They set out together on July 2 — but he returned alone.
The family of a 22-year-old New York woman are pleading for information after their daughter went missing during a “van-life” cross country camping trip.
Gabrielle Petito was reported missing on Saturday by her mother Nichole Schmidt, after her daughter’s boyfriend returned home from the trip without her.
Petito and her partner — identified on their social media as Brian Laundrie — set out on July 2 together in their converted van, documenting their travels on Instagram and YouTube.
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“Recently we decided to downsize our life into a little Ford transit connect to travel across the United States!” they wrote on their Nomadic Statik YouTube channel:
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They travelled from Florida to New York, to Utah to Wyoming, and planned to finish up in Portland, Oregon; but Petito hasn’t been seen since stopping at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Her boyfriend has since returned to Florida in the van, alone.
Her mother told Fox News she Facetimed with her daughter on August 25, the last time she spoke with her directly. Although she received texts from her daughter’s phone up until August 30, she cannot be sure who was sending them.
“I don’t know if she left Grand Teton or not,” she said. “I did receive a text from her on the 27th and the 30th, but I don’t know if it was technically her or not, because it was just a text. I didn’t verbally speak to her.”
Her parents told Newsday she was traveling with her boyfriend, but couldn’t comment any further on him due to an ongoing investigation.
“[It’s like] drowning with your hands tied behind you,” Gabrielle’s father Joe said. “You can’t describe it. There’s nothing you can do. You can’t control anything.”
Suffolk County Police Department in New York, in Petito’s hometown, are now investigating the disappearance.
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They describe her as 5’5″ tall and 110lbs, with has blonde hair and blue eyes. She has several tattoos, including one on her finger, and one on her forearm that reads “let it be.”
Detectives have also since recovered the van. Laundrie has yet to make a statement on the disappearance; according to Daily Mail, he has since hired an attorney.
“I can’t say much, but she’s no longer with the van,” Gabrielle’s mom told Fox. “I don’t want to say anything more than that but for people looking for her, I want them to look for her now, not look for that van anymore.”
Gabrielle’s last Instagram post was shared on August 25 — the last day she spoke to her mother — at the Monarch Wall in Ogden, Utah:
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Laundrie’s last post meanwhile came on August 13, in Moab, Utah:
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A GoFundMe to aid in the search has already raised $7k.
“While we are working with the FBI, multiple law enforcement agencies, and outside resources to pursue any and all leads the family will need funds and resources to travel and pay for expenses related to an investigation and search on the other side of the country, any help is appreciated,” it reads.
“She’s very, very free spirited,” her father said. “Clothes didn’t impress her. Cars didn’t impress her. Experiences — that’s what impressed her.”
“I just want people to keep looking and not stop until we find her,” her mother added. “She’s out there somewhere. … We won’t stop until we find her.”
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