Witnesses claimed Brian Laundrie was behaving 'like a lunatic' weeks before Gabby Petito's murder, according to FBI

Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.

Almost four years ago, travel influencer Gabby Petito was murdered while on the road with her fiancé Brian Laundrie.

After more than two years together, 22-year-old Gabby and 23-year-old Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip of a lifetime in July 2021, living out of a Ford Transit van they converted into a camper.

But their Instagram-perfect relationship was a far cry from reality, as the pair went from being young and in love to the center of a criminal investigation, which has now been turned into a three-part series American Murder: Gabby Petito released on Netflix.

Now, newly released witness statements taken by the FBI recount a man who believes he possibly saw Laundrie slap Gabby in Moab, Utah, just weeks before he killed her by way of strangulation.

Officials detailed the events, summarizing what the agency was told by the man - who they have not identified.

It read: "As ***** passed the van, he thought he may have seen the male slap the female. Out of concern for the female, ***** conducted a U-turn and parked on the opposite side of the road from the couple and their van.

"***** and his family remained in this location and observed the couple for approximately 10-15 minutes, between approximately 4:30pm and 4:45pm, before they departed for the ATV tour.

"During the time, ***** and his family were observing the couple, the male acted 'like a lunatic,' sporadically opening and slamming doors and pacing around the van. He seemed to be pleading with the female and at one point may have tried to hug the female, but was pushed back by her."

It continued: "The male ultimately pushed the females legs into the passenger side of the van, closed her door, and entered the driver's side of the vehicle. The male subsequently put his head between his hands and both passengers appeared to be crying.

"While observing the behaviors and actions of the couple, ***** considered intervening and/or calling 9-1-1, but ultimately decided not to do so. ***** had previously contacted 9-1-1, shortly before arriving in Moab, after nearly nearly being run off the road by a truck.

"***** and his family departed the area of the couple between 4:40pm and 4:45pm, in order to be on time for their ATV tour. ***** did not observe any police responding to the scene prior to his departure."

It went on to explain how the unnamed man and his family returned home, and after hearing of the murder weeks later, he realized that he was in Moab at the same time as them.

The summary concluded with: "However, ***** did not make any connection to what he had observed there until his daughter reminded him of the incident and asked him to review photos of Petito and Laundrie online.

"After reviewing photos, ***** and his daughter became confident that the couple they had observed in Moab were PETITO and LAUNDRIE."

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.