The Gabby Petito case captured the nation. Now, Lifetime tells the story of Gabby and her fiancé Brian Laundrie's road trip that ended with Gabby's shocking murder.
The Gabby Petito Story will premiere October 1 on Lifetime, marking the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Lifetime released the first trailer for the film on August 12, chronicling Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country road trip that resulted in Gabby's murder, and Brian later took off. life.
In the summer of 2021, Petito and Laundrie had been documenting their trip across the United States in their truck, but Petito's family knew something was wrong when Laundrie returned to her house alone and cut off all contact without any explanation as to where. she was. Her body was later discovered in Wyoming and it was determined that she had been strangled, but at the time, Laundrie was missing.
Director: Thora Birch
Writers: Richard Blaney, Gregory Small
Stars: Skyler Samuels, Evan Hall, Thora Birch
A national manhunt was launched with the case drawing national attention, and even famous fugitive hunters like John Walsh and Dog the Bounty Hunter had gotten involved. But Laundrie was not hiding. Her body was discovered in a remote area in October 2021 and it was determined that she had committed suicide. A notebook recovered at the scene, the pages of which were recently made public, contains a confession written by Laundrie in which she claims that Petito's death was a mercy killing after she was seriously injured in a fall.
The trailer for the film begins with Gabby and Brian, played by Skyler Samuels and Evan Hall, happy and in love. They end up going on a road trip and living out of his truck. As their journey continues, their relationship begins to deteriorate. "One second I'm so happy and in love, and the next he's like a complete stranger," says Gabby. Gabby's mother in the film, played by director Thora Birch, feels that “something isn't right” in Gabby and Brian's relationship.
The film, which opens around the one-year anniversary of Gabby's disappearance, is part of Lifetime's Stop Violence Against Women public affairs initiative. The network also created a new public service announcement for the film's release. Lifetime has partnered with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which has a helpline to provide resources for women. Following the film's premiere, the documentary special, Beyond the Headlines: Gabby Petito, will air.
After Gabby was reported missing on September 11, 2021, when she didn't return home from her "van life" trip across the country with her fiancé. Her disappearance sparked global interest and a nationwide search for the 22-year-old travel blogger. Online sleuths began digging into Gabby's social media posts for clues as to what happened to her. Tragically, Gabby's remains were found on September 19. An autopsy revealed that she had been strangled to death.