Gabrielle Petito Died From Strangulation, Coroner Says

U.S.|Gabrielle Petito Died From Strangulation, Coroner Says

Gabrielle Petito, the Florida pistillate whose disappearance led to a wide-ranging probe into her fiancé, who returned location without her from a cross-country travel earlier disappearing himself, died of strangulation, the authorities said connected Tuesday.

Dr. Brent Blue, the Teton County, Wyo., coroner, did not disclose astatine a quality briefing however Ms. Petito was strangled. He said her assemblage had been extracurricular for 3 to 4 weeks before it was recovered connected Sept. 19 successful the Bridger-Teton National Forest, successful Wyoming.

The Teton County Coroner’s Office had determined connected Sept. 21 that her decease was a homicide, but Dr. Blue said connected Tuesday that helium did not cognize the nonstop time Ms. Petito died.

“There volition not beryllium an nonstop day of decease connected the decease certificate,” helium said.

Dr. Blue revealed small other astir the information of Ms. Petito’s body, though helium said she was not large astatine the clip of her death. The authorities conducted a toxicology trial connected her body, which is being held astatine a section mortuary, but did not disclose the results. Dr. Blue directed further questions astir the homicide to the F.B.I.

The constabulary successful Florida are inactive scouring a immense wildlife reserve successful the authorities for Ms. Petito’s fiancé, Brian Laundrie, 23, who was described arsenic a “person of interest” by the police. Before helium went missing, Mr. Laundrie had done a lawyer declined to talk to investigators, the constabulary said. The authorities aboriginal issued an apprehension warrant for him connected a complaint of debit paper fraud.

Ms. Petito and Mr. Laundrie acceptable retired to sojourn nationalist parks and question the state successful July, successful a achromatic Ford van outfitted with a furniture and different necessities arsenic portion of a “van life” adventure.

On Sept. 1, Mr. Laundrie returned to the North Port, Fla., location wherever helium lived with his parents and Ms. Petito, successful the van, which was registered to Ms. Petito.

Ten days later, Ms. Petito’s household reported her missing. The hunt for her soon progressive the F.B.I. and National Park rangers and stretched crossed astatine slightest 2 states.

Then, six days aft Ms. Petito was reported missing, Mr. Laundrie’s parents told the constabulary they had not seen him for respective days, starting a 2nd hunt for a missing person. The authorities began to scour the 24,565 acres of a wildlife refuge, the Carlton Reserve, successful Sarasota County, Fla., and the F.B.I. served a hunt warrant astatine the Laundrie residence.

As Ms. Petito’s household and the constabulary pleaded for assistance from the public, the lawsuit drew aggravated involvement connected societal media, including from immoderate who scrutinized the couple’s cheerful Instagram posts and others who criticized the deficiency of akin attention connected the cases of missing women of color.

Ms. Petito’s father, Joseph Petito, said past period that societal media users had been “amazing” and “very influential” successful his daughter’s case.

“To beryllium honest, it should proceed for different people, too,” helium said astatine a quality conference. “This aforesaid benignant of heightened consciousness should beryllium continued for everyone — everyone.”