A 22-year-old Long Island woman has disappeared under mysterious circumstances during a road trip with her boyfriend and her family is seeking public help to find her.
Gabby Petito last met in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park in late August after embarking on the tour with her boyfriend (identified on social media as Brian Laundrie) the previous month, Newsday reported.
Authorities said the vehicle the couple was traveling in, a white 2012 Ford Transit van with Florida license plates, has been recovered, according to the media.
Laundrie, who has returned home to Florida, has hired a lawyer and refused to cooperate with authorities, the Daily Mail reported citing her family.
“Reducing the size of our lives to fit into this little van was the best decision we made,” Laundrie wrote on Instagram on a page called “bizarre_design”. “With the limited space we wanted to take advantage of every inch, while keeping everything minimalist.”
On July 10, Petito wrote: “After making our first road trip across the country with my little car, we felt like we were missing so much. Turning that Ford traffic essentially into a camper was an adventure in itself, but I wouldn’t like the way it turned out more.
“All the places he has taken us so far have been amazing! As soon as we got to the big sand dunes I didn’t want to leave, there were so many things to walk on! Petito added.
Petito’s mother, Blue Point resident Nicole Schmidt, reported her disappearance to Suffolk County police on Saturday afternoon.
“Gabrielle Petito was traveling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with Florida license plate QFTG03 with a partner when she stopped communicating with friends and family,” police said in a statement.
The desperate mother told Newsday Sunday afternoon that her daughter had done it with FaceTimed around Aug. 23 or 24, and that even though she received text messages from her daughter’s phone until Aug. 30. of August, she was not sure who had sent them.
Petito’s father, Joe Petito, told Newsday that his disappearance is like “drowning with his hands tied behind your back,” adding, “You can’t describe it. Nothing can be done. Nothing can be controlled.” .
Joe moved from Long Island to Vero Beach, Florida, in June, in part to be closer to his daughter, who had moved to the city of North Port, west Florida, with his boyfriend about two years ago.
On June 17, Petito arrived in New York to attend his brother’s high school graduation and then left for his cross-country adventure, Schmidt said.
Last month, the couple arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, but left amid heavy smoke, according to Fox News.
Petito was expected to visit a family friend in Portland, Oregon, around Halloween, Newsday said.
“I can’t say much, but he’s no longer with the van,” Schmidt told Fox News. “I don’t mean anything more than that, but for people looking for it, I want them to look for it now, not to look for this van.”
Joe described his daughter in Newsday as “very, very free. The clothes didn’t impress her. The cars didn’t impress her. Experiences: That’s what impressed her.”
On August 25, a photo of Petito was posted on his apparent Instagram account, linking to a video from a YouTube channel featuring a woman identified as Petito and a man traveling in a converted van.
The clip, released on August 13, shows scenes of the woman in various outdoor settings.
Petito was described by police and on a GoFundMe page as 5 feet 5, 110 pounds, blond with blue eyes.
“He has a triangle tattoo on his left arm with flowers and a ‘Let it be’ tattoo written on his right arm. He has a belly button piercing,” the post said.
“While we work with the FBI, various law enforcement agencies and outside resources to pursue any potential client, the family will need funds and resources to travel and pay for expenses related to an investigation and investigation on the other side of the country. , any help is appreciated, “he added.