Wyoming officials revealed on Tuesday that Gabrielle Petito died of strangulation, but several questions remain.
Teton County Coroner Brent Blue revealed Petito’s cause of death, weeks after it was revealed that her manner of death was a homicide.
“Nothing is obvious in a situation like this,” Blue told reporters during the press conference.
Blue said state law prevents him from disclosing specific details regarding Petito’s autopsy report. Several times, Blue instructed the media to contact the FBI for certain details pertaining to Petito’s death.
While Blue revealed how Petito, 22, died, the following questions remained unanswered following Tuesday’s press conference:
- Whether Petito had older or other injuries. Blue said he was instructed to only disclose a manner and cause of death, not any additional details about whether Petito had other bruises or injuries. He also dodged questions about whether any injuries were in different states of healing, or if some appeared newer or older than others.
- If DNA was taken from Petito’s body. Blue said he could only disclose how long Petito’s body was in the wilderness, which he said was for three to four weeks.
- Whether Brian Laundrie is linked to Petito’s death. Blue reportedly declined to discuss whether he believed Laundrie, 23, who is Petito’s boyfriend, is responsible for Petito’s death. As such, he would not say if any forensic evidence tied him to Petito’s death.
- Whether Petito was buried. The coroner also stated that the FBI can only answer questions about the condition of Petito’s body, including whether she was buried when she was found on September 19.
- Toxicology results. Though toxicology results are expected to take several weeks, Blue said she cannot disclose what their determination was. However, he did reveal that Petito was not pregnant when she died.
- When exactly Petito died. Blue would only say Petito’s body was in the wilderness three to four weeks before it was found last month. A death certificate has not been completed, according to Blue, who said an exact date of death will not be on the document.
Currently, Laundrie is wanted for credit card fraud for withdrawing $1,000 between August 30 and September 1 — when Petito, 22, was missing. Laundrie reportedly arrived in Florida on September 1 without Petito, and she was reported missing on September 11.
Laundrie, who was deemed a person of interest in Petito’s initial disappearance, is believed to have left his parents’ North Port home on September 13 or 14. His parents reported him missing on September 17.
Petito spoke to her mother for the last time on August 23 or 24. She told her that she and Laundrie were leaving Utah and driving to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
On September 19, Petito’s body was discovered in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.
Laundrie is believed to have left his parents’ North Port home on September 13 or 14. His parents claimed he went to the Carlton Reserve, a 24,000-acre preserve in Sarasota County, Florida.
Laundrie remains unaccounted for, and he has not been charged in connection with Petito’s death.
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[Featured image: Gabrielle Petito/Instagram]
