A 22-year-old woman who documented her cross-country road trip on YouTube has been reported missing after her fiancé returned without her
Gabby Petito was reported missing after she didn't return from a road trip with her fiancé.
The police opened an investigation after her mother filed a missing-person report on Saturday.
A news report said Petito's fiancé was not cooperating with authorities and had hired a lawyer.
A 22-year-old New York woman who documented her cross-country van road trip on social media was reported missing by her mother on Saturday after her fiancé returned to their home in Florida without her, reports said.
Gabby Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, embarked on their road trip on July 2 from Blue Point, New York, Newsday reported.
The two were living in a 2012 Ford Transit van and documenting their travels on Instagram and YouTube, often using the hashtag #vanlife.
Petito was last seen checking out of a hotel with Laundrie on August 24. She last spoke to her family on the phone the next day, telling them she had arrived at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, her mother, Nicole Schmidt, said.
Her mother told reporters on Monday that she FaceTimed with Petito around August 23 or 24.
Petito's most recent Instagram post was shared on August 25.
Schmidt told Fox News on Sunday that she was unsure whether her daughter had left Grand Teton. She said she exchanged texts with Petito's number twice after August 25.
"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," Schmidt said. "I didn't verbally speak to her."
Laundrie eventually returned to the couple's home in North Port, Florida, without Petito, though it was not clear when he arrived, the Daily Mail reported.
The police in New York's Suffolk County said Schmidt filed a missing-person report on Saturday.
"Petito, 22, of Blue Point, is described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and 110 pounds," the press release said. "She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and several tattoos, including one on her finger and one on her forearm that reads 'let it be.'"
The press release said authorities had recovered the couple's van during their investigation.
Petito and Laundrie had been living in North Port together for two years before they set out on their road trip, the Daily Mail said. Petito announced their engagement on Instagram in July 2020.
Petito's family said Laundrie had refused to cooperate with authorities and had hired a lawyer, the Daily Mail reported.
"I just want people to keep looking and not stop until we find her," Schmidt told Newsday. "We won't stop until we find her."
Schmidt said during a press conference at her attorney's office on Monday that she had hope that her daughter would return home.
"I believe she's going to come home," Schmidt said alongside Petito's stepfather, according to Newsday.
Schmidt added: "We don't eat. We don't sleep. We're just actively looking for her."
Schmidt said her daughter was "not in touch with us, and she could be alone somewhere, stranded somewhere in the wilderness, and she needs help."
Schmidt said her daughter and Laundrie had attended Long Island's Bayport-Blue Point High School together and "rekindled" their relationship, Newsday reported. The two had been living together in Florida for 2 1/2 years, Schmidt said.
"As a mom, I had concerns about a daughter going on a road trip in general, but I felt safe - they were together," Schmidt said. "They had a plan, an itinerary, and we were excited for them. Everyone wanted to be doing what they were doing."
A GoFundMe that Petito's family made to help find her has raised over $8,000.
Neither Petito's family nor Laundrie immediately returned Insider's request for comment on Monday.
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