It’s been nearly two weeks since the remains of 22-year-old Gabby Petito were discovered in Grand Teton National Park, but her fiancé, and the main person of interest in her death, Brian Laundrie, is still missing.
As the investigation into the YouTuber’s untimely death continues, more and more information is being released by authorities, including a lengthy clip from the body camera on Moab police officer Eric Pratt that was recorded when the couple was pulled over for an alleged domestic dispute.
In the video, Pratt can be heard asking Petito if Laundrie had hit her, as they’d received two reports from witnesses claiming to have seen the pair fighting.
“I, I guess, yeah, but I hit him first,” the 22-year-old responds, to which Pratt replied with a question to confirm.
“You slapped him first? And just on his face?”
Petito responded, “well, he kept telling me to shut up, but I hit him first...Well, he like grabbed my face...He didn't like, hit me in the face. He didn't, like, punch me in the face or anything.”
“He, like, grabbed me with his nail, and I guess that's why it looks ... definitely I was cut right here [points to cheek] because I can feel it. When I touch it, it burns.”
It’s abundantly clear that Petito is looking for ways to minimize the incident between her and Laundrie, and at one point she even offers to pay a driving ticket rather than have charges pressed against either of them for their spat.
PEOPLE reports that officer Pratt’s recounting of the incident is contradictory, at first saying “it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female,” but later writing, “no one reported that the male struck the female.”
Police decided that Petito and Laundrie’s fight was “disorderly conduct” and not domestic violence, and also claimed that the former was the aggressor in the situation.
In a statement to CNN, the city of Moab announced that it had launched an investigation into the incident.
“We understand that individuals can view the same situation in very different ways, and we recognize how the death of Ms. Petito more than two weeks later in Wyoming might lead to speculation, in hindsight, about actions taken during the incident in Moab.”
The statement continues, “The purpose of the City's formal investigation is to gather the underlying facts and evidence necessary to make a thorough, informed evaluation of such actions.”
Shortly after Petito’s remains were discovered, her family hosted a celebration of life in New York.
The search for Laundrie continues, with Dog the Bounty Hunter sharing regular updates on the case via social media. Check out the latest for yourself below.
RIP Gabby.
[Via]