The Gabby Petito Story – which will follow the real life tragedy that played out last year – was seen filming for the first time in the mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah once again on Tuesday.
The actress portraying the 22-year-old aspiring social media star – named Skyler Samuels, 28 – was seen with the famous ‘let it be’ tattoo inked on her right forearm for the Lifetime film.
She was not alone on set as she was joined by the actor – named Evan Hall, 31 – who is playing Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie, who admitted to murdering her.
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Sad: The Gabby Petito Story – which will follow the real life tragedy that played out last year – was seen filming for the first time in the mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah once again on Tuesday
Recreation: The actress portraying the 22-year-old aspiring social media star – named Skyler Samuels, 28 – was seen with the famous ‘let it be’ tattoo inked on her right forearm for the Lifetime film
Petito was strangled on a road trip with Laundrie in Wyoming last summer while her boyfriend was later found dead at a swamp near his parents’ home in Florida from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
The FBI later revealed that Laundrie had taken responsibility for the murder in a notebook that was found near his remains more than a month after he went missing.
Petito and Laundrie had been embarking on a cross country road trip which she had been documenting on social media.
Tragedy: She was not alone on set as she was joined by the actor – named Evan Hall, 31 – who is playing Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie , who admitted to murdering her
Tragedy: Petito was strangled on a road trip with Laundrie in Wyoming last summer while her boyfriend was later found dead at a swamp near his parents’ home in Florida from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head
Tribute: The film tattoo is seen on the left, while Petito’s actual tattoo is seen in an Instagram post on the right, it is a reference to the classic song by The Beatles
Busy day: Skyler was seen thinking about her next scene
Changing it up: Evan was seen in a different outfit
The FBI later revealed that Laundrie had taken responsibility for the murder in a notebook that was found near his remains more than a month after he went missing
Actress Thora Birch – who is best known for her work in 2001’s Ghost World and 1993’s Hocus Pocus – is making her full-length feature film debut as director in addition to also acting in the made-for-television movie.
Director Birch will also be playing Petito’s mother Nichole Schmidt who has been at the forefront of the media coverage as she seeks justice for her murdered daughter.
The movie is part of Lifetime’s Stop Violence Against Women public affairs initiative.
Petito and Laundrie had been embarking on a cross country road trip which she had been documenting on social media
According to Deadline it will ‘explore Gabby and her fiancé Brian Laundrie’s complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabby’s tragic murder’
Relaxed: Skyler donned a pink top with sweatpants and Birkenstock sandals
According to Deadline it will ‘explore Gabby and her fiancé Brian Laundrie’s complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabby’s tragic murder.’
The Gabby Petito Story will continue to film in Utah through the summer and the movie is set to premiere on Lifetime later this year.
Back in November 2021, the FBI said it was closing its investigation into Petito’s death after concluding that Laundrie did admit to it by taking responsibility in the notebook that was found by his remains in the Cartlon Reserve swamp near his parents home in North Port, Florida on October 20.
The Gabby Petito Story will continue to film in Utah through the summer and the movie is set to premiere on Lifetime later this year
Lots to do: It certainly seemed like a busy day on set
The bureau did not say what specifically he wrote in the notebook claiming responsibility for Petito’s murder.
The FBI opened its investigation into Petito’s disappearance after she was reported missing by her parents on September 12. At the time, she and Laundrie has been on a cross-country road trip in her white van.
A massive manhunt ensued, and Petito’s remains were found on September 19 at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming near where she and Laundrie had last been seen together – and three weeks after she had last spoken to her parents.
Director Birch (seen in February 2019) will also be playing Petito’s mother Nichole Schmidt (seen in September 2021) who has been at the forefront of the media coverage as she seeks justice for her murdered daughter
She died of blunt-force injuries to the head and neck and manual strangulation, according to the Teton County Coroner. She had been dead for three or four weeks before her body was discovered.
The search for Laundrie took more than a month, with a large group of police officials scouring the Carlton Reserve.
His remains were found on October 20 after water had receded from the search area and the park was reopened. On that day, his parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, then informed law enforcement that they intended to return to the park to search for him. Images from Fox News show the Laundrie’s at the reserve ahead of the search as well as the notebook found by law enforcement.
Back in November 2021, the FBI said it was closing its investigation into Petito’s death after concluding that Laundrie did admit to it by taking responsibility in the notebook that was found by his remains in the Cartlon Reserve swamp near his parents home in North Port, Florida on October 20
In a statement on Friday, the FBI said: ‘Law enforcement officers were present when Mr. Laundrie’s parents located an item in the park later determined to belong to Mr. Laundrie.
‘Upon further search of the area, investigators found human remains later confirmed to be Mr. Laundrie, along with a backpack, notebook, and a revolver.
‘A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death.’
The FBI opened its investigation into Petito’s disappearance after she was reported missing by her parents on September 12. At the time, she and Laundrie has been on a cross-country road trip in her white van
The search for Petito began after Laundrie had returned to his parent’s Florida home from their trip without her on September 1.
On September 11, Gabby’s family reported her missing and two days later, her boyfriend Brian Laundrie vanished from his parents’ home.
The young couple had been on a cross-country van trip but it turned sour and in August, just a few weeks before she died.
A massive manhunt ensued, and Petito’s remains were found on September 19 at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming near where she and Laundrie had last been seen together – and three weeks after she had last spoken to her parents
Chris and Roberta Laundrie, Brian’s parents, have been widely condemned for not talking with Petito’s family or turning their son in to police when he returned home from his trip, especially after she was reported missing.
He left their home on September 13, two days after her family on Long Island, New York, reported her disappearance.
Petito’s family criticized the Laundries for not helping them and have since filed a lawsuit against them.
Before Petito’s disappearance, she and Laundrie were pulled over by Utah police officer in Moab on August 12, 2021 after they responded to a call from a witness who saw the couple involved in a domestic fight.
His remains were found on October 20 after water had receded from the search area and the park was reopened. On that day, his parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, then informed law enforcement that they intended to return to the park to search for him. Images from Fox News show the Laundrie’s at the reserve ahead of the search as well as the notebook found by law enforcement
Officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins had pulled the couple over after they responded to a call from a witness who saw the couple involved in a domestic fight.
Bodycam footage showed a visibly shaken Petito admitting to being the aggressor in the public argument. During the conversation, Pratt had noted that Petito should have been arrested for her actions as stated in the Utah state law.
The couple, however, managed to dispute the allegations and the officers let them go following a 75-minute conversation on the promise that they spend the night away from one another.
Petito’s family criticized the Laundries for not helping them and have since filed a lawsuit against them, Gabby Petito’s parents Joseph Petito (pictured left) and Nichole Schmidt (center) are seen earlier this week
After the bodycam footage emerged, the Price City Police Department launched its own independent investigation and said Wednesday that the officers should have pressed charges in the incident.
‘I believe the officers responded to a domestic violence call and had probable cause an act of domestic violence had been committed,’ Price Police Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe.
‘This should have meant an arrest was made, either by citation or custody.’
Despite evidence pointing towards Petito as the aggressor, Ratcliffe noted that she had probably been the victim of violence in the relationship.
As a result of the investigation, Ratcliffe recommended that Pratt and Robbins be put on probation for how they handled the incident.
He also concluded that he couldn’t be certain that the officers could have changed the outcome of Petito’s fate if they acted accordingly.
Officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins had pulled the couple over after they responded to a call from a witness who saw the couple involved in a domestic fight
Bodycam footage showed a visibly shaken Petito admitting to being the aggressor in the public argument. During the conversation, Pratt had noted that Petito should have been arrested for her actions as stated in the Utah state law
‘Would Gabby be alive today if this case was handled differently?,’ the report said, according to CNN. That is an impossible question to answer despite it being the answer many people want to know.
‘Nobody knows and nobody will ever know the answer to that question.’
The city of Moab has not revealed any form of future disciplinary action for the officers but they intend to implement new measures such as legal and domestic violence training.
They noted, however, that the officers should have cited Petito made ‘several unintentional mistakes’ during the incident.
‘Based on the report’s findings, the City of Moab believes our officers showed kindness, respect and empathy in their handling of this incident,’ a statement from the city read.
‘The City of Moab sends our sincere condolences to the Petito family. Our hearts go out to them as they continue to deal with the tragic loss of their daughter.’
Source: | Dailymail.co.uk
