Gabby Petito's missing partner should “turn himself in” following a coroner’s confirmation that she was strangled to death, Dog the Bounty Hunter has urged.
The TV star warned Brian Laundrie that running after the post-mortem “makes you look guilty” and called on the missing man's parents to help bring him in.
Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue revealed on Tuesday that Ms Petito, 22, died by strangulation about three to four weeks before her body was found.
The YouTuber was last seen alive on August 26 and her body was discovered near the remote Spread Creek Dispersed Campground in Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming on September 19.
Her boyfriend, Laundrie, 23, has been missing for nearly a month after being named a person of interest following her disappearance.
Speaking to The Sun, Dog the Bounty Hunter said the coroner’s statement had established a timeline that “looks worse” for Laundrie.
He described the fugitive’s hiding from the authorities as “making him look guilty”, adding: “I can’t fathom how Brian’s parents can live with themselves. They need to be doing more to signal Brian to stop running.”
Immediately after the coroner released his final autopsy results, the Laundrie family put out their own statement through their attorney.
The statement reads: “Gabby Petito’s death at such a young age is a tragedy.
“While Brian Laundrie is currently charged with the unauthorized use of a debit card belonging to Gabby, Brian is only considered a person of interest in relation to Gabby Petito’s demise.
“At this time Brian is still missing and when he is located we will address the pending fraud charge against him."
The coroner had already previously ruled Petito's death a homicide but her autopsy took more than three weeks to complete and included outside specialists and analysis of toxicology test results.
In an online news conference, Mr Blue said: “It was just a matter of making sure we had everything right. It was quite the media circus and continues to be.
"Unfortunately, this is only one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved in domestic violence.”
Ms Petito and Laundrie embarked on their trip in early July, travelling through Kansas, Colorado and Utah while the young influencer documented their "van life" on social media with videos and pictures that depicted a loving couple having an American adventure.
She posted her final photo to Instagram on August 25, the same day she last spoke to her mother by phone.
On September 1, Laundrie returned without her to his family's North Port home driving his partner’s white van.
Ten days later, Gabby's mother, Nicole Schmidt, reported her missing to police in New York.
Laundrie, who had refused to talk to North Port police on the advice of his lawyer, has not been seen since September 14, when his parents later said he told them he was going for a hike in the nearby Carlton Reserve wilderness area.
Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, using divers, tracking dogs and helicopters, have turned up no sign of him in the swampy, alligator-infested wilderness area.
On September 23, a federal grand jury in Wyoming indicted Laundrie on a charge of fraudulently using Petito's bank debit card between August 30 and September 1 to spend $1,000 (£735) or more.
He has not been charged in her death.
