Disturbing Details Revealed In Netflix's American Murder: Gabby Petito

In February 2025, Netflix debuted the latest entry in "American Murder," its true crime anthology series. "American Murder: Gabby Petito" is a thorough, probing, and respectful accounting of the 2021 disappearance, murder, and discovery of Petito, a vlogger depicting her van life experience alongside her fiancé, and eventual killer, Brian Laundrie. From the development of the relationship between Petito and Laundrie, to the recovery of Petito's remains in Grand Teton National Park, to the fate of Laundrie, "American Murder: Gabby Petito" provides a complete timeline of the Laundrie and Petito case, bolstered by interviews with Petito's family members and closest friends as well as the disclosure of evidence.

But there are a lot of things about the Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito case that still don't make sense. The three-part documentary series also takes on an investigative after-the-fact approach, revealing small but vital elements of the saga not previously known to the public. Here are all the new twists and data points about the Gabby Petito murder case as delivered in Netflix's "American Murder: Gabby Petito."

Previously established in the timeline of the murder case of Gabby Petito is how Brian Laundrie reportedly sent text messages to Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, from his girlfriend's phone after her death, allegedly to cover up her murder and make it appear as if she remained alive. On August 27, 2021, Schmidt received two messages from her daughter's phone, one in which she referred to a grandfather by his first name — something Petito reportedly didn't do — and another informing her of the lack of phone service in their remote location. Both of these texts merit mentions in Netflix's "American Murder: Gabby Petito."

The documentary series further reveals that before those messages came through, Schmidt received a series of other texts, believed to have been sent by Petito. "I'm fine, I convinced Brian to go camp out in the woods so I can have the van to myself. It's what he wants to do," Petito wrote. "He said I could have the van if I paid him." This suggests that Petito may have been thinking of splitting up with Laundrie and ending their trip. When asked if they were indeed breaking up, Petito wrote Schmidt, "No I just said I could make more money as a solo female van lifer."

Some of the most gut-wrenching testimony in Netflix's "American Murder: Gabby Petito" comes from a friend and former romantic partner of the late Gabby Petito. A man identified only as "Jackson" details his relationship with Petito as well as his heretofore publicly unknown interactions with her in the days before her death in August 2021.

Jackson said that he and Petito were a couple for a year before she began her relationship with Brian Laundrie, and mentions that they'd even lightly discussed someday taking the off-the-grid, van-life trip together. On August 22, 2021, Jackson received a text message from Petito, alone for the day and needing to talk. That night, they had a superficial conversation over the phone, which turned concerning when Petito mentioned her plans to leave Laundrie, but she feared how he might react. Five days later, Jackson recalled that Petito sent him a Snapchat message from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to quip that the name of the town reminded her of him. Sometime later, Petito wanted to talk again, but Jackson skipped the call because he was occupied at work. Jackson learned of Petito's death from a TV news broadcast on the day that her body was discovered and identified.

Four days after the Sept. 19, 2021, discovery of remains in Grand Teton National Park that were conclusively identified as those of Gabby Petito, federal authorities made a significant breakthrough in the case. An unsealed arrest warrant was issued for Brian Laundrie, by that point a reported missing person, as a person of interest in what had been ruled to be the murder of Petito. They also levied a charge of debit card fraud, finding evidence that Petito's Capital One debit card had allegedly been used after her death to the tune of $1,000 worth of transactions and that Laundrie was the likely culprit. 

In the 2025 Netflix documentary "American Murder: Gabby Petito," an FBI agent disclosed that a significant portion of the fraudulent charges levied by Laundrie came from a Zelle direct funds transfer. Laundrie reportedly used Petito's phone to take $700 out of her bank account and move it into his. In order to make it look like Petito had done it herself, giving off the false impression that she was still alive, Laundrie included a memo to suggest the couple was splitting up and ending their road trip. "Goodbye Brian, I'll never ask you for anything again," the note read.