The parents of a young woman found murdered last month will travel to Wyoming this week to retrieve their daughter’s remains and receive an update about her death investigation.
As Fox News reports, Petito’s parents and their spouses are headed to Wyoming on Wednesday, nearly a month after Petito, 22, was found murdered in Bridger-Teton National Forest. On Tuesday, the Teton County medical examiner announced at a press conference that Petito had died of manual strangulation.
Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie, who had been traveling on a cross-country road trip with Petito before she disappeared this summer, was named a person of interest in her disappearance but has not yet been named a suspect in her death. Laundrie has been missing since September 13, when his parents said he went for a hike at the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida, and did not return.
As the report notes, Petito’s parents are expected to collect her remains and return with her ashes this weekend. They are also planning to meet with law enforcement agents for an update on the investigation.
At Tuesday’s press conference, the Teton County medical examiner said that Petito had been dead for three to four weeks before her body was discovered, placing her date of death close to the time she was last seen with Laundrie in Wyoming in late August, when a witness said Laundrie had been arguing with restaurant staff.
It is unclear if or when authorities are expected to bring murder charges.
Read CrimeOnline’s comprehensive coverage of the Gabby Petito investigation.
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