Gabby Petito was strangled to death, coroner says

suffocated three to four weeks before her body was found, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said at a press conference Tuesday.

Bleu declined to speculate on whether he thought her boyfriend at the time, Brian Laundry, was involved. “We are only tasked with finding out the cause and method of death,” he said. "Who committed the murder is up to law enforcement."

 (NewsNation Now) Gabi Pettito strangled to death - Gabi Pettit

Only the cause of death, strangulation, method of death and murder will be released, he said, in accordance with Wyoming law. Blue ruled that the death was a first-time murder on September 21.

"In such a case, nothing is clear, so the cause of death requires investigation," he said.

The Wyoming coroner said it took weeks to deliver the final report due to the thoroughness of the examination. Blow said they did a full-body CT scan and toxicology tests, and a coroner and an anthropologist were also involved.

Bleu said Pettito was not pregnant when she died, but she refused to answer most questions asked by reporters. When asked about the effect the elements had on Pettito's body condition, he said, "All I can comment on, is that her body has been in the wild for three to four weeks."

He also noted the attention the issue was receiving on the Internet and in the media. "It's unfortunate that not all deaths receive the same amount of coverage like this," he said.

"Gabe Pettito's death at such a young age is a tragedy," Stephen Bertolino, attorney for the Laundry family, said in a statement to News Nation. “While Brian Laundry is currently charged with unauthorized use of Gabby's debit card, Brian is only considered a person of interest in connection with Gabby Petito's death.” At this time, Brian is still missing and when he is located, we will address the fraud charge. pending against him.

Pettito disappeared while on a cross-country trip with boyfriend Brian Laundry in a converted carriage. The trip was so well documented on social media that it stopped abruptly, allegedly somewhere in Wyoming. The couple documented most of their journey, which began in July, on a YouTube vlog called "VAN LIFE."

It's been weeks since any new confirmed details in the case emerged while authorities search for Pettito's friend. Brian Laundry's parents say they last saw him on September 13 when they said he took the car to the 24,000-acre Florida Preserve. He was reported missing on 17 September.

Despite searching for about a month at Carlton Reserve, the police never found him or even said they found clues.

"We need to find something," North Port Police Officer Josh Taylor told NewsNationNow.com on Friday. “I think there is a lot of interest on this. I don’t know that this case is going to become a cold case. We will continue to search. You know, we can search Carlton Reserve and the adjacent lands for a very long time.”

The FBI issued an arrest warrant for Laundry. He is wanted on charges of "using an unauthorized access device" related to his activities after Pettito's death. The FBI says he used a debit card and a PIN to access two bank accounts on August 30 and September 1.

You can watch the full press conference in the player below.

You can read the full Teton County Coroner's report below.

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