Gabby Petito: Travel blogger reveals ‘chilling’ moment she found van and led police to missing influencer’s body
Jen Bethune says she ‘got chills’ when she discovered the footage
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A travel blogger has described coming across Gabby Petito’s van in Wyoming and capturing it in video footage.
YouTuber Jen Bethune recorded the white Ford Transit Connect Van in footage filmed on 27 August at the Spread Creek Campground, where investigators believe they found Ms Petito’s remains.
“I am so sad that we couldn’t bring her back alive, but to be able to bring her back home to her family or to help with that is everything,” Bethune told Fox News.
“It is so heartwarming that everything fell in place in order to make that happen.”
Ms Bethune said that she recalled driving past the van and noticed it because it had Florida license plates.
“The reason why we noticed the van is because we’re from Florida and the van had Florida plates and we wanted to stop by and say hi,” she added.
“But the van was very dark, closed up, looked like no activity so we ended up continuing to drive.”
She told Fox News that she noticed the van again in her footage after appeals were made for anyone in Grand Teton National park in Wyoming last month to check their videos and photos for evidence of Ms Petito.
“I got chills all over my body and ran straight back to my laptop, got my GoPro footage, and lo and behold Gabby’s van was on there,” she said.
Ms Bethune said she spoke to Gabby’s mother after turning in her footage to law enforcement.
“It was beautiful, we got to share some moments together on a FaceTime,” she said.
“Just two moms, really just have a great cry.”
Authorities found human remains in the national park over the weekend and an autopsy will be held on Tuesday.
Ms Bethune travels the country with her husband Kyle and her three children in a 1983 Silver Eagle bus that they call “Blue Betty.”
Her son, Ethan, died in 2011 at six years old in in a car accident.
Charles Jones, of the FBI Denver office has said the body found in the national park is “consistent with a description” of Ms Petito, but authorities have yet to formally identify her.