by the police. He had told his family that he was headed to Florida's Carlton Reserve for a hike. Presently, FBI agents and police have launched a nationwide manhunt to find him but so far, no verified trace has been found. TV personality Duane Chapman aka Dog The Bounty Hunter is also scouting the countrysides to locate Brian Laundrie, undoubtedly the nation's most-searched person at present.
Coroner Dr Brent Blue maintained caution while announcing the cause of Petito's death, as he refrained from commenting on murder suspects. "I cannot make any comment about any suspects as we are not involved in that part of the investigation. So who committed the homicide is really to be confirmed by law enforcement," he stated.