Utah police havereleased body camera footagefrom an encounter with missing 22-year-old Long Island, New York, nativeGabrielle Petitoabout two weeks before she was last heard from.
According to police, Petito and her fiancé, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, were in Moab, Utah, on Aug. 12. That morning,someone called policeafter the two appeared to argue outside a food cooperative called Moonflower. Moab police pulled the couple over a short time later.
In the footage, when the officer approached the vehicle, he immediately separated Petito and Laundrie before interviewing them about the alleged altercation.
“We’ve just been fighting this morning, some personal issues,” Petito explained, crying as she spoke with the officer. She then told police that she had become frustrated with Laundrie earlier in the day.
During his interview, Laundrie said that, once Petito became frustrated, he locked the doors to the van and suggested they go on a walk to cool off. When the officer asked Laundrie about scratches on his face and neck, he replied: “She had her phone and was trying to get the keys from me. I said, ‘Let’s just step back and breathe,’ and she got me with her phone.”
The couple agreed to separate for the night, and Petito kept the van while Laundrie headed to a hotel.
Later, in paperwork, police would categorize the incident as a “mental health crisis.”
Petito and Laundrie —who has been named a person of interest in his fiancée’s disappearance— had been traveling across America in a white Ford Transit van since early July.
Gabrielle Petito.Facebook
Last month, they arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, staying only a short time as wildfire smoke blanketed the region.
The couple apparently stopped in Grand Teton National Park on Aug. 25 before heading for Yellowstone.
Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11 — 10 days after Laundrie returned to his parents' North Port, Florida, home in their van. Relatives last had contact with Petito on Aug. 25, when she was near Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming.
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Petito is a white female, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and 110 lbs. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as several tattoos, including one on her finger and one on her forearm that reads “let it be.
Laundrie, police said Wednesday, has refused to cooperate with their investigation. On Saturday, detectives attempted to interview Laundrie and his parents at their home, but were told to contact the family’s attorney, who has instructed his clients not to talk.
Anyone with information on Petito’s whereabouts is urged to call 800-CALL-FBI.
source: people.com
