Previously unseen photos of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie have emerged, showing the couple happily hiking together in Utah just two weeks before she was murdered and he went to ground.
The images were taken on August 10 in Arches National Park by a fellow hiker who revealed them on Thursday, a day after police discovered human remains in a Florida swamp where Laundrie is believed to have been hiding for five weeks after allegedly strangling Gabby.
The hiker didn't wish to give his name. He was traveling with his wife and brother-in-law, who took photos that had Gabby and Brian in the background. Gabby posted some edited photos from the day on Instagram, in one of her final posts. She was last seen alive on August 26.
'My wife and I first took notice of the two of them while we were all hiking out to Delicate Arch in Arches National park. They stood out because they had the "van life" look to them and I remember feeling envious because they seemed like enthusiasts,' the man said.
He didn't interact much with the pair, aside from asking them how they fared going down a steep hill to take photos which then appeared on Gabby's Instagram post.
Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie are pictured on August 10 at the Arches National Park in Utah on one of their final hikes before she was strangled to death. The pair were seen by fellow hikers who said they seemed happy and relaxed. It was two days before police were called to their van to break up a domestic dispute
The pair spent a while taking photographs of one another at the park which they later edited and posted on Instagram
The wider view of the image shows Gabby and Brian standing among other hikers. The person who took the photos did not provide them to law enforcement
Gabby and Brian are shown taking photos of one another on a steep rock face at the National Park for their Instagram accounts
'It was a steep slope down past them so in the process I asked how they got down. They gave me a few pointers and I made it down. While passing I made the comment "must be cool to have a personal photographer" referring to a gentleman that was taking their photo just moments before, and they offered to take mine. I respectfully declined and continued on.
'Once we got back to our vehicle I noticed them approaching theirs. It further solidified how lucky I thought they were to be on this journey once I noticed they were getting into their little white van.
'They ended up pulling out moments later and we exchanged a friendly nod as they passed. Truly tragic to know how this all has played out,' he said.
The photos have emerged as authorities work to identify remains found near the Carlton Reserve in North Port, Florida, where Laundrie is believed to have been hiding for weeks.
The search of the park continued on Thursday with cadaver dogs, dune buggies and police cars, but authorities are being tight-lipped on what exactly they have found so far, and what they continue to search for.
Lee County Sheriff Carmen Marceno held a short press conference on Thursday afternoon but he mostly thanked and praised his law enforcement colleagues for working in 'treacherous conditions'.
Gabby posted photos from the day on her Instagram account two days after they visited the site. It was one of her many posts about the trip
'Today I got to see the treacherous conditions they were working under. We're talking about water levels up to the chest area, rattle snakes, moccasins, alligators...These are very, very difficult conditions...you're searching in areas where you can't just walk up and look. It's not like you're searching a house or a car. These areas are huge and they are covered by water.'
This is the photo Brian was seen taking of Gabby as they stood on the steep rockface
'It is challenging times. I know everybody wants to know exactly what’s going on every second possible. All of America is watching. But we will never jeopardize an investigation to give that information out until the time is right. I want to reiterate, things change by the second, by the minute,' he said.
The FBI, North Port Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff's Office all remain at the scene.
Bertolino also told CNN that he told the parents not to speak to Gabby's family, the media, or 'anybody' after he vanished on September 13.
'Now is not the right time to talk about the situation with Gabby.
'The family was following my directions. I told them not to talk with anybody, not to say a word, I was the intermediary between the family and law enforcement.
'Everybody has the right to remain silent and that's what I told my clients and that's what they did,' he said.
Bertolino added that the remains are likely those of Brian, but that the family is waiting for a formal identification to take place.
'The probability is strong that it is Brian's remains, but we're going to wait for the forensic results to come in and verify that,' Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino said in a phone interview with CNN host Chris Cuomo on Wednesday night.
The remains were found north of the entrance to Myakkahatchee Creek, in the Big Slough Preserve, off an unpaved trail near a bridge where Brian's parents said he liked to visit. It is four miles north of their home in North Port, Florida
The remains were discovered alongside items including a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie earlier on Wednesday, five weeks after he disappeared
