FBI found loaded speedloader and 2 arrows near Gabby Petito's remains

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

Editor's Note: This story contains references to domestic violence and suicide, which may be difficult for some readers.

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — FBI investigators in Wyoming found a speedloader revolver and two arrows near Gabby Petito's remains in 2021, according to nearly 400 pages of evidence released in the case.

Federal investigators said in an affidavit supporting a search warrant application that near Petito's remains in Grand Teton National Park was a “revolver speed magazine containing ammunition.”

Gabby Petito's family is now working to help other missing people

The special agent said at the time that Wyoming investigators were unable to open the speed magazine to obtain information about the ammunition inside.

Two arrows were also found, the special agent added.

Petito's family told WFLA.com they were unaware of the fast charger and arrows found near his remains.

It is unclear why the ammunition and arrows were found near Petito's remains. The evidence, according to the documents, is never directly related to being Laundrie's property, but rather is used as evidence for the search warrant application.

'Extremely frantic': Brian Laundrie's phone calls after Gabby Petito murder revealed

Laundrie possessed two semi-automatic handguns and a revolver, according to FBI investigators. The semi-automatic handguns and ammunition were seized by agents during a search warrant at Laundrie's home in North Port, Florida, in September 2021. However, the FBI said the revolver was missing.

The revolver was later revealed to be the weapon Laundrie used to kill himself after his remains were found on nearby Carlton Reserve the following month.

Laundrie referenced the gun in a diary recovered by the FBI.

“My real options are to run away entirely on my own – buy land or kill myself,” Laundrie wrote in a newspaper article dated October 26, 2018. “Under the mattress I'm on, there there’s a… loaded. 357 magnum revolver. Just pull the trigger and all my problems will be over.

The special agent adds that he has “reason to question” the date of the journal entry provided by Laundrie.

Additionally, FBI agents found stashes of ammunition in his garage, including two boxes containing a total of 35 bullets and 38 rounds of .357 Magnum ammunition in a cigar box.

The documents also included a letter written by Petito to her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. The letter, which was undated, mentions “returning from New York,” so it appears to have been written before the two men left for their cross-country trip.

Petito died of manual strangulation, according to the medical examiner's report. Laundrie confessed to killing the 22-year-old in a notebook recovered by investigators in October 2021. Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the Carlton Reservation in Florida.

This is a developing story. Stay up to date with the latest news from News Channel 8 on air and on the go with the free service WFLA News Channel 8 Mobile App.

For breaking news, weather, sports and streaming videos, visit WFLA.