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16th Sep 2021

Missing Instagrammer Gabby Petito’s last text suggests ‘she may have been 800 miles from last sighting’

Charlie Herbert

Text from Gabby petito suggests she may have been 800 miles away from where she was last sighted

“No service in Yosemite.”

The last text from Instagram influencer, Gabby Petito, who has been missing for several days suggests that she was 800 miles away from where she was last sighted.

Gabby Petito, who posts about her travels across the country in her van and has gathered over 126,000 followers on Instagram, was last seen travelling in the Yellowstone area of Wyoming. But in her last text she suggested she had made it to Yosemite National Park in northern California, an area 800 miles away.

On August 30, Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, received a text from her daughter’s phone which simply read: “No service in Yosemite.”

The 22-year-old was reported missing by her family on September 11. She had been travelling with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, who has now been named a person of interest in the investigation into her disappearance.

Petito’s van was recovered from the home in North Port where she lived with Laundrie and his parents. Local police there have taken the lead in the investigation

In a statement, North Port Police said: “As of now, Brian has not made himself available to be interviewed by investigators or has provided any helpful details.

“We know that Brian returned here to North Port on September 1 – ten days before her (Gabby’s) family reported her missing on September 11.

“Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in this case.”

Petito’s mother has said that she doesn’t believe the text from her daughter’s phone was sent by her.

She told the Mail: “That text was not from Gabby I know it.”

When asked if she thought Laundrie sent the text, she said: “Yes, which may not be the truth, but it’s a possibility. It was just a little bit weird, the things that she was saying.”

She believes that Laundrie may have sent the message from her phone, possibly to mislead her family and investigators as to her whereabouts.

Petito’s last post on her Instagram was on August 26, and since her disappearance it has racked up thousands of likes, with the comments flooded with people hoping for her safe return.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTA__ISJZYY/?hl=en

One person commented: “You have an army praying for you and your safe return.”

Another said: “I don’t know you but I’m praying you are safe and unharmed. You remind me of my beautiful daughters and I just can’t imagine the heartache your family is feeling.”

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