45°
Petito, age 22, of Blue Point in Suffolk County, who had been on a road trip with Laundrie, was killed by strangulation, her body was found on Sunday, Sept. 19, in the Grand Teton National Park, in Wyoming.
Following the discovery of her remains, the FBI named Laundrie, age 23, a "person of interest" in her death, but he died by suicide in Florida before he could be caught.
His remains were found in a nature reserve near his North Port, Florida home in October.
After Petito's death, the Moab, Utah Police asked for an investigation into how the department handled an earlier stop of the couple for a reported domestic violence incident.
The couple was stopped in August after the department received a report they were seen fighting outside a grocery store. Police noticed Laundrie driving erratically and pulled them over.
- See Related Story: New Dispatch Audio Reveals Cops In Utah Were Told Brian Laundrie Hit Gabby Petito
In the newly released report, found officers "failed to cite Petito for domestic violence," the 102-page report said.
During the stop, officers discussed arresting Petito after she admitted hitting Laundrie, but she also said that he had struck her as well.
But according to a bodycam video, the officers instead ordered the couple to stay away from each other for a night and put Laundrie up in an area hotel.
In response to the report, the Moab Police said: "Based on the report’s findings, the City of Moab believes our officers showed kindness, respect, and empathy in their handling of this incident."
The report also recommended the department provide additional training in domestic violence investigation, as well as additional legal training to ensure officers understand state laws and statutes.
The department said it plans to implement the report’s recommendations.
The author of the report, Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe of the Price Police Department, wrote that there are many "what-if's" associated with the case, including whether Petito would be alive if Moab police had acted differently.
"There were mistakes made in how this case was handled," Ratcliffe wrote. "If this case was handled flawlessly, would it have changed anything? Nobody knows."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hartford and receive free news updates.
