Gabrielle Petito: why the stalking of her boyfriend fascinates the United States so much

This news item has fascinated Americans for nearly a month. Brian Laundrie, suspected of the murder of his fiancée Gabby Petito, is the subject of a manhunt. The couple had left for a road trip in a motorhome. A trip that Gabby Petito, who dreamed of becoming an important influence, staged on social networks. He had returned home alone to his parents, before leaving. In the meantime, Gabby Petito’s body has been found.
In the United States, it is the news item that has captivated the country for a month: the Petito affair , named after this 22-year-old influence who was killed while traveling in a camper van with her fiancé. The latter has vanished. Police and bounty hunters are chasing him . Americans follow this tragic story day by day.
Thursday, in a street of New York, CNN was lit in a window and practically all the passers-by stopped a few seconds to read the headlines on this matter. So why are they so interested in it? Because with social networks, Americans have entered the intimacy of the couple.
Gaby Petito dreamed of becoming a famous influencer. She portrayed herself and her fiance Brian Laundrie, including their trip during which she was killed. This tragic story raises questions on social networks and what they return. One internet user’s reflection illustrates this: “A lot of couples look awesome on Instagram. Life can be different.”
A disturbing recording
The proof with this recording taken by the camera of a police officer on January 12, 2015. We are in Utah. A motorist reported an altercation between a man and a woman. It was the Petito-Laundrie couple . She is in tears, says that her fiancé doubts her influencing talents, explains to her that it is a harmless argument. The police will stop there.
The boyfriend of a young American whose mysterious disappearance fascinates the United States, seen by the police as “person of interest for the investigation”, has in turn disappeared for several days, according to his parents.
Gabby Petito, 22, had left New York in July with her partner Brian Laundrie, 23, the start of a van trip that was supposed to last four months and the stages of which were regularly shared by the couple on Instagram and YouTube, through photos and videos.