Fellow ‘Van Life’ Camper Helped Authorities Locate Gabby Petito’s Body

Jessica Schultz’s tip to the FBI proved instrumental in the discovery of Gabby Petito’s body.

On August 26th, the graphic designer, who has spent the last four years living the “van life,” noticed a White Ford Transit van driving slowly around Grand Teton national park. As she explains in a TikTok video, seeing another camper sparked her curiosity and she took note as she passed the van.

The “van life” community is known to be incredibly welcoming and open, and it isn’t unusual for those in it to socialize while on their journeys. But when she peered into the white Ford Transit van, all she saw was a single man, who she now believes was Brian Laundrie. She noted as she passed that he pulled over, got out of the car, and began to look around.

Schultz would see the van two other times over the next two days. She only ever saw one person and described his behavior as “very awkward and confused.” At the time she had no idea what was happening or had happened in that Ford Transit van. It wasn’t until a friend sent a text with a picture that showed a hat on the van’s dashboard that she suddenly realized what she had seen. The hat looked exactly like the one she had seen back on August 26th as she passed a man in an almost identical white Ford Transit van.

The tip proved to be crucial in locating the remains of Gabby Petito. She told the FBI to search near Spread Creek, which is the exact area where her remains were found. The coroner’s office ruled her death a homicide and the only suspect remains Brian Laundrie, who has gone missing after returning home to Florida.