The Petito Story

[MuggsyB]

Maybe 'm confused with the timeline but when did the FBI get involved and how long are we to presume this guy was at his parents' house before he vanished?  I get he wasn't an official  suspect  on Sept 1 and until they found her body, but he was there for 13 days?  He could be  freaking anywhere by now.  I don't know much about criminal law but this doesn't seem right to me.  Hopefully his parents provide some answers.

[Galway Eagle]

Maybe 'm confused with the timeline but when did the FBI get involved and how long are we to presume this guy was at his parents' house before he vanished?  I get he wasn't an official  suspect  on Sept 1 and until they found her body but he was there for 13 days?  He could be  freaking anywhere by now.  I don't know much about criminal law but this doesn't seem right to me.  Hopefully his parents provide some answers.

My understanding is that he was home 10 days before she was reported missing.

[Uncle Rico]

Maybe 'm confused with the timeline but when did the FBI get involved and how long are we to presume this guy was at his parents' house before he vanished?  I get he wasn't an official  suspect  on Sept 1 and until they found her body, but he was there for 13 days?  He could be  freaking anywhere by now.  I don't know much about criminal law but this doesn't seem right to me.  Hopefully his parents provide some answers.

The FBI was assisting with local authorities.  It became a federal crime when the body was discovered in a national park

[Warriors4ever]

Always invoke your right to an attorney, not just your right to remain silent. Just invoking your right to remain silent doesnt mean they can’t try to question you later.
If you get are being questioned in Cook County the public defender’s office has a unit that responds to police station requests, just as an FYI.
Many people seem to think he should have been detained immediately. There was no actual evidence of a crime to detain him on. He was the usual driver of the van, so him returning with it was not enough.

[jsglow]

Never, under any circumstances, speak to the police.

Call your lawyer.

Anything, *ANYTHING*, you say will not help you unless those words are "I would like to speak with my attorney," or possibly, "I invoke my right to remain silent." (though that should be paired with the request for an attorney).

Word. You're an attorney, correct jficke?

What has been interesting to me is that it was the world of YouTube and TicToc that got her remains recovered.  I follow a bunch of folks on YouTube living vicariously through their nomadic life. One such family (not one I follow) caught a glimpse of the van on 8/29 recognizing it during editing.  It is a VERY small world these days.   

[Pakuni]

Interesting. I'm not exactly mr trust the police but didn't know everyone was so pro lawyering up if you're ever vaguely connected to something

Obviously in this case it was more than a vague connection.
But generally speaking, while you may feel you're vaguely connected, you have no clue what the cops think, or what the cops think they know. There literally are dozens of documented cases in which people agreed to speak with cops because they were innocent and had nothing to hide, only to find themselves locked up in prison for years because they got duped into saying the wrong thing.
I don't think anyone here is suggesting you need to lawyer up if you witness an accident and police want to know what you saw. But if the cops want to speak to you about a criminal investigation, there's zero harm if you exercise your rights - you can still help with a lawyer present - and a huge personal risk if you don't.

[wadesworld]

Always invoke your right to an attorney, not just your right to remain silent. Just invoking your right to remain silent doesnt mean they can’t try to question you later.
If you get are being questioned in Cook County the public defender’s office has a unit that responds to police station requests, just as an FYI.
Many people seem to think he should have been detained immediately. There was no actual evidence of a crime to detain him on. He was the usual driver of the van, so him returning with it was not enough.

Regarding the bolded, agreed.  He couldn't be detained.  And it's not really on the authorities as she wasn't reported missing until 10 days after he returned.  My question is why wasn't she reported missing until then?  The minute he returned home and she was nowhere to be heard from, authorities should've been contacted and they should've had round the clock surveillance on him.

[MuggsyB]

Always invoke your right to an attorney, not just your right to remain silent. Just invoking your right to remain silent doesnt mean they can’t try to question you later.
If you get are being questioned in Cook County the public defender’s office has a unit that responds to police station requests, just as an FYI.
Many people seem to think he should have been detained immediately. There was no actual evidence of a crime to detain him on. He was the usual driver of the van, so him returning with it was not enough.

I don't think he should have been detained immediately but why would he and his parents literally not say a single word to the Petito's?  There are a myriad of things that could have happened but wouldn't you want to give the police and her family all information as possible about your missing fiance?  And why would a lawyer muzzle him unless they were dumb enough to believe this would just go away and she would never be found?   Maybe he's a sociopath and threatened his folks?  I was late to the actual story but the whole thing is troubling. 

[jsglow]

Think about it Muggsy.  HER parents don't know he's arrived back in FLA.  HIS parents don't know she didn't.  Maybe it's odd that they don't see each other for a week but I wouldn't 'budinski' and would accept 'We had a little disagreement and are cooling off for awhile' excuse.

[cheebs09]

Regarding the bolded, agreed.  He couldn't be detained.  And it's not really on the authorities as she wasn't reported missing until 10 days after he returned.  My question is why wasn't she reported missing until then?  The minute he returned home and she was nowhere to be heard from, authorities should've been contacted and they should've had round the clock surveillance on him.

I don’t think her parents would have known. I think she was living with him and his parents. As Glow said, who knows what he told his parents. It sounded like they basically stonewalled when her parents tried to find out where she was.

This does not sound like a traditional setup, so there could be reasons for the lag. Obviously, he would have had an idea she was missing.

[Warriors4ever]

Who knows what he told his folks about why she wasn’t with him?
And honestly his lawyer’s job is to represent his client’s interests, so not allowing him to be questioned is absolutely solid advice, and would not have anything to do with the lawyer’s beliefs as to whether or not the story would go away.

[Golden Avalanche]

There is a lot to question in this matter but the 911 call is interesting to me.

The caller explicitly states, twice, that Laundrie was slapping Petito and requests police help. After inquires the police decide Petito was the aggressor and make the decision that a night separated is the resolution. Throw in the bodycam footage and you can see some emergence of how Laundrie could weaponize Petito's mental health trouble into a favorable outcome.

[MU82]

Can't wait for the Netflix series.

[MuggsyB]

Who knows what he told his folks about why she wasn’t with him?
And honestly his lawyer’s job is to represent his client’s interests, so not allowing him to be questioned is absolutely solid advice, and would not have anything to do with the lawyer’s beliefs as to whether or not the story would go away.

How did the FBI get a search warrant for the Florida house with the evidence we know at this moment?

[Warriors4ever]

Because they have more information  than the public does?

[warriorchick]

It sounded like they basically stonewalled when her parents tried to find out where she was.

Yep. I am definitely getting some Casey Anthony vibes with this case. And as a reminder, she was found Not Guilty.

[jficke13]

Word. You're an attorney, correct jficke?

What has been interesting to me is that it was the world of YouTube and TicToc that got her remains recovered.  I follow a bunch of folks on YouTube living vicariously through their nomadic life. One such family (not one I follow) caught a glimpse of the van on 8/29 recognizing it during editing.  It is a VERY small world these days.

Yes, I have the misfortune of being an attorney.

[MuggsyB]

Can't wait for the Netflix series.

Yes

Although if he's in those swamps the ending will be abrupt. 

[nyg]

How did the FBI get a search warrant for the Florida house with the evidence we know at this moment?

It's called Probable Cause.  The agents from Denver and Tampa got together and presented the evidence in a form of an affidavit, attached to the actual search warrant.  Just the facts known to the public would be he was last known person, failed to report missing, the incident about domestic abuse.  No one here knows what additional information the FBI has, such has cellphone GPS, van GPS, last cellphone tower hit, texts and messages off cellphones, another witness by scene not known by the media, did they "turn" a family member to talk, if she was buried did they check hardware stores for shovel purchase, etc...  Could be an extensive list just for probable cause. 

I am sure the agents had the affidavit almost completed prior to finding the body and once found, that's why the search was within hours.  The affidavit supporting the warrant was sealed by a Federal Judge, so that will not be known in the immediate future.

[Jockey]

Yup, yup, yup. I think Hilary had her killed, tbh

Kidnapped her and shipped her to Benghazi to be killed. Then brought her back and placed her body by a national park to throw off the incompetent, deep-state, left wing FBI.

Yup, that’s what happened and the lame-stream media is covering it up.

[withoutbias]

Good thread while it lasted.

[Uncle Rico]

Good thread while it lasted.

Is it?

[jsglow]

There is a lot to question in this matter but the 911 call is interesting to me.

The caller explicitly states, twice, that Laundrie was slapping Petito and requests police help. After inquires the police decide Petito was the aggressor and make the decision that a night separated is the resolution. Throw in the bodycam footage and you can see some emergence of how Laundrie could weaponize Petito's mental health trouble into a favorable outcome.

I watched the entire 117 minute video the other day.  I feel so very bad for the officer as it was within his power to charge Petito given Laundrie's physical injuries. MORE intervention rather than less was probably the right answer and might have changed the eventual outcome.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I watched the entire 117 minute video the other day.  I feel so very bad for the officer as it was within his power to charge Petito given Laundrie's physical injuries. MORE intervention rather than less was probably the right answer and might have changed the eventual outcome.

If only a social worker with a yellow light on her car showed up at the scene.

[Pakuni]

If only a social worker with a yellow light on her car showed up at the scene.

A social worker likely would have been able to handle it far more effectively.

Edit: I don't mean this as a knock on this particular cop, or any cop. Reality is, cops are trained to enforce the law and arrest people, not to mediate or de-escalate domestic disputes. But rather than hire people who are trained to do that, we put cops in situations like this and expect them to figure it out. And the results are too often disastrous.
Unfortunately, we as a society have decided we'd rather spend money equipping police departments with armored personnel carriers and grenade launchers than the resources and personnel they actually need.