What you Should know About the American Murder: Gabby Petito Docuseries

American Murder: Gabby Petito is the third documentary in the American Murder franchise of Netflix. It follows American Murder: The Family Next Door and American Murder: Laci Peterson. This one highlights the events that led to the mysterious disappearance of the young woman, Gabby Petito. 

A trailer has dropped, and it shows how the happy journey that Petito was supposed to be on with her fiancé turned into a nightmare. While everything seemed picture perfect on camera, there was a lot more going on behind the scenes. This documentary utilizes multiple things to get to the root of what happened. 

Want to know more about the Gabby Petitio case? In this article, we will discuss that and other details. Also, stay tuned, as we will keep you updated with the latest information as and when they get released. 

Release date & Where to Watch

The three-part documentary American Murder: Gabby Petito premieres on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, on Netflix. 

What is American Murder: Gabby Petito About?

American Murder: Gabby Petito will dive into the case of Petito’s murder. Gabby went missing in 2021 and quickly grabbed national headlines. In the weeks leading up to her disappearance, Petito had recorded her travels with Brian Laundrie, her fiancé, and posted them on social media. 

After that, the authorities learned that Laundrie had gone back home to Florida in the same van they had shared, but without Petito. When the police showed up to speak to him, his parents told them to speak to their lawyer instead. These odd circumstances made the case go viral. 

Casual observers noticed that something wasn’t right about this case. American Murder: Gabby Petito aims to go beyond the media frenzy and let Petito’s friends and family talk about her story. The documentary will be full of excerpts from Petito’s journal, real text messages, video footages, and more. 

The series aims to capture what happened to the woman who was seemingly trapped in an abusive relationship while putting on a happy facade for everyone. 

Who Happened to Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie?

Gabrielle Venora Petito was born in 1999 in New York and met Brian Laundrie because they ran in similar circles during high school. However, they became romantically involved only after graduation. After awhile, he convinced her to move to Florida, where his family stayed. 

As their relationship became more serious, he proposed. However, wedding plans took a backseat and they decided to buy a van, convert it into a camper and travel across the country. Her family and friends had reservations about Brian especially about his possessiveness and anger issues. However, Petito said that all was well.

But things went terribly bad on that trip. Petito was last seen alive on Aug. 27, 2021, in Wyoming. On Sept. 1, Laundrie went back to Florida, to his parents’ home and didn’t speak to any authorities. Then, about two weeks later, on Sept. 17, his parents reported him missing. This set off a manhunt for him along with Petito. 

American Murder: Gabby Petito Trailer

The trailer shows that the people who seem to have a picture-perfect life on social media are hiding skeletons in their closet. The trailer begins with Gabby and Brian vlogging their journey, but the latter didn’t like the idea. Soon, their interactions descend into arguments, and then things get worse. Check it out below: 

Behind the Scenes 

American Murder: Gabby Petito is directed and executive produced by Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro. It is produced by Cinemart and Stage 29. Dr. Phillip C. McGraw and Sarah Carden have also executive produced the series.