Body is Gabby, and it is murder
The FBI has confirmed a body found in Wyoming is the remains of missing woman Gabby Petito, whose disappearance gripped the US, with the local coroner saying she had been murdered.
The Teton County coroner said the body found on Monday was that of Ms Petito, and “initial determination for the manner of death is homicide”.
“The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results,” the FBI said.
US authorities launched a massive search for 22-year-old Ms Petito when her family filed a missing-person report on September 11, after she mysteriously vanished during a road trip with her boyfriend through US state parks.
Ms Petito quit her job and packed her life into a camper van for a cross-country adventure in July with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, documenting their apparently romantic journey in a stream of idyllic-looking Instagram posts.
Mr Laundrie, who turned up alone at his family’s home in Florida, was declared a “person of interest” in the case. He declined to co-operate with the police or say what happened.
The mystery deepened after he also went missing.
Police and FBI agents have been seen going through Mr Laundrie’s home, where the couple lived with his family.
In the statement, the FBI asked for help from anyone who “may have had contact with Ms Petito or Mr Laundrie, or who may have seen their vehicle”, a small white van, between August 27 and 30.
“The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring that anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions,” said the FBI Denver Special Agent In Charge Michael Schneider.
The statement also urged anyone with information about Mr Laundrie’s “role in this matter or his current whereabouts” to contact them.
The couple embarked on their journey across the United States from New York on the East Coast, posting photos of magnificent views of the American West and the two of them smiling happily next to their van.
In one YouTube video published during their trip, Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie are shown kissing tenderly, enjoying a sunset together and strolling on a beach.
However, in August, police in Utah responded to a domestic violence report involving the couple.
Police body cam footage published by US media shows a distraught Ms Petito saying she had just had an altercation with Mr Laundrie.
Speaking to a police officer after their van was pulled over, Ms Petito is seen crying and saying she struggles with mental health problems.
She told the officer she had slapped Mr Laundrie after an argument, but added that she meant no harm.
The police officer decided no charges would be brought over the incident but ordered the couple to spend a night apart to calm down.