Where Is Gabby?: Police Search On For Missing Long Island Woman

BLUE POINT, NY — The family and friends of a missing Long Island native who was last seen on a road trip out-of-state have launched a social media campaign to help get the word out about her disappearance while law enforcement searches for her.

Twenty-two-year-old Gabrielle Petito, who is originally from Blue Point, was traveling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van, which had the Florida license plate QFTG03, “with a companion when she stopped communicating with friends and family,” Suffolk police said.

Petito's family told detectives that they were in contact with her during the last week of August, police said, adding that before the last communication, Petito “is believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.”

The van has since been recovered, but Petito was reported missing by her family on Saturday, police said.

The North Port Police Department is investigating Petito’s disappearance in conjunction with Suffolk police.

“We currently have no definitive information that a crime took place here in North Port,” read a statement posted to the department’s Facebook page. “With that said, the circumstances are odd.”

The van Petito was traveling in was located in North Port, according to the statement, which added, “So, we are actively gathering local details and any evidence to assist in finding needed answers.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Tampa Field Office is also assisting with the investigation.

The Petito family has launched a Facebook page called "Find Gabby" in hopes of spreading the word about her disappearance and have posted photos of her begging the question, "Where's Gabby?"

A GoFundMe page dedicated to raising funds to aid with the search for Petito says that she "is now considered missing under suspicious circumstances after no contact and an initial search effort."

"Our focus is on finding Gabby to bring her home," wrote Gary Rider. "While we are working with the [Federal Bureau of Investigation], multiple law enforcement agencies, and outside resources to pursue any and all leads the family will need funds and resources to travel and pay for expenses related to an investigation and search on the other side of the country, any help is appreciated."

The page has raised nearly $9,000 to aid the Petito family during the search.

Petito had been on a road trip from early July touring national parks with her boyfriend in the van, which had been converted into a camper, and her family has not heard from her since Aug. 25, Fox News reported.

Her mother, Nichole Schmidt, told the outlet: "I don't know if she left Grand Teton or not. I did receive a text from her on the 27th and the 30th, but I don't know if it was technically her or not, because it was just a text."

Petito and her boyfriend started off traveling from Florida to New York, and arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, in August, but had plans to leave due to heavy wildfire smoke, Schmidt told Fox News, adding that the pair stopped in Grand Teton National Park on Aug. 25 and were headed to Yellowstone next.

Schmidt told Fox that she could not "say much, but she’s no longer with the van. I don’t want to say anything more than that, but for people looking for her, I want them to look for her now, not look for that van anymore."

Petito had been documenting the road trip in "Van Life: Beginning Our Van Life Journey," on a YouTube channel named Nomadic Statik, according to Fox.

In a recent post on Instagram, she wrote: "There is no place like the tiny home we built."

Her father, Joe Petito, told Newsday the feeling he has is like "drowning with your hands tied behind you."

"You can't describe it," he told the outlet, adding, "There's nothing you can do. You can't control anything."

Petito grew up in Blue Point and graduated from Bayport — Blue Point High School before moving to North Port, Fa., with her boyfriend two years ago, Joe Petito told Newsday.

He described her as very free-spirited, adding that "Clothes didn't impress her. Cars didn't impress her. Experiences — that's what impressed her."

Petito was last seen on Aug. 24 when she checked out of a hotel with, Brian Laundrie, whom she was engaged to, in Salt Lake City, Utah, The Daily Mail reported.

Laundrie, who returned home to Florida, has retained an attorney and is refusing to cooperate with the investigation into Petito's disappearance, according to Petito's family, the outlet reported.

Petito is described as a white female who stands at about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 110 lbs. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and several tattoos, including one on her finger, as well as one on her forearm that reads “let it be.”

Suffolk detectives are asking anyone with information on Petito’s disappearance to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, a confidential police hotline. All calls can remain anonymous, according to police.

Anyone with information can also call 1-800 CALL FBI or submit your tip to: tips.fbi.gov

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.