Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue revealed in a press conference on October 12, 2021 that they had determined Gabby Petito’s manner of death to be a homicide and that her cause of death was due to strangulation, specifically “manual strangulation/throttling,” but provided no further specifics. “We believe this was strangling by a human being,” Blue told CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
However, one day later, on October 13, 2021, Blue further explained the office’s findings. “Throttling generally means that it was done with human hands as opposed to an instrument,” he told NewsNation. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be, but manual strangulation basically means it was not done with equipment.” According to Blue, he was able to determine the cause of death due to the “nature of the injuries around the neck.”
Blue also noted that because Petito’s body had been left outside for probably a month, it did pose some challenges for the autopsy. “The situation where any body is out in the outside, whether it’s exposed to the elements and insects and animals, there [are] various forms of decomposition,” he explained.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
