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Gabby Petito’s cause of death was strangulation and the manner of death was a homicide, according to Dr. Brent Blue, the Teton County Coroner in Wyoming.
Blue made the announcement a little after 2:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Oct. 12, from his office.
The coroner said an examination of the body shows Petito, age 22, was dead anywhere from three to four weeks before her body was discovered Sunday, Sept. 19.
He added that Wyoming state law does not allow any other information regarding trauma to the body, such as prior abuse, to be released.
Blue also declined to comment on the body’s condition at the time of discovery.
While Blue did say the body was outside, he could not say if it was buried or exposed, saying that type of information would need to come from the FBI.
The coroner also said DNA samples were taken by law enforcement and she was not pregnant at the time of death.
When asked, Blue said it took a month to reach a final autopsy because officials were very "exacting" in their examination.
He stated that the office was also waiting for other specialists to examine the body and for toxicology to be returned.
"It was just a matter of making sure we had everything right," he said.
Blue also confirmed that Petito was not pregnant at the time of her death.
Petito disappeared while on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend and fellow Long Island native Brian Laundrie, who himself is the subject of a nationwide manhunt since disappearing almost a month ago.
She last spoke with her parents on Tuesday, Aug. 17, and was reported missing by her mother on Saturday, Sept. 11 from Blue Point in Suffolk County on Long Island, after learning Laundrie, age 23, returned to Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 1 by himself.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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