Coroner Slips Up And Hints That Gabby Petito’s Homicide May Be A Result Of Domestic Violence
Does this incriminate Brian Laundrie?
YouTube Teton County, Wyoming Coroner Dr. Brent Blue announced the findings of his investigation of the body of Gabby Petito in a press conference on Tuesday, October 12th.
Over the course of the press conference, Dr. Blue revealed some details about Gabby's cause and manner of death.
But it was what the coroner didn't say — but did imply — that may give us even more details about what police know about Gabby's killer.
The coroner examining Gabby Petito's body hinted her death was connected to domestic violence.
Dr. Blue declined to comment directly on whether or not he believed or found evidence that Brian Laundrie killed Gabby Petito.
When questioned about whether or not he believed that Brian Laundrie was Gabby’s killer, Dr. Blue said, “I can’t make any comment about any suspects because we are not involved in that part of the investigation. We are only involved in the investigation of the body of the deceased.”
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Despite the coroner’s refusal to answer questions about Brian Laundrie’s role in Gabby Petito’s death, close listeners noticed a telling comment from the coroner regarding the news coverage of the case later on in the press conference.
When asked about how the press coverage had affected Dr. Blue and his ability to do his job, Dr. Blue had this to say during his answer, “Unfortunately this is only one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved in domestic violence and it’s unfortunate that these other deaths do not get as much coverage as this one.”
The coroner's comments may suggest investigators know more about Gabby's death than they're willing to share.
While the Teton County coroner didn’t outright state that domestic violence played a role in Gabby’s death, mentioning it here, during the press conference regarding her autopsy, stands out.
It’s unclear at this time what exactly the coroner found during the autopsy since Dr. Blue couldn’t comment on very many specifics or the law enforcement investigation.
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However, the mention of domestic violence in relation to the media coverage of Gabby Petito’s death seems to suggest that Dr. Blue believes that Gabby’s death is related to alleged violence within her relationship.
We know that police were called to a domestic incident between Brian and Gabby weeks before her death after a 911 caller claimed to witness Brian hit Gabby.
Dr. Blue's comments certainly hint that Gabby's death may be linked to this incident or other instances of domestic violence,
This is far from anything concrete, but it’s possible that the coroner found something during the autopsy that indicated more than what was announced at the press conference.
While we know that the cause and manner of death were strangulation and homicide respectively, some believe that there were details that the coroner found during his investigation and couldn’t comment on that led him to believe that Gabby’s death was related to domestic violence.
Authorities are looking for Brian Laundrie as the sole person of interest in this case, and it’s certain that evidence found during Gabby’s autopsy will play a role in any future trials.
Dan O'Reilly is a writer who covers news, politics and social justice. Follow him on Twitter.