Gabby Petito’s final text message to mom revealed
The last text message from Gabby Petito’s phone warned that she didn’t have phone service in Yosemite National Park — and was sent two days before her van emerged in Florida, her mother told The Post on Wednesday.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, said she received the message from her daughter’s phone on Aug. 30, when the 22-year-old was supposed to be in the middle of a cross-country trip with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie.
“No service in Yosemite,” the message read.
But Schmidt said she doesn’t believe her daughter was behind the text.
“I do not believe the text on August 30th was from my daughter,” Schmidt said.
Asked why she had doubts, Schmidt replied, “The van was in Florida on the 1st [of September]. I think I can do the math.”
Schmidt declined to comment on who she believes sent the text and whether she received any other unusual messages.
The eerie message was first reported by the Daily Mail on Wednesday.
Petito, 22, and Laundrie, 23, had been on a tour of national parks out west when she lost contact with family and stopped posting to social media pages.
She was last known to be at Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park in late August, while Laundrie returned to his home to North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1 in the white Ford Transit van the couple was using, police said.
Schmidt reported her daughter missing on Sept. 11.
Police in the Florida town have confirmed they have seized the converted van to process for evidence.
Laundrie has been declared a person of interest in the case and refused to talk to authorities, police said.
“We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past weeks,” North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said in a statement Wednesday. “The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation.”
