Living the off-grid "van life"
Traveling with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie in a white 2012 Ford Transit van, must have been a joyful undertaking for Gabby being with the man she loved. The photographs show a happy couple set in beautiful landscapes as the made their way across the country.
However, things took a turn where we see her crying after a morning of arguments with him as he tried to lock her out of her own van. She was afraid he was going to leave her alone in the wilderness, so she climbed into the vehicle to prevent him from leaving her stranded.
Since his return, he's been holed up in his parents house and has refused to divulge any information on the whereabouts of his missing partner. He has ignored all entreaties from Gabby's family, the police and the FBI to cooperate in helping to find his missing girlfriend. This week, he was named a person of interest, and last night the case took a strange turn.
Protesters have been holding daily vigils outside the Laundrie home in North Port, Florida. People with bullhorns were shouting for Brian to come out and reveal what he knows about her last known location, when the family inside requested a visit from the local police. As the scene was covered live, we saw them enter the Laundrie home with evidence bags and search a car parked outside. The next announcement shocked everyone.
Turns out, Brian Laundrie is now missing himself, or should I say he's fled. His parents reported that he has not been seen since Tuesday, and they have now requested police help in order to find him. Recall that these people weren't willing to talk to the authorities to assist in the search for Gabby Petito, but when their own son went missing, now they want help finding him. His attorney confirmed that his whereabouts are currently unknown.
The North Port police assured everyone that they knew where he was earlier in the week. That was not the case, as they did not have Brian under surveillance at all, and simply assumed he was still in the home. So now, the man that many in America consider suspect in the disappearance of Gabby, has had a three-day head start to get to wherever he currently is. He is the only one who knows her last known location, and if anything happens to him, it will be that much harder to find her.
The "Zone of Death"
We all want the missing young lady to be found alive, however if she isn't, it turns out there is a region known as 'The Zone of Death' with an unusual legal loophole where a killer could technically get away with murder. As the video below shows, there is a quirk on the map of Yellowstone National Park. Most of the park is located in Wyoming, but there slivers of it with the boundaries stretching into Montana and Idaho.
In a paper called 'The Perfect Crime' author Brian C. Kalt explains the theory behind the possibility of getting away with murder in The Zone of Death." His 2005 report published in The Georgetown Law Journal, lays out the problem and a possible solution. Question is, has anyone listened?
According to the Constitution, a person must be tried by a jury of his peers in the state where the crime was committed. This is where that tiny 50-square-mile section of Yellowstone in Idaho comes in. Say that Gabby's killer (assuming she's deceased), was savvy enough to do the deed in the 'Zone of Death' in Idaho.
He would of course demand a trial and jury from that state, problem is, no one lives in the zone. According to the Constitution, the jury has to be from the state and district where the crime took place. Most of the judicial district is in Wyoming, but parts of it spread out into Montana and Idaho.
Commit a felony there, and the thinking is that since no jury could be empaneled, it would allow the criminal to walk free. This weird loophole is known as the Vicinage Clause. Could someone have known about the zone and actually decided to commit the first murder there in order to test this legal theory?
Since there is no precedent set yet except for a hunter who copped a plea deal and was tried in Wyoming, it's hard to tell. I think any sane judge would find a way to convict anyone who had the temerity to test him in open court. Since Gabby was last seen in this region near Grand Teton National Park, one wonders if someone could be so bold.
The Dyrt app
The internet has not been silent of course, with armchair sleuths poring over maps of the area and checking their phone for photos of the couple taken in August. It has recently been confirmed that Gabby used an app called 'The Dyrt' in order to plan her trip out west.
This app has reviews and photos of campsites for "tents, trailers, RVs, and cabins" in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. KSLTV has an excellent write-up about possible locations Gabby might have chosen as one of the last places she and Brian camped at.
Digital fingerprints like these may give searchers that one extra clue in order to help them find Gabby. My hope is that she is in some remote hunters cabin stocked with provisions and is just waiting to be rescued.
Since Brian Laundrie tried to lock her out of her own van in Moab, Utah, I could see him abandoning her in the wilderness to fend for herself. I know the odds of finding her alive decreases as each day goes by with no news, but I think that one way or another, this case will be resolved. Nothing would make me happier than to see Gabby Petito emerge to feel the warmth of the sun and be cradled in the arms of her loving family.
Please check out my recent posts:
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