A young couple on a cross-country trek, eating breakfast and doing cartwheels on the beach, kissing under the big sky of the West, is what the idyllic viral video shows.
A young couple's battle with their mental health troubles is the subject of a video that is full of mystery.
Police in three states are looking for a missing person. Brian Laundrie is being called a person of interest in the case after he drove back to the couple's primary residence in Florida without her.
Brian Laundrie died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to his attorney.
The family of Petito reported her missing on Saturday after they hadn't heard from her in two weeks. Petito was on a trip with her boyfriend.
The past few days have seen a flurry of activity in the case, including a plea from Petito's father for details on what happened to his daughter, police showing the couple trying to work out a manic episode in the desert, and police reports revealing simmering.
Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts on Long Island before moving to Florida to live with his parents.
The police in North Port are leading the investigation. Petito's whereabouts are unknown and no charges have been filed. The bits and fragments of social media postings and police video of the couple are some of the few clues that have emerged so far in the case.
He doesn't think I can do this. A police officer is investigating a fight between two people that took place on the side of a Utah highway near Arches National Park. Two weeks before her disappearance, the officer's body cam footage was released to the public and it showed a glimpse of the couple's troubles.
From a road trip with Brian Laundrie to a missing persons investigation, is the timeline of Gabby Petito?
She told the officer that she has an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
She said in police video footage that she apologized to him because she was frustrated with her tics.
The police report shows how officers tried to help the couple who spoke to the officers about how hard life was on the road for them.
Gabrielle was crying uncontrollably and was in the passenger seat. While battling mental health issues that led to Petito hitting Laundrie, the couple were smart and trying to work out their issues.
Laundrie told the officer that he and Petito had the same mental health problem. He told the investigating officer that Petito had more advanced issues than his own, and that there had been a lot of tension between them for several days. Laundrie told the officer that neither took medication for their condition.
The officer wrote that Brian explained that he and Gabrielle have been traveling together for the last few months. The amount of time they spent created emotional strain between them. He tried to separate from her so they could calm their emotions.
He told the officer that Petito went into a manic state after getting into the couple's conversion van. Laundrie said that she slapped him because she thought he was going to leave her in Utah without a ride.
Laundrie says on the video that the fight started when he climbed into their van. He told the officers that he didn't want to be charged with domestic violence against Petito.
I love her so I am not going to pursue anything. It was just a fight. Laundrie apologized on the body cam footage.
The officer concluded that the situation did not escalate to the level of a domestic assault as much as a mental health crisis. The officers told the couple to sleep in separate places so they wouldn't interfere with each other.
The couple told the officer that they wanted to stay together.
Petito and Landrie told police that they were in love and wanted to be married, but they didn't want to see anyone charged with a crime.
Laundrie's refusal to cooperate with police since his return to Florida has made Petito's family want to see their daughter again. Steven Bertolino told Laundrie not to talk.
Bertolino said in a public statement that many people are wondering why Mr. Laundrie wouldn't speak with law enforcement in the face of Ms. Petito's absence. In cases like this, intimate partners are often the first people law enforcement focuses their attention on and the warning that "any statement made will be used against you" is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito's disappearance. Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on this matter because of the advice of counsel.
Joe Petito wants to know what happened to his daughter.
Joe Petito said he cared about finding Gabby. We're going to find her.
The story originally appeared on USA TODAY.
