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Gabby Petito disappearance ‘not related’ to double murder, police say

This police camera video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021. The couple was pulled over while they were having an emotional fight. Petito was reported missing by her family a month later and is now the subject of a nationwide search. (The Moab Police Department via AP)

GRAND COUNTY, Utah (KTVX) – Authorities have determined that the disappearance of Gabby Petito and the double homicide of a Utah couple are not related.

The Grand County Sherriff’s Office announced their findings on Friday afternoon. Additional details on the findings were not immediately provided.


This news comes one day after the sheriff’s office announced they were investigating the possibility of the two incidents being related.

On Aug. 12, Moab Police were called to a domestic incident between Petito and Laundrie outside the Moonflower Co-op. A short time later, police made contact with the couple. You can watch the body camera and read the police report details here.

The next day, Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner were seen for the last time at a bar in Moab. Days later, Schulte and Turner were found dead at a campsite near Moab.

Because of the timing – and because Schulte worked at the Moonflower – there had been speculation about a possible correlation.

During a Thursday press conference, North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison confirmed his department has shared information they have with the Grand County Sheriff’s Office as they investigate the double homicide of Schulte and Turner.

Crews are still searching for Petito. She is believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming before last speaking with her family.