New Video Shows Gabby Petito And Brian Laundrie Holding Hands Crossing Creekbed Before Her Death
Everything was not as it seemed.
Instagram / YouTube A video believed to be of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie is circulating online as sleuths track their final movements before Petito was killed.
The video was taken by a tourist documenting a trip to Zion National Park, Utah over the summer and many suspect Laundrie and Petito were captured in the background.
The video shows Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito holding hands.
The couple appear to be navigating a river, strolling idly, hand in hand. It is reported that the footage was taken 5 weeks before Petito was killed by strangulation.
The scene is heartbreakingly normal looking given what we know about the weeks that would follow.
By the time Petito was last seen in a Wyoming restaurant, Laundrie was allegedly arguing with her. Not to mention a call made to 911 by a witness claiming to have seen Laundrie hit Petito in Moab, Utah.
The video matches images on Petito and Laundrie’s Instagrams.
The video of the couple holding hands lines up with Instagram posts shared by Laundrie and Petito on July 18.
In her post, Petito wears the same outfit as the woman in the video, in both posts, and tags her location as Zion National Park.
In Laundrie’s post, which features a photo of Petito, he also tags the same location.
It’s a lot easier walking up river holding someone’s hand than walking alone,” he writes.
Laundrie and Petito’s relationship was not how it appeared online.
Their posts, and the video, highlight the disparity between their online personas and the reality of life on their months-long road trip.
This week, Petito’s father, Joe, stressed that there was more going on behind the scenes that few knew about before it was too late.
“She did look happy,” he said. “But as we look more and more into this, it might not have been as great as people online perceived.”
But this disparity between how Laundrie appears to treat Petito in this video and the allegations of abuse are not uncommon in abusive relationships.
Life and relationship coach, Kathryn Ramsperger, tells us that abusers use this inconsistency to exert control.
“It's often only in retrospect and therapy that a person realizes they have been with an abuser. They are inconsistent, alternating praise with judgment, even physical blows.”
“They make their partners doubt themselves so they can control them,” she continues. “Because they are also desperately afraid of losing them. Any abuse is insidious and escalates day by day."
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.