GABBY Petito made plans to leave her abusive fiancé, Brian Laundrie, days before he killed her, a new documentary has revealed.
Petito, 22, told her ex-boyfriend, Jackson, she was afraid of how Laundrie would react to their break-up while they traveled together on their nightmare road trip in the summer of 2021.
NetflixGabby Petito’s ex-boyfriend, Jackson, in an interview for the new Netflix docuseries[/caption]
NetflixGabby Petito and Brian Laundrie, who documented their travels together on Petito’s YouTube channel[/caption]
NetflixBrian Laundrie, who killed his fiancee on a cross-country road trip in August 2021[/caption]
APPetito talking to a police officer responding to a domestic violence call after an argument with Laundrie in Moab, Utah, on August 12, 2021[/caption]
The last time Petito reached out to Jackson was on the day she disappeared, prompting a search that captured nationwide attention before her remains were found in the Wyoming wilderness.
Now, Netflix docuseries American Murder: Gabby Petito is unveiling new details about Petito’s final days, including previously unseen texts, diary entries, and footage shared by her family and friends.
The series also includes the first-ever interview with Jackson, who dated Petito before she started her relationship with Laundrie, 23, in March 2019.
Jackson revealed Petito texted him one night while she was separated from Laundrie for a rare occurrence on their four-month journey across America.
Laundrie had flown back to Florida for a few days after cops were called on the couple in a disturbing domestic violence incident in Moab, Utah, on August 12, 2021.
“Hey I’m sure I’m the last person on the planet you want to hear from,” Petito texted Jackson on August 22, 20221.
“I would really love to talk to you. I’m only alone until tomorrow.”
The former couple ended up calling and talking for hours, Jackson told docuseries creators Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro.
After their phone call, Jackson told Petito he was available for more conversations because he “got the vibe that she still might have needed someone to talk to after we hung up.”
Jackson said Petito then “hinted” that she had gotten in an argument with Laundrie.
She then made a haunting vow to her ex that she was working on a way to end things with Laundrie.
“She was like, ‘I have a plan. I think I want to leave him. I’m gonna do it. I have to figure out when to do it,’” Jackson explained.
“And that’s when I was kind of like, ‘What are you talking about? What do you mean you have a plan?’
“From the sound of her voice and the way she was saying it, I think that she, like, wasn’t sure what he would do or what he could do.
“I think she was wanting to get away, but just didn’t know how to do it.”
Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito’s disappearance:
June 2021 – Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
July 4 – Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
July 8 – Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
July 18 – Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah’s Zion National Park.
August 12 – Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
August 17 – Brian flies home to Florida to visit his parents, stock up on supplies, and close a storage unit.
August 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip.
August 22 – Gabby texts her ex-boyfriend, Jackson.
August 23 – Brian returns to meet Gabby in Salt Lake City.
August 24 – Gabby is spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
August 25 – Gabby Facetimes her mom, Nichole Schmidt, for the final time. In a later police report, Schmidt said her conversations with her daughter revealed “more and more tension” between her and Brian.
August 25 – Gabby also posts her last Instagram. No location is given.
August 27 – Gabby messages Jackson for the final time.
August 27 – Gabby is seen for the final time at a Whole Foods. Witnesses claim they saw Brian in an explosive argument with staff at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, leaving Gabby in tears.
August 27 – Four hours later, travel bloggers driving through Grand Teton National Park drive past the couple’s van “abandoned” on a dirt road.
September 1 – Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
September 11 – Gabby’s parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
September 14 – Brian’s family issues a statement saying he has retained an attorney and will not be cooperating with investigators.
September 14 – Brian is allegedly last seen by his family. He reportedly told them he was going hiking in Cartlon Reserve but failed to return.
September 15 – Florida’s North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
September 16 – Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
September 17 – Brian’s parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days and report him missing.
September 18 – Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
September 19 – Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby’s but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
September 20 – Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie’s home, seizing his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain “evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed.”
September 21 – Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
September 21 – The FBI announced the body found in Wyoming was identified as Gabby’s. The cause of death was not yet revealed.
September 21 – The Teton County Coroner’s office said Gabby’s official cause of death was still pending but the initial manner of death is homicide.
September 22 – Police continue to scour Carlton Reserve for a trace of Laundrie but yield no leads. A specialist dive team is called in to assist with the hunt.
September 23 – Officials announced a federal arrest warrant for Brian was issued.
September 26 – Gabby’s funeral was held on Long Island, New York.
October 12: Gabby’s autopsy results were made public. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed Gabby died by strangulation.
October 20: Laundrie’s personal items were found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. A medical examiner was called to the scene.
October 21: The FBI confirmed the remains found have been identified as Laundrie’s.
November 23: Laundrie’s autopsy reveals he died from a gunshot wound to the head.
January 21, 2022: The FBI released its final investigative statement on Gabby’s case. The statement said, “The investigation did not identify any other individuals other than Brian Laundrie directly involved in the tragic death of Gabby Petito.”
October 1, 2022: The Gabby Petito Story premieres on Lifetime without the family’s approval.
February 17, 2025 – American Murder: Gabby Petito premieres on Netflix.
The last time Jackson heard from Petito was on August 27, when she told him she was thinking of him on her trip.
“Gabby Snapchatted me, ‘Hey, I’m in Jackson Hole and it reminded me of you,’” Jackson said.
“Later in the day, I had gotten a phone call from her. I was at work and unable to answer it.”
HAUNTING TEXTS
That day, Petito and Laundrie had lunch at a Mexican restaurant at around 1 pm, where Laundrie got in an explosive argument with the waitress.
In the new docuseries, Petito’s family shared text messages between Laundrie and Petito that shed new light on the lunch incident.
“Ask for the check and tell her that the smell made me sick,” Petito wrote to Laundrie.
“Idk the chicken wasn’t right. I actually don’t feel good… gonna be a min,” she added.
Laundrie responded, “Okay. I got the check, should I wait for you, should I get a to go box?
“I don’t want to pay for food that made me sick.”
Just an hour later, Petito was seen for the last time on footage from a Whole Foods parking lot at 2:11 pm.
Maybe if I did answer that phone call, I could have helped or there could have been a different outcome.”
Jackson
The three-part docuseries revealed she attempted to call Jackson, but he couldn’t answer because he was at work.
“Maybe if I did answer that phone call,” he said in the series.
“I could have helped or there could have been a different outcome.”
In another of Petito’s last texts, she told her mom, Nichole Schmidt, that Laundrie was slowing down her dream to become a van-life video blogger.
Petito documented her travels with Laundrie on her Instagram and YouTube accounts, but the details of their abusive relationship were hidden from the public eye until the fated police stop on August 12.
DISTURBING STOP
Bodycam footage released a month after the incident after Petito went missing showed Gabby visibly upset with bruises on her arms.
After a witness called cops to the scene upon seeing the couple hit each other, Gabby told cops they’d been arguing.
“We’ve just been fighting this morning. Some personal issues,” Petito said through tears.
“Yeah, I don’t know, it’s just some days, I have really bad OCD, and I was just cleaning and straightening up, and I was apologizing to him saying that I’m so mean because sometimes I have OCD and get frustrated.”
APBodycam footage showed Petito visibly upset speaking to cops on August 12, 2021[/caption]
The Mega AgencyPetito with cuts, bruises, and blood on her face taken moments before Moab City police stopped her and Brian Laundrie on a domestic disturbance call[/caption]
She told officers Brian grabbed her face and left a “burning” gash on her cheek and red marks on her arm.
Cops also noted they saw bruises on her arm, but she said she hit him first.
Officer Eric Pratt said the bruise on her arm looked like it was there for a few days – but cops let the couple continue on their trip without further investigation.
Her parents later filed a $50million lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department for the incident.
I watched my daughter looking frightened to death. That’s when I realized that things were way worse than I could have imagined.”
Nichole Schmidt
The heartbroken family blamed its officers for “failing to protect” Petito during the domestic violence call. The lawsuit was later dismissed.
Schmidt said the bodycam footage was eye-opening for her to realize the truth about her daughter’s toxic relationship with Laundrie.
“I watched my daughter looking frightened to death,” Schmidt said in the series.
“That’s when I realized that things were way worse than I could have imagined.”
Petito’s family also filed a wrongful death suit against Laundrie’s family in 2022, alleging the family blocked the search for Petito after they knew she “had been murdered by their son.” They were awarded $3 million in the case.
APBrian Laundrie speaking with the Moab Police Department on August 12, 2021[/caption]
SplashGabby Petito’s parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, in a hearing for their lawsuit against the Laundries in June 2022[/caption]
Laundrie returned to Florida after the trip without Petito and with their van in September, immediately sparking concern from Petito’s family.
His family refused to answer questions and released a statement saying they would stay “in the background” during a search.
Laundrie was finally named a person of interest in the case on September 15. He went missing two days later.
Petito’s body was found in the Spread Creek camping area in a Wyoming national forest on September 19, 2021.
“I was devastated,” Jackson said in the docuseries.
“She was my first love.”
The coroner determined Petito was killed by manual strangulation and blunt force trauma to her head and neck.
CHILLING LETTER
On October 20, 2021, Laundrie’s remains were found by his parents and cops at a park. He died by suicide.
In a notebook found with his remains, Laundrie wrote a chilling note revealing he “ended” his fiancée’s life.
He said the former couple was crossing a stream and Petito suffered an injury, causing her to beg him to make her pain go away.
A bag near his body also included a letter stating, “Please do not make life harder for my family, they lost a son and a daughter.”
Petito’s family shared their disbelief in Laundrie’s claims in the new series.
“We knew at that point we weren’t ever going to get remotely close to answers we were hoping for because the only two people that truly knew what happened are now both gone,” Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, said.
He added, “Not one of the versions of Brian’s account was accurate by the findings of Gabby’s autopsy.
“The sole cause of her death was strangulation and nothing remotely or even close to what he said.”
The Netflix docuseries is the first time Petito’s family and friends have been involved in a project about the case.
American Murder: Gabby Petito is available to stream now on Netflix.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.
© 2025 Netflix, Inc.Petito dreamed of being a travel vlogger[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
