A coroner has revealed Gabby Petito's cause of death was strangulation, and said she died between three and four weeks before her body was found on Sept. 19, along the border of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Dr. Brent Blue's reports comes about three weeks after her remains were found and nearly a month after her fiancé Brian Laundrie went missing, sparking an ongoing manhunt.
Petito’s manner of death was ruled a homicide in the preliminary autopsy report announced last month, but the 22-year-old’s cause of death was pending until Blue's announcement.
Petito’s remains were found Sept. 19 in the area of the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground at the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Blue declined to say more about the autopsy or the case overall, saying he was prevented by Wyoming law that limits what coroners can release.
10:30 a.m., Oct. 12:
OFFICIALS BEGIN REMOVING GABBY PETITO MEMORIAL IN FLORIDA
A memorial to Gabby Petito in Florida was being removed by officials Tuesday morning but will be replaced by a permanent tribute.
The memorial has been growing outside North Port City Hall over the past month, however the elements have taken a toll on it.
Staff members from the city were seen removing items from the memorial, including posters, candles, flowers and stuffed animals, and placing the items in boxes.
Petito’s family will look over the items and decide what they may want to keep, according to Fox News.
A permanent memorial that will include a steel bench crafted by a man from Indiana will eventually be put up at the site.
7:30 a.m., Oct. 12:
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER SPECULATES THAT BRIAN LAUNDRIE CALLED PARENTS FROM WYOMING
In a new interview, Duane Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, speculated that Brian Laundrie may have called his parents from Wyoming around the time of Gabby Petito’s death.
Without providing any evidence, Chapman told The Sun, “Of course he murdered her.”
“I think he called the mom and dad right from the scene and said, ‘OMG!’” Chapman said.
Chapman also said, without evidence, that he believes Laundrie’s parents encouraged their son to return home to Florida.
The Laundrie’s attorney, Steven Bertolino, told The Sun that they would not be commenting on Chapman’s claims.
Laundrie ultimately arrived at the family’s North Port home on Sept. 1 in Petito’s van without her. He declined to speak with police before disappearing on Sept. 13, two days after Petito was reported missing by her parents in New York on Sept. 11.
Oct. 11:
OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE AUTOPSY PRESS CONFERENCE DATE
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