Coroner officially rules Gabby Petito’s cause of death as strangulation

By: Natalie Shomali, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

On Tuesday, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed that the death of Gabby Petito was strangulation, and the manner of death was homicide. 

“We believe this was strangling by a human being,” Blue told CNN.

Previously, Blue said that Petito’s death occurred three-four weeks before her body was found on September 19. This was near the time where she last contacted her family, saying “No service in Yosemite.” 

Richard Stafford, Petito’s family’s attorney, stated that they doubt Petito sent the message herself. 

Blue told CNN that he couldn’t officially say whether Petito could have sent the message on August 30.  

“It’s not like TV where they say, oh, they died on this date, it’s a very rough estimate. And I know that law enforcement is using other methods to try to determine a more exact date, but from an autopsy point of view, it’s a very rough estimate,” said Blue. 

At a news conference, Blue announced that the autopsy included a whole body CT scan, an examination by a forensic pathologist and a forensic anthropologist, and a toxicology analysis. No further information was provided since the information he could legally provide was limited. 

“Gabby’s family is not making any statements until they bring Gabby home, I will let you know when that happens,” said Stafford.