Gabby Petito Documentary: Details About Netflix's "American Murder: Gabby Petito," Trailer, and More

After documenting her “vanlife” journey across the U.S. with her fiancé in 2021, Gabby Petito's disappearance captivated the nation. The 22-year-old aspiring influencer's case quickly went viral as social media sleuths and the public at large tried to figure out why Petito stopped communicating with her family and posting online. When Petito was found killed at the hands of her fiancé, the case became a touchstone for multiple larger conversations — about women's safety, about true crime obsessions, and about who earns public sympathy when they're missing or murdered.

Now, Petito's case will reenter the public lexicon. On January 27, Netflix announced the February release of a Gabby Petito documentary called American Murder: Gabby Petito. The three-part series will feature interviews with Petito's family and friends, text message key to the case, and excerpts from Petito's diaries.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Gabby Petito documentary:

What you'll find in this article:

Who Is Gabby Petito?
What Happened to Gabby Petito?
What Is the Documentary About?
When and Where Can I Watch the Gabby Petito Documentary?

Gabby Petito was a nature lover and travel enthusiast who her family described as a “free spirit.” The 22-year-old started a YouTube channel to document her cross country travel with fiancé Brian Laundrie, showing off her experience of the “vanlife” that she often admired.

“She was just starting her life as a vanlife travel vlogger and was so full of joy as her journey was just beginning,” reads a tribute to Petito on her family's Gabby Petito Foundation website.

But Petito's name became widely known after she went missing in 2021, and was shortly after found killed in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Petito went missing in August, and her remains weren't found until September — during that time, her case made national news as the public followed updates closely, and as many social media sleuths attempted to locate her. By the time authorities found Petito's body, Laundrie himself had gone missing. Months after her death, Laundrie's remains were found with a note taking responsibility for her death, according to CBS News.

Petito met Laundrie in 2019 and moved to North Port, Florida before getting engaged in 2020. In July 2021, the pair set off from Petito's family home in New York on the cross-country roadtrip.

Since her death, Petito's family started a foundation in her name to “prevent domestic violence and support the search for missing persons through education, awareness, and prevention strategies,” according to its website.

Authorities say Gabby Petito was killed by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, during a cross country roadtrip that she had started to document in a YouTube vlog. Petito's posts showed an idyllic lifestyle, living in the pair's van and camping out in their tent as they saw the country. But on August 12, a police report obtained by USA Today shows that Petito and Laundrie were stopped by police in Moab, Utah, after arguing outside a local store.

During the stop, Petito reportedly told police that she was struggling with her mental health, prompting arguments between her and Laundrie. Body camera footage from the incident showed Petito appearing distressed. Police left the scene after Petito and Laundrie agreed to spend the night apart.

Later that month, Petito's family stopped hearing from her — a family lawyer said in a news conference that their last communication was on August 30, but the family doesn't believe Petito sent that message. On September 1, Laundrie arrived at his family's Florida home with the van the two had been traveling in.

Petito's family reported her missing on September 11, at which time Laundrie was named a person of interest in her disappearance. Laundrie then disappeared on September 17.

On September 19, authorities found Petito's body in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, later ruling her death a homicide by strangulation. On October 21, authorities found Laundrie's body in the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve and Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. According to the FBI, Laundrie, who died by suicide, was found with a note claiming responsibility for Petito's death.

Petito's killing sparked widespread outrage online, prompting many to talk about “missing white woman syndrome,” or the attention that young, white women who are missing or murdered attract, as compared to the Black, Brown and Indigenous people who meet the same fate.

American Murder: Gabby Petito is a three-part series from Netflix that will go “beyond the media frenzy to let Petito’s family and friends share her story,” according to Netflix's Tudum. The documentary will feature interviews with Petito's loved ones, show text messages and diary entries, and offer insight both into Petito and Laundrie's relationship, and their deaths.

Watch the trailer here:

The Gabby Petito documentary, American Murder: Gabby Petito, will be available on Netflix on February 17.