The Disappearance Of Gaby Petito | Preview (ITVX)

Three part true crime documentary. The disappearance of 22-year-old video blogger Gabby Petito gripped America and sparked the internet into a frenzy. For a time, she was the most famous face in the country and the most searched subject on the internet. Everyone wanted to know: Where is Gabby Petito? And what happened to her?

This definitive documentary series follows the twists and turns of the investigation, telling the story of a unique 21st Century mystery. Interviews with Gabby’s parents reveal the torment of being a family at the heart of such a case, while we hear from the internet sleuths who dedicated their online lives to solving her disappearance.

On July 2nd 2021, 22-year-old Gabby Petito set off on a road trip across America in a renovated white van with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. It was meant to be a four-month journey visiting some of America’s most picturesque national parks with Gabby launching herself as a travel vlogger, documenting the trip through social media and her YouTube channel, Nomadic Statik.

Her posts appeared to show a young couple on the trip of a lifetime. Her family followed her progress and stayed in touch throughout, until at the end of August, believing the couple were in Wyoming, all communication with Gabby stopped.

Gabby’s parents began a desperate search. But what started as a seemingly simple missing persons case soon turned into a twisting saga creating a whirlwind online as an army of internet sleuths set out to solve the mystery of what happened to Gabby Petito. Adding to the sense of intrigue was the revelation that Gabby’s boyfriend, Brian, had returned home to Florida in the van at the beginning of September....all alone.

As attention on the case grew people wanted answers from Brian and his family, yet they resolved to stay silent as the search for Gabby intensified. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to this couple, whose social media posts seemingly showed two people very much in love.

However, the release of bodycam footage from Utah police during a traffic stop shows the relationship between Gabby and Brian in a very different light and leads to more questions about what happened on their trip. 

Featuring interviews with Gabby’s parents, they shed light on the real Gabby Petito, her childhood and her ambitions as she set off on this fateful journey. They take us inside their desperate search for their daughter, as they are thrust into the media spotlight with the case becoming the biggest story in America.

Lands Thursday 9th May on ITVX.