Gabby Petito, the young woman who vanished on a road trip with her boyfriend and was later found dead in Wyoming, was killed by strangulation, a local coroner said on Tuesday.
Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue, whose office had already ruled Petito's death a homicide, said she was killed about three to four weeks before her body was found on September 19.
Her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, 23, has been missing for nearly a month.
The autopsy took more than three weeks to complete and included outside specialists and an analysis of toxicology test results, Dr Blue said.
“It was just a matter of making sure we had everything right,” he said in an online news conference.
“It was quite the media circus and continues to be,” he added.
“Unfortunately, this is only one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved in domestic violence.”
Petito, 22, was last seen alive on August 26. Her body was discovered near the remote Spread Creek Dispersed Campground in Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming.
The disappearance last month of the young woman during a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend captivated the country, first as an internet sensation and then as a tabloid mystery that grew more enigmatic by the day.
Petito, who lived with Mr Laundrie and his parents in North Port on Florida's west coast, embarked on their trip in early July from New York's Long Island, where her parents live.
As they travelled through Kansas, Colorado, Utah and points west, Petito documented their “van life” on social media with videos and pictures that depicted a loving couple having an American adventure. She posted her final photo to Instagram on August 25, the same day she last spoke to her mother by phone.
Unfortunately, this is only one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved in domestic violence
Dr Brent Blue,
Teton County coroner
Mr Laundrie returned without her on September 1 to his family's North Port home driving Petito's white van. Ten days later, Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, reported her missing to police in New York.
With the search becoming more public after Florida police named Mr Laundrie a person of interest in the case, police in Moab, Utah, released bodycam footage on September 15 that suggested a darker side to the couple's sunny social media veneer.
After a caller reported seeing Mr Laundrie striking Petito, Moab police pulled over their van on August 12 and questioned them for more than an hour. Both acknowledged having argued, and Petito tearfully said she had struck Mr Laundrie on the arm.
No charges were filed, but police ordered the two to stay in separate lodgings for the night.
Mr Laundrie, who had refused to talk to North Port police on the advice of his lawyer, has not been seen since September 14, when his parents later said he told them he was going for a hike in the nearby Carlton Reserve wilderness area.
Police and US Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, using divers, tracking dogs and helicopters, have turned up no sign of him in the swampy, alligator-infested wilderness area.
On September 23, a federal grand jury in Wyoming indicted Mr Laundrie on a charge of fraudulently using Petito's bank debit card between August 30 and September 1 to spend $1,000 or more.
He has not been charged in her death.
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
