FBI agents searching the Grand Teton national park in Wyoming found a body consistent with the description of Gabby Petito.
The 22-year-old was reported missing after last being seen in the national park late last month with her fiance Brian Laundrie.
Although the remains were still to be identified forensically, a statement from North Port Police department confirmed Gabby Petito had been found dead.
“Saddened and heartbroken to learn that Gabby has been found deceased,” the police department wrote in a statement, adding, “Our focus from the start, along with the FBI, and national partners, has been to bring her home. We will continue to work with the FBI in the search for more answers.”
Gabby’s father, Joseph Petito, paid tribute to his daughter on social media, saying, “She touched the world.”
No cause of death had been determined at the time of writing this report.
The missing person case gained national attention because Petito was a van-life vlogger who shared her travels on social media.
Petito, who had fewer than 1,000 Instagram followers before her case garnered national attention, now has over 700,000.
Laundrie and Petito’s YouTube channel, Nomadic Statik, now have over 3.4 million views for their single Van Life video, documenting their travels.
Body matching Gabby Petito’s description found in Wyoming
The FBI held a press conference in Wyoming in which they paid their condolences to Gabby’s family.
They searced the Spread Creek camping area in collaboration with local authorities and found a dead body matching Petito’s description, according to The Guardian.
“Earlier today, human remains were discovered, consistent with the description of Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito. Forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified of this discovery. The cause of death has not been determined at this time.”
Gabby’s family first reported her missing on September 11 after not hearing from her since late August.
The 22-year-old’s last Instagram post was published on August 26.
Brian Laundrie still missing
Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in the disappearance of Petito after returning home from a month-long cross-country road trip alone.
The 23-year-old Laundrie and his parents refused to speak to investigators about Gabby, which led to a protest outside his parents’ home.
FBI agents and local authorities searched for Laundrie in Florida after his parents reported him missing on Friday.
According to Insider, North Port Police said Brian Laundrie told his parents he was going to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Carlton Reserve.
The Florida reserve, which is flooded, has about 80 miles of trails.
The 23-year-old is reportedly familiar with the reserve, which police told Insider that Brian could hide in for several months undetected if he wanted.
TikToker Miranda Baker claims she picked up Brian Laundrie
TikTok user Miranda Baker said she and her boyfriend had picked up Laundrie hitchhiking by himself on August 29, 2021.
According to ABC News, local authorities say Baker’s timeline is plausible, adding credibility to her claims.
“Hi, my name is Miranda, and on August 29th, my boyfriend and I picked up Brian at Grand Teton National Park at 5.30 p.m. at night at Colter Bay,” Baker said in the TikTok video you can view below.
Baker claims Brian offered $200 for a 10-mile ride from Colter Bay to Jackson.
In addition, Baker claims Brian mentioned his fiancée Gabby, declaring, “He said he’d been camping for multiple days without his fiancée. He did say he had a fiancée and that she was working on their social media page back at their van.”
Baker added that Laundrie had a little scruff but did not look or smell like someone who had been camping for several days.