NewsNation

YouTuber missing after cross-country trip with boyfriend

NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — A nationwide search is on after a couple set off on their dream cross-country road trip and only one of them came back.

According to police, it has now been three weeks since Gabby Petito’s family last heard from her.


The 22-year-old embarked on the trip from Long Island with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, at the beginning of July. The couple documented most of it in a YouTube Vlog called “VAN LIFE.”

The couple appeared to be young and in love. Videos showed them doing things like laughing, kissing, cooking out of their van and enjoying moments of quiet time.

They made national park stops in places like Kansas, Colorado and Utah.

Weeks later, Petito is now missing under suspicious circumstances and last known to be in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.

Petito’s parents are telling other media outlets Laundrie is back home, lawyered up and not talking.

The Suffolk County Police Department told NewsNationNow.com they could not comment on Laundrie or his whereabouts. His social media pages have gone silent and he has yet to make a public plea or statement.

According to authorities, the 2012 Ford Transit the pair was traveling in has been recovered in North Port, Florida, where Laundrie reportedly is.

The North Port Police Department said in a statement Monday there is no definitive information that a crime took place, but, “The circumstances are odd.”

A GoFundMe page started by a close family friend says, “We can confirm she is no longer in the van or with this companion.”

In a press release, police say Petito’s family last heard from their daughter the last week of August and reported her missing on Sept. 11.

Petito is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds.  She has blond hair, blue eyes and several tattoos, including one on her finger and forearm that reads “let it be.”

Anyone with tips is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.