MOAB, Utah (WCBS 880) — Authorities in Utah are looking for any possible connection between the disappearance of a Long Island native who went missing while on a cross-country “van life” trip with her fiancé and the unsolved double murder of a newlywed couple.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement released Thursday that it has been in contact with authorities in Florida, where the North Port Police Department has been designated the leading agency in the investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old Gabby Petito.
“We are actively looking into any connection between the Gabby Petito missing person case and the double homicide that occurred in Grand County,” Sheriff Steve White said.
Kylen Schulte, 24, and Crystal Turner, 38, were last seen leaving a bar in Moab on August 13, the Associated Press reported.
Their bodies were found on August 18 at a campsite near Moab, the city where Petito and her fiancé, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, were involved in a heated dispute that prompted a witness to call police.
Schulte and Turner, who were found partially undressed with multiple gunshot wounds all over their bodies, had told friends they feared a “creepy man” they had seen nearby might harm them.
“Investigators were informed that Kylen had mentioned to her friends that if something happened to them, that they were murdered. Kylen had continued by saying there was a 'creepy man' around their camp and they had been intimidated by him,” according to a search warrant that was filed to search their vehicle.
Their bodies were found six days after the domestic dispute incident between Petito and Laundrie.
“They're looking into that potential connection,” said Joshua Taylor, public information officer for North Port police. “I have not heard of any information that links these two cases together. I understand the timing is suspicious. You never know. I'm not going to say we've ruled it out.”
“The Grand County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate any information received concerning the double homicide,” White said. “The Sheriff’s Office is not ruling anything out at this time and appreciate the concerns of the public and their willingness to contact this office with those concerns and information.”
The two cases have not been connected at this time.
On Thursday, police in Moab, Utah, released bodycam video showing officers responding to an altercation between Petito and Laundrie near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, about two weeks before she was last seen.
During the incident, Laundrie told police that the couple's months-long travels had created an "emotional strain" and "increased the number of arguments" between them, according to a police report.
Cops said a witness dialed 911 after the couple "engaged in some sort of altercation" at their white Ford Transit outside of Moonflower, a Moab food co-op where Fox News reported Schulte worked.
Ultimately, the officers decided there was not enough evidence to press charges in the case. Neither of the two had asked for charges to be filed either, according to police.
In July, Petito and Laundrie embarked on their cross-country “van life” trip from Long Island, where they both grew up, and were aiming to arrive in Oregon on Halloween.
The road trip ultimately ended in Petito’s disappearance and with Laundrie at his parent’s Florida home declining to speak with police.
Petito abruptly stopped communicating with her mother in late August, just more than a week after the Moab incident. The couple was believed to be in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park at the time.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, told the New York Post she received a brief, final message from her daughter’s phone on Aug. 30: “No service in Yosemite."
But Schmidt told the outlet she doesn't believe the final message was from her daughter, noting that Laundrie had already returned alone to Florida, where the couple lived in North Port, with the van they were traveling in on Sept. 1.
Laundrie has remained silent since Petito was reported missing.
On Wednesday, Laundrie was named a “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance. He has not been charged or been accused of playing a role in his fiancée's disappearance, but is also not cooperating.
Asked at a Thursday afternoon press conference in Florida if any criminality was suspected in the case, North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said, “None at this time.”
“Right now, it’s a missing person case,” he stressed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related
Related
