Gabby was found dead in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest on Sept. 21. Authorities had previously named Brian a person of interest, not a suspect, in the investigation.
On Oct. 12, the Teton County Coroner’s Office announced that she died of strangulation, adding that her time of death was estimated to be three to four weeks before her body was found.
“We’re just hoping that through our tragedy losing Gabby, that in the future, some good can come out of it, that we can help other people who may be in a similar situation,” Gabby’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, told reporters during a press conference at her memorial service on Sept. 26. “We need positive stuff to come through this tragedy that happened. We can’t let her name be taken in vain. We need positive stuff.”
On Sept. 11, the YouTuber was first reported missing by her parents, nearly a week and a half after her fiancé returned to Florida alone following their cross-country road trip together. In addition, police stated that Brian’s family had said to not have seen him since Sept. 14. They reported him missing as well. However, Brian hadn’t spoken to law enforcement before his disappearance.
One week after his disappearance, police issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian. In the document obtained by E! News, he was accused of using an unauthorized debit card and bank account between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.