The Disappearance of Gaby Petito

The Disappearance of Gaby Petito

Full series drop available on ITVX here

Series overview

Three part true crime documentary.

The disappearance of 22-year-old video blogger Gabby Petito gripped America and sparked the internet into a frenzy.

For a time, she was the most famous face in the country and the most searched subject on the internet. Everyone wanted to know: Where is Gabby Petito?And what happened to her?

This definitive documentary series follows the twists and turns of the investigation, telling the story of a unique 21st Century mystery.

Interviews with Gabby’s parents reveal the torment of being a family at the heart of such a case, while we hear from the internet sleuths who dedicated their online lives to solving her disappearance.

Episode 1

On July 2nd 2021, 22-year-old Gabby Petito set off on a road trip across America in a renovated white van with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. It was meant to be a four-month journey visiting some of America’s most picturesque national parks with Gabby launching herself as a travel vlogger, documenting the trip through social media and her YouTube channel, Nomadic Statik. Her posts appeared to show a young couple on the trip of a lifetime. Her family followed her progress and stayed in touch throughout, until at the end of August, believing the couple were in Wyoming, all communication with Gabby stopped.

Gabby’s parents began a desperate search. But what started as a seemingly simple missing persons case soon turned into a twisting saga creating a whirlwind online as an army of internet sleuths set out to solve the mystery of what happened to Gabby Petito. Adding to the sense of intrigue was the revelation that Gabby’s boyfriend, Brian, had returned home to Florida in the van at the beginning of September....all alone. As attention on the case grew people wanted answers from Brian and his family, yet they resolved to stay silent as the search for Gabby intensified. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to this couple, whose social media posts seemingly showed two people very much in love. However, the release of bodycam footage from Utah police during a traffic stop shows the relationship between Gabby and Brian in a very different light and leads to more questions about what happened on their trip. Featuring interviews with Gabby’s parents, they shed light on the real Gabby Petito, her childhood and her ambitions as she set off on this fateful journey. They take us inside their desperate search for their daughter, as they are thrust into the media spotlight with the case becoming the biggest story in America.

Episode 2

September 15th, 2021, the disappearance of 22-year-old Gabby Petito has become the biggest story in America, with her name the number one internet search subject in every state. Everyone wants to know what happened to this young, beautiful adventurer who was travelling across the country with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. What was already a case intriguing a nation becomes a frenzy of theories and speculation when bodycam footage is released by Utah police showing Gabby and Brian being pulled over by officers. It’s revealed that in August, as the couple were on their trip, a 911 call was made by someone who saw a man hitting a woman in Moab, Utah, near the Arches National Park. While Instagram photos from around the same time show Gabby and Brian kissing under one of the sandstone arches, the bodycam video reveals a quite different side to their relationship. It shows a visibly distressed Gabby being questioned by officers about the incident. Is this a case of domestic assault? Did Gabby even attack Brian? The police seem confused about who the aggressor is.

As the police continue their search for Gabby, across the internet people speculate on what every moment of the video indicates about their relationship, but they also begin poring over every inch of the couple’s digital lives. Meanwhile, with everyone believing that Brian is holed up at his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, protesters converge on the house urging the Laundrie family to help the police. However, it is soon revealed that Gabby is not the only person missing. It turns out Brian is not at the house and has in fact been reported missing by his parents. This is now a case with two missing people. As police, media and digital detectives search for clues, YouTubers emerge with what could be a vital piece of evidence that could help solve the mystery of where Gabby Petito is

Episode 3

September 19th, 2021 – after YouTubers post video showing Gabby’s van at a camping site in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in late August, it’s not long until a body is discovered. The search for Gabby Petito has come to a tragic end. There are still many questions to be answered and now the focus is on finding her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. He is believed to be missing in a Florida nature reserve, full of alligators, snakes and challenging swampy conditions. But could he really be hiding in such a place? 

It is not just the police searching for clues; the world of social media internet sleuths continues to be immersed in trying to shed light on a case with so many twists and turns. Speculation is rampant - is Brian on the run? With the world looking for him, where could he be? Multiple sightings of him are reported across the country, from Alabama to Montana as theories become wilder, and it becomes harder to separate useful information from the fanciful. Amidst the circus of the case, Gabby’s best friend is caught up in the crossfire of false information, a celebrity bounty hunter joins the search, and protesters continue to demand answers outside the Laundrie’s home. Throughout Gabby’s parents remain dignified as they remember their daughter in moving tributes and begin a foundation in her name. But will they ever get justice for her? And will they ever find out what really happened to her out in Wyoming?