An independent investigation into the police response in Utah after a dispute between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie shows a series of errors made by officers.
These elements probably do not change much at the end of the investigation into the death of Gabby Petito but highlight errors made by the police. An independent report made about the intervention of agents in Utah with the couple after an argument points to shortcomings on the part of the police. On August 12, when the young woman and her fiancé Brian Laundrie had been traveling for several weeks through the American national parks, the authorities had to intervene following an altercation between the two. The meeting between the police and the couple was filmed by the cameras installed on the officers’ uniforms. It is thanks to these images that the external investigation was able to be carried out.
That day, Gabby Petito admitted to having slapped her fiancé after he threatened to leave her on the side of the road. The latter, he explained that he did not want to follow up on this case, because he “loved” his companion, while the agents suggested that he file a complaint against her. Making them promise to separate for a few hours, the agents then left. However, during their meeting with the couple, Gabby had also said that she had been struck by Brian Laundrie. “He grabbed my face with his fingernails instead, I think that’s why I have a little cut here. I can feel it when I touch it, it burns me,” she said. In response, one of the two agents had estimated that Gabby was the victim of her own psychological disorders. “What you two did today was the result of your inability to deal with your fears and anxiety. But you don’t have enough experience in life to navigate through it all yet,” he said.
The report says officers failed to see that Gabby was not “the predominant long-term abuser in this relationship.” “Brian was thoroughly examined, including under his clothing for injuries, photographic evidence was obtained, and he was offered treatment. None of this appears to have been offered to Gabby Petito, even after she too said she was injured in an assault. “Even when Gabby reported an argument that resulted in injury, her statement was entirely ignored as the officers appeared to be operating under confirmation bias which influenced how they interpreted the evidence and their theory of the case” , describes the report.
Probably a victim of domestic violence for a long time
During his conversation with Gabby, one of the officers explained to him that it doesn’t matter if he is a woman or a man, the first to have struck the other must be prosecuted, according to a specific law in Utah. . Even if Brian Laundrie did not wish to file a complaint, the police officer therefore announced to the young woman that she had no choice but to sue her. A ticket had to be given to him, with an online court date. Words that made Gabby burst into tears, saying she was afraid of being separated from her companion. The camera footage concludes with the agent calling Brian Laundrie “Mister Friendly,” for giving Gabby another chance.
Police opened this independent investigation into the incident after a lawyer filed a formal complaint alleging officers ‘bottomed up’ Gabby Petito after it was revealed she ‘kicked (Brian Laundrie) first’. “I am confident and comfortable to say that the errors that were made were not made intentionally,” said Captain Brandon Ratcliffe in his 102-page report released Wednesday by the police department. If the errors brought to light are not considered intentional, the report recommends a trial period for the agents in question and training to be followed. The independent investigation adds that the officers “showed kindness, respect and empathy in their handling of this incident” but made “several errors” by not taking into account the testimony of the young woman who was probably long-time victim of domestic violence. “Would Gabby be alive today if this case was handled differently? This is an impossible question to answer although it is the answer many people want to know. No one knows and no one will ever know the answer to this question,” Brandon Ratcliffe wrote.
Gabby Petito disappeared in August and was found dead in September in a national park in Wyoming. She was traveling with Brian Laundrie when he returned home alone in Florida, in their vehicle, refusing to tell the police where she was. The American then also disappeared before being found dead in a nature reserve. The analyzes carried out on the partially found corpse concluded that the young man had committed suicide.
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