Gabby Petito Docuseries Digs Into the #VanLife Vlogger’s Shocking Murder

Nearly four years after Gabby Petito’s remains were discovered in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest, Netflix is set to release a new docuseries into the shocking murder of the #vanlife vlogger by her then-fiancé, Brian Laundrie. 

American Murder: Gabby Petito will dig into Petito’s and Laundrie’s final days together, as well as the abusive underside of their seemingly pristine, social media-ready life. “Gabby and Brian seemed like a loving couple,” one person says in the new trailer. “But behind the scenes, they would get into arguments… The happiest people on social media, usually have the darkest skeletons in their closet.”

The trailer for the film features an array of footage that Petito and Laundrie shot during their travels together, much of it seemingly innocuous and pleasant, though not without moments of unease. There’s also an array of police footage from the subsequent investigation into Petito’s disappearance, including dramatic body cam video of Petito and Laundrie’s van being towed away from the Laundrie family’s home.

American Murder: Gabby Petito, was directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro. The three-part series will premiere Feb. 17 on Netflix. 

Last June, the FBI released more than 350 pages of documents from their investigation into Petito’s disappearance and what was later ruled as her death from strangulation. It’s believed that Laundrie killed Petito sometime in August 2021 (her remains were found several weeks later) then drove their van from Wyoming back to his parents’ house in Florida. Laundrie was named a person of interest, but before he could be arrested and charged, he went missing, as well.

In October 2021, Laundrie’s remains were found in Carlton Reserve in North Port, Florida, along with a written confession in which he admitted to strangling Petito. Authorities ruled that Laundrie had died by suicide from a self-inflected gunshot wound. 

Petito’s family has filed, and settled, two separate civil suits against Laundrie’s family. The first for wrongful death was settled in November 2022 for $3 million, while the second for emotional distress was settled last February (the terms were undisclosed).