Gabby Petito’s Ex-Boyfriend Hauntingly Reveals He Missed Her Final Call Before Her Murder.

Nearly four years after Gabby Petito’s remains were discovered in the Teton National Forest, Netflix’s new docuseries brings fresh insight into the tragic murder of the #vanlife vlogger by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. Andrea Cavallier explores the details surrounding their last days, revealing that their life, often portrayed as idyllic on social media, was far from perfect.

Throughout their cross-country adventure, Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie seemed to be living the dream life, sharing their journey with their followers via social media. The couple’s road trip, chronicled on various platforms, was meant to highlight their adventures, but what appeared to be the ideal vanlife quickly unraveled, shedding light on a darker reality.

Gabby's sketches

In the three-part Netflix series, viewers are presented with unfiltered footage of the couple's travels. While Gabby smiles and talks excitedly about their life on the road, the videos reveal much more about the tension between her and Brian. Gabby is seen nervously laughing while adjusting the camera or coaxing Laundrie to join her in the shot. These candid moments show her discomfort, with Laundrie occasionally laughing awkwardly or even rolling his eyes when she speaks.

“Gabby and Brian seemed like a lovely couple,” says Rose Davis, one of Gabby’s close friends, in the docuseries. “But behind the scenes, they would get into arguments.” Davis recounts how Gabby once confided in her about how Brian didn’t support the vlog idea, a sentiment reflected in his distant attitude during several video segments. “The happiest people on social media usually have the darkest skeletons in their closet,” Davis added.

One of the most unsettling revelations comes from Jackson, Gabby’s ex-boyfriend, who speaks publicly for the first time in the docuseries. He recalls a phone call from Gabby on August 22, 2021, which caught him off guard. She shared that she had been in a fight with Brian. Jackson, who described Gabby as the love of his life, said, “I feel like the phone call was a cry for help. I think she wanted to get away but just didn’t know how to do it. I think she wasn’t sure what he would do, or what he could do.”

Gabby also revealed to Jackson that she was planning to leave Brian. “And I was just kind of making sure that she knew, ‘hey be careful,’” Jackson explained. He added, “The fact that she reached out to me kind of told me like hey, she feels safe talking to you or maybe she felt like I was the only person who would listen.”

Gabrielle Petito. Facebook

On August 27, 2021, just days before Gabby’s death, Jackson received a Snapchat from her saying she was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and that it reminded her of him. Shortly afterward, Gabby attempted to call him, but Jackson missed the call as he was at work. Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Jackson said, “I think back on the fact that maybe if I did answer that phone call, I could have helped or there could have been a different outcome.”

That afternoon, Gabby and Brian were seen together at a Whole Foods store in Wyoming. This would become the last known footage of Gabby alive. By the following day, investigators said there was no indication she was still alive.

Gabby had been in close contact with her mother, Nicole Schmidt, throughout her road trip, so when Gabby stopped reaching out and posting on social media, her family began to worry. Their last conversation took place on August 25, 2021, and Schmidt received a series of troubling texts in the days that followed. But it wasn’t until she received one particular message that her concern deepened. The text, which mentioned Gabby’s grandfather by his first name, “Stan,” seemed strange since Gabby never used that name. It was later revealed that Brian had sent the message from Gabby’s phone.

Meanwhile, Brian had already left Wyoming on August 30, 2021, heading back to Florida. The docuseries reveals footage of him at multiple gas stations on his way. Investigators later discovered that Brian had used Gabby’s debit card to purchase gas during his journey, and a Zelle transaction was made from Gabby’s account to Brian’s for $700. The memo line read: “Goodbye Brian, I’ll never ask you for anything again.”

RELATED: Gabby Petito Timeline

An FBI agent involved in the investigation said, “We do know Gabby was dead at this point and that Brian was making the transactions.”

Brian returned to Florida on September 1, 2021, with the van, but without Gabby. Authorities later disclosed that Brian had made frantic calls to his parents, stating that Gabby was missing and asking for legal assistance. After several failed attempts to get information from Brian’s parents, Gabby’s mother officially reported her daughter missing on September 11, 2021.

Brian was named a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, but by then, he had vanished from his parents’ home in Florida. They claimed he had gone hiking, though he often disappeared for several days. On September 19, 2021, Gabby’s body was found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Authorities determined that she had been strangled.

A month later, Brian’s remains were discovered in the Carlton Reserve in Florida, just a mile from where his car was found. His body had decomposed significantly, but investigators confirmed that he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A notebook was discovered with his remains in which Brian admitted to killing Gabby.

The docuseries also revisits the footage from the Moab, Utah, police bodycam on August 12, 2021, when police stopped Gabby and Brian after a bystander reported seeing a man slap a woman. The bodycam footage shows Gabby in a distressed state, but the officers determined that she was the aggressor and separated the couple for the night.

Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie. Gabby Petito Instagram

Gabby’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, recalled watching the footage after it was released to the public. “I watched my daughter looking frightened to death – that’s when I realized that things were way worse than I could have imagined.” She also remarked on how difficult it was to see the officers laughing with Brian, a stark contrast to Gabby’s evident distress.

“I couldn’t believe that she was being treated as the aggressor,” Nicole added.

Gabby’s stepmother, Tara Petito, echoed similar sentiments. “It breaks my heart to see her in such distress. We didn’t get all of the facts that day.”

The Petito family pursued legal action against Brian’s parents, filing two civil lawsuits. The first, for wrongful death, was settled for $3 million in November 2022. The second lawsuit, filed for emotional distress, was settled in February 2023. In these suits, the Petitos alleged that Brian’s parents knew Gabby was dead but misled the public by issuing false hopes of her safe return.

The family also pursued legal action against the city of Moab, Utah, claiming that the police failed to protect Gabby adequately during the August 12 traffic stop. While a judge dismissed the lawsuit, an independent investigation confirmed that Moab police had made multiple mistakes during their interactions with the couple. The investigation found that Gabby was very likely a long-term victim of domestic violence, whether physical, emotional, or mental.

Gabby’s parents later turned their grief into action by founding the Gabby Petito Foundation. Their mission is to use their tragedy to raise awareness about domestic violence and support other victims. The foundation offers scholarships to arts students from Gabby’s hometown schools in New York.

“We wish to turn our personal tragedy into a positive,” the foundation’s website reads. “It is our hope that Gabby’s foundation will bring these important issues into the forefront of the public eye to the benefit of all our communities.”

Jim Schmidt, Gabby’s stepfather, expressed his sorrow, saying, “It’s so hard for us to realize that Gabby’s gone, that she’s not with us.” He added, “I can only hope that we’ve made her proud and that she’s looking down on us and saying ‘thank you for being my voice when I couldn’t speak anymore.’”

The docuseries, titled American Murder: Gabby Petito, will be available for streaming on Netflix starting February 17, 2025. The three-part series unveils new details about Gabby and Brian’s final days, featuring interviews with her family, friends, and ex-boyfriend Jackson.