A vlogger's disappearance is chronicled in Netflix's American Murder: Gabby Petito as it showcases various interviews from friends, family members, and law enforcement to unearth what really happened.
The three-part docuseries tackles the events of what truly happened to Gabby Petito in the late summer of 2021, unpacking the timeline of her disappearance, the domestic violence incident involving her and her fiancé, and the harrowing search that ultimately concluded with a tragic outcome.
American Murder: Gabby Petito premiered on Netflix on February 17.
American Murder: Gabby Petito Cast Guide
Nichole Schmidt
Nichole Schmidt is Gabby's mom who agreed to talk about her loving daughter in the new docuseries.
She talked about Gabby’s love for art and how she is a ray of sunshine to her friends.
Nichole also revealed her first impression of Brian, noting, "When I met Brian, I thought he was socially awkward but very polite."
She then talked about how Brian’s mom was jealous over the fact that Gabby and Brian were spending so much time together when they moved to Florida.
Nichole was concerned for her daughter after the domestic violence incident that happened in Moab, Utah, in August 2021.
She said that she wanted Gabby to come back home and end the van life trip. However, Gabby still wanted to pursue her life dream and be with Brian despite the red flags.
Ultimately, it ended on a tragic note for Gabby.
Joe Petito
Joe Petito is Gabby's biological father who shared information about what happened during Gabby's disappearance.
After Gabby went off the grid, Joe tried to reach out to her, but it went straight to voicemail. He even tried to ask for an update from Brian’s parents, but they did not respond either.
They started to call every missing person site that they could find, talk to news outlets, and ultimately, ask for help from everyone.
Tara Petito
Tara Petito, Gabby's stepmom, says that it breaks her heart to see Tara in so much distress in the body cam footage that was taken after the 911 call in Moab, Utah.
Up to this day, Tara said that they are still grieving because it never goes away.
Jim Schmidt
As Gabby's stepdad, Jim Schmidt went to Wyoming to help law enforcement find Gabby and retrace her steps on the West Coast.
He was also part of the on-air interviews as the representative of Gabby’s family.
Gabby and Brian’s Friend
One of Gabby and Brian's longtime friends from high school came in to share details on how their romance started.
While she didn't disclose her real name, she talked about Brian Laundrie and his friendship with Gabby and their circle of friends.
Brian liked her, but they grew apart after he confessed his feelings for her. She also described the meet-cute between Brian and Gabby, calling it "love at first sight."
Rose Davis
As Gabby's best friend, Rose Davis did everything she could to help her and her troubled relationship with Brian.
She met Gabby through Bumble. They forged a strong bond and started to create content on TikTok.
When she met Gabby, she was at the lowest point of her. Gabby made her realize that she should be seeing the good in life.
Rose noticed that something was off with Brian when they first met. As their friendship progressed, it became more apparent that there was something wrong with Gabby’s boyfriend.
When Gabby and Brian were together, she said that they were like a lovely couple. However, when Gabby was with her, Brian seemed to be manipulative.
Rose also said that Brian was concerned about the van-life blog because it might show what is really happening behind the scenes, which was the truth behind the ugly parts of their relationship.
An almost similar domestic violence case transpired in American Manhunt: OJ Simpson (read more about its full cast here).
Jackson
Jackson is Gabby’s ex-boyfriend whom she texted 10 days after the domestic violence incident that transpired in Moab, Utah.
He felt like Gabby’s phone call was a "cry for help." He thought she wanted to get away from Brian, but just didn’t know how she would do it.
They dated for a year before she dated Brian.
Norma Jean Jalovec
Norma Jean Jalovec is a Wyoming resident who attended a church service in Grand Teton National Park.
She saw Brian Laundrie alone in the park, and she thought that he had been backpacking or walking.
Brian asked her to drive her to Spread Creek to reunite with Gabby, who he said was waiting for him in the van. She then later told her story to the Teton County Sheriff's office to help with the investigation.
Josh Taylor
Josh Taylor is the Public Information Officer from the North Port Police Department in Florida.
He advised officers to go to the Laundrie family home to ask if they knew what happened to Brian and Gabby.
Matt Carr
As the Teton County Sheriff, Matt Carr spearheaded the search for Gabby Petitio in Grand Teton National Park. He also asked the FBI for help.
He admitted that they had never dealt with anything like it before while also reassuring Jim’s family that they would do everything to find her.
Kyle
Kyle is an FBI Special Agent of the Denver Division who appears as part of the interviewees in American Murder: Gabby Petito.
The FBI collaborated with the Teton County Sheriff’s Office to find Gabby.
They ultimately acquired information to track down Gabby’s phone, and it led them to Spread Creek.
Loretta Bush
FBI Special Agent Loretta Bush of the Tampa Division pointed out that it is important to get closure for the family and get answers on what’s really going on.
She said that what people must understand is that they need all of our facts, and they need to be able to support whatever we are about to allege.
Loretta also pointed out that Brian’s parents were not cooperating with the investigation.
Jenn and Kyle Bethune
Jenn and Kyle Bethune are van life bloggers who talked about Gabby’s disappearance.
As they edited their Spread Creek adventures video, Jenn revealed that they had footage from the park from August 27 to 30, 2021, where the investigators assumed that Gabby and Brian were on the premises.
They posted a video showing the van inside Spread Creek.
TJ Schmidt
TJ Schmidt is Gabby’s brother who briefly appeared to open up about the devastating feeling of losing her sister.
All three episodes of American Murder: Gabby Petito are now streaming on Netflix.
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