VANLIFER Jenn Bethune felt chills when she slowed down her video footage and saw the image plain as day – Gabby Petito’s van parked suspiciously at the edge of a campsite in Wyoming.
The YouTube star had been encouraged to go through her videos from a recent trip, as the desperate search for Brian Laundrie’s fiancee continued in 2021.
NetflixAmerican Murder: Gabby Petito premiered this week on Netflix[/caption]
Instagram/beingbethunesJenn Bethune appears in the new Nextflix documentary about Gabby’s murder[/caption]
Instagram/gabby__petitoThe white van which Brian Laundrie drove back to Florida was registered in Gabby Petito’s name[/caption]
He had returned home to Florida – in the van – without her, and lawyered up, leaving her parents fearing the worst.
Jenn immediately knew her information was important, and could be the missing puzzle piece in the case, but when she phoned the FBI, they simply sent her to the tip website.
The idea of them having to wait for them to sift through tens of thousands of messages from other people before they reached her video was too much – so she posted it online.
It attracted millions of views and Gabby’s mom, Nichole Schidmt, was soon on the phone, while police later used the footage to revisit the area and look for clues.
Within no time it led to the devastating discovery of Gabby’s body after she had been strangled to death and left out in the open.
It’s a moment Jenn will never forget, and she told The U.S. Sun she has since become close to Gabby’s family, even attending the 22-year-old’s funeral.
In an exclusive chat, she opened up about the discovery and why she won’t be able to watch the new Netflix documentary, American Murder: Gabby Petito – despite appearing in it.
“It’s indescribable … like your whole body just gets chills, and you’re kind of frozen. Holy crap. We have her van, ” she said of finding the valuable footage.
I found that footage on what would have been our son Ethan’s 17th birthday.”
Beth Hune
Jenn, who lives on the road with her partner and her three children, said she had been following the case and knew Brian and Gabby had been in Wyoming.
But initially, she did not believe she was there at the same time.
“It was middle of September [2021], and we’re driving through Bismarck, North Dakota, and we’re staying in a Walmart,” she said.
“And I get this tag on my phone that says the timeline has changed, check your footage.
“I’m like, ‘We were there on the 27th.’ And I had just finished editing that video.
“And so I open it up. And I’m watching. And there’s this little white speck, and I’m like ‘Kyle, you’ve got to get in here, and it’s about 12.02 in the morning.
“And the speck gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Just by chance, these Go Pros stayed on just long enough to get right past her van of a front view and a rear-facing view.
“I found that footage on what would have been our son Ethan’s 17th birthday. So there was so much serendipity.”
Jenn tragically lost her son in a car accident on the way to Disneyland to celebrate his seventh birthday in 2011.
“The next morning Nichole called me. Just such a beautiful conversation, [she] and I are good friends now,” she went on.
‘TEN YEARS OF GRIEF’
“And that morning I said, ‘What do you need me to do? I will do anything for you.’ And she said, ‘I need you to go on as many news stations as possible ’cause I’ve gotta find my girl.’”
Jenn went on live TV while on the road, calling it a “wild experience” being thrust into the spotlight.
“I went with what my knowing and gut told me to do, and that was to get it out there. And I’m really glad that I did because they [the FBI] got the footage immediately.
“The FBI agents had it and were standing at the site with the footage and were able to line everything up.”
She was relieved when Gabby’s body was finally found, bringing a sense of peace to her family.
“I actually just finished writing a book, it comes out next month, and part of that is in there,” she said.
The U.S. SunJenn Bethune runs a popular YouTube channel documenting life on the road[/caption]
APJoseph Petito, father of Gabby Petito, speaks during a news conference in 2021[/caption]
“To know that we had a part in helping someone find their child is something that will live with me forever.
“Nichole asked me to come out to the funeral, and I did. And I was super incognito, and I stayed in the back because it wasn’t about me.
“And I write about this in my book. My experience going out there.
“I ended up going to this lighthouse on Long Island by myself, me, and my service dog, Theodore, and I was able to let go.
“It was the 10th anniversary of our accident as well.
“Ten years of grief, of losing our son Ethan. And so yes, we helped Nichole and her family, but Nichole helped me in so many ways that I can’t even express.
“To be able to let go of that and start anew is just incredible.”
Nichole asked her to be a part of the Netflix series, as Gabby’s family appeared in it, but Jenn admits she won’t be watching it as she does not want to relive the whole situation.
Although Jenn says she didn’t want to follow all of the twists and turns of the case, she was sad to learn of Brian’s suicide after he disappeared from his parents’ home.
It meant Gabby’s family were never going to get answers about her final moments.
“It’s so heartbreaking that two people lost their [lives], and they [Gabby’s family] won’t get that justice, and they won’t get that closure. And so it’s just really heartbreaking all the way around.”
More than three years after her murder, Gabby’s stepfather Joe Petito, and his wife, Tara, opened up about the aftermath of the tragedy and what happened to her vehicle.
“We crushed the van,” Joe told News Nation’s Brian Entin.
“We didn’t want the van to be out there, someone owning it and, ‘Here’s the van that Gabby was…’ you know.”
In a clip shared on X, Joe and Tara showed Entin a cabinet in their living room where they keep mementos of Gabby, including the gas tank cover and a sticker from her van.
It was on Gabby’s beloved white 2012 Ford Transit Connect van before her parents got rid of the tragic reminder of their daughter’s death.
“We took a saw [to it] and cut it out,” he said.
Gabby spent her final days traveling the West Coast and documenting her van life on Instagram.
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 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip.
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 is seen for what’s believed to be the final time. 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.
October 1, 2022: The Gabby Petito Story premieres on Lifetime.
SplashGabby Petito’s parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, in Sarasota County, Florida[/caption]
APPolice body camera video shows Gabby Petito talking to a police officer in Utah during a traffic stop weeks before her death[/caption]
The Mega AgencyA photo of killed blogger Gabby Petito reveals cuts, bruises, and smeared blood on her face[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
