Gabby Petito Update: New Bodycam Footage Reveals Brian Laundrie Hit The Late 22-Year-Old

BYHayley Hynes93.8K Views
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Gabby Petito Memorial
Laundrie is still missing, and remains the main person of interest in Petito’s death.

It’s been nearly two weeks since the remains of 22-year-old Gabby Petito were discovered in Grand Teton National Park, but her fiancé, and the main person of interest in her death, Brian Laundrie, is still missing.

As the investigation into the YouTuber’s untimely death continues, more and more information is being released by authorities, including a lengthy clip from the body camera on Moab police officer Eric Pratt that was recorded when the couple was pulled over for an alleged domestic dispute.

In the video, Pratt can be heard asking Petito if Laundrie had hit her, as they’d received two reports from witnesses claiming to have seen the pair fighting.

“I, I guess, yeah, but I hit him first,” the 22-year-old responds, to which Pratt replied with a question to confirm.

“You slapped him first? And just on his face?”

Petito responded, “well, he kept telling me to shut up, but I hit him first...Well, he like grabbed my face...He didn't like, hit me in the face. He didn't, like, punch me in the face or anything.”

“He, like, grabbed me with his nail, and I guess that's why it looks ... definitely I was cut right here [points to cheek] because I can feel it. When I touch it, it burns.”

It’s abundantly clear that Petito is looking for ways to minimize the incident between her and Laundrie, and at one point she even offers to pay a driving ticket rather than have charges pressed against either of them for their spat.

PEOPLE reports that officer Pratt’s recounting of the incident is contradictory, at first saying “it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female,” but later writing, “no one reported that the male struck the female.”

Police decided that Petito and Laundrie’s fight was “disorderly conduct” and not domestic violence, and also claimed that the former was the aggressor in the situation. 

In a statement to CNN, the city of Moab announced that it had launched an investigation into the incident.

“We understand that individuals can view the same situation in very different ways, and we recognize how the death of Ms. Petito more than two weeks later in Wyoming might lead to speculation, in hindsight, about actions taken during the incident in Moab.”

The statement continues, “The purpose of the City's formal investigation is to gather the underlying facts and evidence necessary to make a thorough, informed evaluation of such actions.”

Shortly after Petito’s remains were discovered, her family hosted a celebration of life in New York.

The search for Laundrie continues, with Dog the Bounty Hunter sharing regular updates on the case via social media. Check out the latest for yourself below.

RIP Gabby.

[Via]


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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