Gabby Petito was strangled to death weeks before her body was found, coroner says
CBC
Cross-country traveller Gabby Petito was strangled to death, a Wyoming coroner announced Tuesday.
Petito, 22, died three to four weeks before her body was found Sept. 19 near an undeveloped camping area along the border of Grand Teton National Park in remote northern Wyoming, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said in a news conference.
It wasn't clear if the determination might lead to additional charges against Petito's boyfriend and travelling partner, Brian Laundrie, who is considered a person of interest in her disappearance and remains unaccounted for.
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.
Petito had been on a cross-country trip with Laundrie and visited Colorado, Utah and other states. She was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after she did not respond to calls and texts for several days while the couple visited parks in the West.
Blue previously classified Petito's death as a homicide — meaning her death was caused by another person — but had not disclosed how she was killed pending further autopsy results.
A "detailed analysis" led to his conclusion Petito was strangled, Blue said.
