Powerhouse streamer Netflix adds another true crime documentary to its library with the latest project, American Murder: Gabby Petito. Over the years, Netflix’s true crime docs have proven to be both eye-opening and nuanced, while also becoming major topics of conversation on social media. Documentaries like FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, Tiger King, Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, The Menendez Brothers and Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal have all shed light on some truly outlandish crimes in American culture for subscribers.
As it pertains to American Murder: Gabby Petito, the docuseries takes a deep dive into the murder of Gabby Petito. CBS News states that in July 2021, Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie left New York to head on a cross-country road trip for four months, planning to document their experience on social media.
On August 12, someone called 9-1-1 claiming to see a confrontation between Laundrie and Petito. The Moab, Utah Police responded and noted in their report that Laundrie “hit Petito,” but no arrests were made. By August 25, Gabby made her last official post to Instagram, and in the following days, Petito’s mom received a few “odd” texts from her daughter that seemed “out of character.”
By September 1, Laundrie arrived back home in North Port, Fla., without his live-in girlfriend Petito, and by September 13, Laundrie was “missing” along with Petito. On September 15, Laundrie was named by North Port Police as a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance.
Jumping to September 21, remains found in Wyoming were identified as Petito and an arrest warrant for Laundrie was issued two days later. In October, Brian’s remains were also found in a Florida reserve, and it was later announced he died from a self-inflicted wound. The FBI reported locating a notebook belonging to Laundrie and in it, they stated he accepted responsibility for Petito’s death.
With all that being said, as the story of Petito and Laundrie unfolded in real time, the American public was captivated by every twist and turn, wanting to get to the truth. Now those who’ve held an interest in what happened can get a more in-depth look at the case with American Murder: Gabby Petito. Here’s a brief synopsis of the series:
“In August 2021, 22-year-old Gabby Petito was killed by her fiance, Brian Laundrie, while the young couple was on a four-month road trip across the United States documenting their ‘van life’ journey on social media. Two months later, Laundrie was found to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and his parents were suspected of helping to cover up the murder. While taking viewers on a journey through Gabby and Brian’s final days together, the series will unveil the tragic reality behind their Insta-perfect life and reveal painful moments where their story might have taken a different turn.”
Brian Laundrie’s parents were not accused of any crime. However, they were accused in a civil case of failing to disclose that their son admitted to killing Gabby. Gabby’s parents sued them for emotional distress, but the two sides reached a deal and the details of the deal have been kept confidential.
American Murder: Gabby Petito is now streaming globally exclusively on Netflix. So if you don’t already have a Netflix subscription, you’ll need to choose from one of the service’s available tiers to watch.