Gabby Petito's "Odd" Final Text Revealed as Her Remains Are Believed to Be Found

Gabby Petito sent her mom an "odd text" on Aug. 27, according to a newly-unsealed search warrant. The document states it was the "last communication" anyone had with the missing influencer.

By Lindsay Weinberg Sep 21, 2021 1:17 AMTags
Watch: Gabby Petito's "Odd" Final Text to Her Mom Revealed

Police have revealed mysterious activity that came from Gabby Petito's phone amid her disappearance and believed death. 

On Sept. 19, the FBI and police found human remains in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, which matched the description of the 22-year-old influencer, who embarked on a road trip with fiancé Brian Laundrie in mid-June but didn't return back with him in September. An autopsy will be conducted on Tuesday, Sept. 21 in hopes of identifying the remains.

After the body was discovered, authorities unsealed a Florida search warrant that had been used to search a hard drive from Petito's van. 

According to the warrant obtained by E! News on Sept. 20, Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt received an "odd text" from her daughter on Aug. 27. The text read, "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls."

Although her grandfather is named Stan, her mother said she never calls him "Stan." 

"The mother was concerned that something was wrong with her daughter," read the warrant by officer Daniel Alix. "This is the last communication anyone had with the subject."

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He continued, "Her cellphone was no longer operational, and she stopped posting anything on social media about their trip. Per her family, this was not normal behavior for the subject, and they became more worried about her." Alix said her cellphone had been turned off for about 15 days leading up to his Sept. 15 warrant.

The warrant also stated that Petito had sent "multiple text messages" and "had many talks" with Schmidt during the trip. "During these conversations there appeared to be more and more tension between her and Laundrie," the detective wrote.

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Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11, about three months after she had left New York for the National Parks trip with Laundrie. Police have said Laundrie returned home to Florida without Petito on Sept. 1, and his family said they have not seen him since Sept. 14.

On the day she was reported missing, her Ford Transit van was located at "her address" in North Port, Fla., but a license plate reader revealed that the vehicle entered the city on Sept. 1 at about 10 a.m., according to the warrant. 

Detective Alix was searching the hard drive for information, including emails, texts, all internet browsing history, photos and more, to aid in the investigation.

"It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime," the North Port Police Department said in a statement on Sept. 17. "We are not currently working a crime investigation." 

On Sept. 20, FBI executed a search of his home in North Port, Fla., where he lived with his parents. FBI Tampa announced eight hours later that the search was completed, but didn't provide additional information.

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Although the newly-unsealed search warrant stated that Petito's text about "Stan" was her "last communication," a lawyer for the Petito family said her mother received a final text on Aug. 30. Attorney Richard Stafford told Insider on Sept. 15 that the final text from Petito's phone to her mom read, "No service in Yosemite." 

"She doesn't believe it was from her daughter," Stafford said. "Looking back now with all the facts ... she believes it's not her daughter."

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