Leaked Emails Suggest Cops May Have Been Hiding New Bodycam Footage Of Gabby Petito Alleging Brian Laundrie Hit Her
A leaked email revealed police officers may have attempted to cover up details regarding the dispute between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie.
The message suggested the Moab Police Department was withholding newly-released body camera footage that may have implicated the officers on the scene.
According to The Sun, a lawyer called out the department for potentially hiding the footage, writing in an email: “The sooner you come clean about Pratt’s body camera for the August 12 Petito/Laundrie matter, the better.”
“If it was withheld, you need to provide it and apologize,” the email, sent by lawyer Happy Morgan, read.
Over a month before the 22-year-old was found dead in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, Petito and her fiancé were pulled over by law enforcement on August 12 for an alleged domestic dispute.
Officer Daniel Robbins’ bodycam footage from the incident was later released after Petito was reported missing — but the clip portrayed the YouTuber as the main aggressor in the dispute after cops concluded she wasn’t at risk.
- Police Made Two Separate Visits To Brian Petito’s Florida Home, Stated The Problem Was 'Solved' Prior To Gabby Petito Being Reported Missing
- Duane 'Dog The Bounty Hunter' Chapman Says It Seems The Search For Brian Laundrie 'Is Indeed Over' After Unidentified Human Remains Were Found
- Gabby Petito Tells Police Brian Laundrie Hit Her In Newly Released Bodycam Footage, Says He Grabbed Her Face
Meanwhile, footage from the body camera of a second officer, Eric Pratt, wasn't released until weeks after the original footage from the incident went viral. The new clip revealed shocking additional details, one of which included Petito alleging Laundrie hit her.
In the video, released Friday, October 1, a sobbing Petito told the officers she was left with a “burning” cut on her cheek after Laundrie allegedly “grabbed” her face.
The new footage also reportedly revealed the two officers laughing with Laundrie and telling him “we feel bad for you,” despite his clearly distressed fiancée. Ultimately, the officers concluded there was no risk for Petito, despite her claims that he was physical with her.
The officers on the scene — who decided to separate the pair for the night — have been under scrutiny ever since Laundrie became a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance.
On September 1, Laundrie returned back home to Florida from the couple's cross-country road trip without Petito, and was later reported missing on September 17. The 23-year-old fugitive has yet to be found by the FBI, although they have visited his family home and confiscated personal items for DNA matching.
Duane “Dog” Chapman also joined the search for the missing man and has been following a trail near the Shell Island area in Florida.
