Gabby Petito's The Dyrt camping app 'lists' could help find missing vlogger
A camping app used by vlogger Gabby Petito, before she mysteriously went missing halfway into her cross-country trip with boyfriend Brian Laundrie, is providing new clues about the places she traveled to before her disappearance.
According to KSL's COLD podcast, Petitio used popular campsite planning app The Dyrt to map out her cross-country road trip with her boyfriend. The 22-year-old's public account on the app provides an insight into the possible route taken by the couple during their trip. Petito and Laundrie had set out for a 'van life' adventure earlier in the summer documenting their national parks tour on Petito's new YouTube channel and Instagram.
Laundrie, 23, returned to his parent's home in North Port, Florida on September 1 with the van but without Petito. Petito’s family reported her missing on September 11 after losing contact with her for several days. Laundrie has since lawyered up, refused to cooperate with investigators and has been branded "person of interest" in Petito's disappearance.
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Why Moab is significant in Gabby's The Dyrt account
Gabby used The Dyrt app to research, pick and review campsites where the couple could park their Ford Transit van during the cross-country adventure. The COLD podcast team has revealed several “lists” where she saved references to camping areas across Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. In one of the reviews she writes about Bryce Canyon National Park: “Stopped here to enjoy some more of the storm out in a more private and secluded spot, but not too secluded, there are plenty of spots but there’s also lots of trees. Bumpy gravel road to get in but it’s not bad if you make it in the daylight. Also good service so I was able to work from my computer.”
The lists on Petito’s account bear labels including “Colorado,” “Utah,” “craters to Teton,” “near Yellowstone,” “from Yellowstone to Glacier” and “to Washington.” The maximum number of locations added were under a list termed “Utah," which had includes 32 locations. According to Petito's social media, she visited many of the Utah locations marked in The Dyrt app. Among the areas marked, the Moab area is significant in Petito and Laundrie’s travels, as they had an encounter with police on August 12 in that location.
Laundrie and Petito were pulled over by the Moab police near the entrance to Arches National Park after a witness reported seeing a potential domestic violence situation outside the Moonflower Community Co-op, even though at the time, Moab police believed Petito had been the aggressor in a personal situation involving her boyfriend, no charges were filed.
Gabby Petito's last known location
While Laundrie left to check into a hotel, Petito stayed back with their van. Although one cannot be sure if Petito set up camp nearby, The Dyrt account provides some potential clues through some of the campsites flagged by her along the Colorado River, as well as in the Porcupine Rim area of the Manti-La Sal National Forest as to where she might have spent the night.
Incidentally, on August 18, deputies from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office located the bodies of newlyweds Crystal Turner and Kylen Schulte near the Porcupine Rim. They had both been shot to death. The police are trying to determine whether their murders were in any way connected to Petitio's disappearance.
In late August, Petito and Laundrie made their way to the national parks of Wyoming. Petito’s list in the app titled 'Craters to Teton' suggests she and Laundrie might have visited or planned to visit Craters of the Moon National Monument in southeastern Idaho next. En route to Grand Teton National Park, Petito and Laundrie might also have driven to Palisades Reservoir along the Snake River, the app suggests. Petito had marked potential camping spots east of the park, from where the couple could enjoy scenic views of the park’s iconic peaks. Petito’s last communications with the family reportedly happened near this area. She said that she was headed from Teton area to Yellowstone National Park shortly before she disappeared.