911 call that prompted interaction with Gabby Petito released
Sep 20, 2021, 12:03 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm
FILE: This police camera video provided by Moab Police 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 Moab Police Department via AP)
(The Moab Police Department via AP)
MOAB, Utah — Grand County officials released audio of a 911 call Monday related to an interaction between officers in Moab last month and a missing woman, Gabby Petito, and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office initially denied KSL’s request for the audio but released it on appeal after determining it was not related to any ongoing investigations in Grand County.
On the recording, listeners can hear an unidentified caller alerting the sheriff’s office to what appeared to be a fight between a man and a woman in a white van. Some of those details provide new insight into their encounter with Moab police.
“A gentleman was slapping the girl,” the caller tells dispatchers in the audio. “They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off.”
“Okay, you said it’s a white van?” the dispatcher asks.
“White van,” the caller confirms. “I can give you the license plate if you give me one sec.”
On Thursday, Moab police released bodycam footage of their response to that 911 call and subsequent encounter with Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie on Aug. 12, 2021.
According to the police report, an officer witnessed Petito slapping Laundrie, but not the other way around. At the time, the police officer said what he saw did not rise to the level of an assault charge. At his urging, Laundrie spent the night in a hotel room; Petito stayed in the van.
No one has heard from Petito since late August. A body found Sunday in the Grand Teton area matches her description.
