Are these two unsolved mysteries really one mystery??
As Utah authorities continue to investigate the disappearance of Gabrielle Petito and the grisly murders of newlywed couple Crystal Turner and Kylen Schulte, they haven’t ruled out that the two cases might be related.
As we reported, Turner, 38, and Schulte, 24, were last seen on August 13 at Woody’s Tavern on Main Street in Moab. The women were found partially clothed five days later on a hiking trail near camping grounds located in the La Sal Mountains; each had died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile, Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie were in Moab amid a cross-country road trip they were documenting on YouTube on August 12 — a little over a week before her family stopped hearing from her. Oh, and shortly before Laundrie drove their van back to Florida without her…
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Seeing as these two cases took place around the same time and in the same area — in fact, someone called police on August 12 after Gabby and Brian started arguing outside a food cooperative called Moonflower, where Schulte had worked — officials haven’t ruled out that they might actually be connected somehow.
Speaking to Fox News, a representative for the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said all investigative avenues available to them are being explored, sharing:
“We’re looking at everything, I mean, anything and everything that was suspicious around that time or we’re not ruling anything out at this time. So, we’re just investigating the information as it comes in.”
While they haven’t officially ruled out a potential link, however, the police official noted that there’s currently no evidence to suggest the two cases are related.
The news comes after police released body camera footage from their interviews on August 12 with Brian and Gabby, who was crying. Laundrie told officers Petito had struck him in the face during their fight, but no charges were filed, and police eventually categorized the incident as a “mental health crisis.”
Gabby was reported missing on September 11 — 10 days after her boyfriend returned to his parents’ North Port, Florida, home in her van. Family members last had contact with Petito on August 25, when she was near Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming.
Laundrie has since been named a person of interest in his girlfriend’s disappearance, with police saying he’s refused to cooperate with their investigation. The pair had been traveling across America in a white Ford Transit van since early July.
Schulte and Turner had been living in their van, moving from campsite to campsite, mainly staying in the Moab area. During a camping trip on August 13, the newlyweds told friends they were having issues with a “creepy” man and planned to move to different campgrounds. Shortly after that, family members stopped hearing from them entirely.
Anyone with information on Petito’s whereabouts is urged to call 800-CALL-FBI. Anyone who may have information about the murders of Schulte and Turner is asked to contact investigators at 435-259-8115.
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