Gabby Petito documentarians discuss Brian Laundrie's 'subtle' manipulations in newly unveiled texts
Documentary filmmakers Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro on their new project "American Murder: Gabby Petito," the first docuseries on the high-profile case made with the blessing of her family.
FIRST ON FOX: A road-tripping Colorado family told the FBI that they saw Brian Laundrie acting "like a lunatic" on the side of the road in Moab, Utah, two weeks before he killed Gabby Petito, according to an investigator's note in the bureau's final release of Laundrie-related documents.
An unnamed man told an FBI agent he saw the couple in Moab on Aug. 12, 2021, while driving his family on a trip from Denver, Colorado, to Las Vegas, Nevada.
They passed a white Ford Transit van, and he thought he saw a man slap a woman. He was so concerned that he pulled a U-turn and parked across the street to keep an eye on things.
Brian Laundrie gave a nervous response to Moab police when they approached him after a domestic violence call on Aug. 12, 2021, as Gabby Petito appeared near hysterics in the passenger seat. Police split them up for the night. (Moab City Police Department)
According to an FBI summary, the male in the van, believed to be Laundrie, "'acted like a lunatic,' sporadically opening and slamming doors and pacing around the van. He seemed to be pleading with the female and at one point may have tried to hug the female, but was pushed back by her. The male ultimately pushed the female's legs into the passenger side of the van, closed her door, and entered the driver's side."
The witness then said both of them started crying.
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Read the FBI's notes on Moab witnesses
GABBY PETITO URGED BRIAN LAUNDRIE TO ‘STOP CRYING’ IN LOVE LETTER TO HER KILLER RELEASED BY FBI
He said he thought about intervening or calling 911 but eventually decided not to. He had already called 911 earlier the same day in an unrelated incident where he said a truck driver nearly ran him off the road.
He said he contacted the FBI in September after he and his daughter saw news coverage of Petito's disappearance and recognized the couple as the people they saw in Moab.
WATCH: Brian Laundrie told Moab police officers he did not have a phone, then pulled one out
Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, said she had not previously known about the new witnesses and would be interested in speaking with them.
"[I] wish we could get a hold of this person," she told Fox News Digital. "I would love to ask questions."
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The Moab incident became a key moment in the case, as Petito was still missing at the time when Fox News Digital was first to report the domestic violence incident in September 2021.
Police split the couple up for the night but did not file charges, and Laundrie flew home to Florida for nearly a week. But he rejoined Petito on the road and is believed to have killed her on Aug. 27, the last day Petito was seen alive in public, near Jackson, Wyoming.
A female U.S. Park Ranger approaches Gabby Petito during a traffic stop in Utah involving her then-fiance and suspected killer Brian Laundrie in previously unreleased bodycam video. (National Park Service)
The FBI's final release of Laundrie documents included detailed maps of the search for her remains in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and dozens of pages of notes from investigators who were following up on leads after Schmidt reported Petito missing on Sept. 11, 2021, to police in Suffolk County, New York.
Another section of notes includes an FBI interview with people who said they encountered a man named Brian at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming two days after the murder.
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They told the FBI that Brian claimed he'd been hiking along the Snake River for six days and got lost.
Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie browse the dairy aisle at a Whole Foods store in Jackson, Wyoming, on Aug. 27, 2021. Their visit to the store is believed to be the last time she was seen alive in public. (Jackson PD)
"I need to get back to my fiancée," he said, according to the witness, mentioning that she had been working on a "vlog." While hitching a ride, Brian told them that he and his fiancée earned an income from "digital nomad" videos and claimed they were organic farmers from New York. He also mentioned they'd just been to Utah.
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When they arrived in Jackson Hole, it "set him off." Apparently Brian had wanted to hitchhike north, but they had taken him south. He had offered them $50 to $200 for a ride but gave them nothing.
The notes show that investigators were looking into leads from social media posts and true crime coverage via major news outlets and from podcasters. They downplayed the investigatory usefulness of YouTube videos dedicated to the case but noted that they had been contacted by a number of witnesses who recognized Laundrie and Petito due to widespread coverage.
Gabby Petito wanted to be a travel blogger and social media influencer and had dedicated herself to the outdoor lifestyle. (Instagram)
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One of those witnesses identified Brian as Brian Laundrie from a photo array, saying she recognized his "bushy eyebrows" and "scruffy beard."
The FBI also appears to have learned of the couple's argument with staff at the Merry Piglets restaurant in Jackson, Wyoming, through a news article.
The bureau also investigated a number of false sightings of Petito and Laundrie before their remains were uncovered.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on the morning police discovered their son's skeletal remains. The parents also stumbled upon a waterproof bag, which was later revealed to have contained a handwritten confession. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
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Investigators sought boat ownership records and fact-checked a viral video that purported to show Laundrie in a boat wearing Crocs in a short Instagram Live video.
Petito's mattress was missing from her van after North Port police towed it from the Laundrie household in Florida.
An FBI-led search found her remains in the Spread Creek dispersed camping area north of Jackson.
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A month later, Fox News Digital was the only media presence at the scene when Laundrie's parents led police to his remains in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park near their home.
They also recovered a waterproof bag that contained his handwritten confession.
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1?800?799?7233 (SAFE).
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