Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger from Blue Point whose death was ruled a homicide by authorities in a case that has gripped America, had told police about a domestic dispute with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, CNN reported on Friday.
The network cited additional bodycam footage from a responding officer from August which it said provides further insight into the couple’s troubles.
Petito‘s boyfriend, whom police had sought in connection with her death during their cross-country road trip, was charged last week with fraudulently using her bank debit card. Petito and Laundrie embarked on their trip in June in her van, posting videos along the way on social media.
A search warrant was issued for Laundrie, 23, after a grand jury in Wyoming indicted him on a single count of unlawfully using the card and Petito‘s personal identification number. He was not charged in her death.
The latest footage from August, obtained by CNN, provided a glimpse into the troubles between Petito and Laundrie. The video is more than 52 minutes long and includes Petito telling officers that while Laundrie had hit her, she hit him first, CNN reported.
Police were not immediately available for comment.
Police in Utah stopped the couple’s van on Aug. 12 after receiving a complaint about a domestic disturbance. The hour-long roadside encounter, in which the two were questioned separately, did not result in charges against either of them. Police had earlier released a separate video of the encounter as well.
Petito‘s family reported her missing on Sept. 11. Ten days earlier Laundrie had returned home from the trip without her. He has since gone missing.
Petito‘s body was discovered in September in a remote area of Bridger-Teton National Forest, in western Wyoming.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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