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SWEET TRIBUTES

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie update – Family pay tribute to Instagrammer on what would have been her 23rd birthday

GABBY Petito's family have paid tribute to the Instagrammer on what would have been her 23rd birthday.

Gabby's dad Joseph led tributes posting a photo of the family sat on a bench dedicated to his daughter.

The Petito family sat on a bench built to commemorate Gabby
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The Petito family sat on a bench built to commemorate Gabby
Gabby was murdered by her then fiancé Brian Laundrie last year
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Gabby was murdered by her then fiancé Brian Laundrie last year
Gabby's dad Joe led tributes with two touching Instagram posts
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Gabby's dad Joe led tributes with two touching Instagram posts

"Having lunch at #gabbysbench with some family and friends," Joseph wrote in a touching Instagram post on Saturday - what would have been his daughter's birthday.

He also shared a photo of a pier, writing: "Watching the sunset reminiscing about the last time we sat at this beach and watched it."

Her brother TJ Schmidt posted a photo of Gabby smiling next to a giant artwork and shared the post Sunday.

He wrote: "Love you so much gabbs Ik [I know] this is late but happy birthday I miss you more then words can describe."

MORE ON GABBY PETITO

Gabby was murdered by her then fiancé Brian Laundrie last year.

Laundrie later took his own life.

It comes as online sleuths say a post from Gabby's last birthday alive was an eerie foreshadowing of her death.

In photos uploaded to the vlogger’s Instagram on March 27 – days after turning 22 – Gabby was pictured hanging out in the Georgia woodland.

She was snapped standing on rocks and boulders as she made her way through the trail - months before her disappearance and death.

Meanwhile, a second photo showed Laundrie, 23, smiling and relaxing in a hammock.

A notebook was pictured lying on a blanket.

Sleuths speculated if that particular journal contained a confession note when the FBI revealed they discovered a book alongside Laundrie's partial remains.

There’s no evidence to support the claims as the 23-year-old was seen with several books during the couple’s ill-fated cross-country road trip.

FBI detectives revealed in January that Laundrie admitted to killing Gabby as they searched for evidence.

In the statement, the FBI claimed that "a review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death."

There was an approximate three-month wait before what was hidden inside the book was revealed.

Forensic experts Jennifer Shen, a retired San Diego Police Department Crime Laboratory Director, told The Sun that there was “no room for error” in recovering the writings.

Web sleuths also speculated that a previous Instagram post could've foreshadowed Gabby's death.

The theory’s based on the layout of oranges on a wall Gabby posed in front of as she held balloons of the numbers two and one, showcasing her age.

She captioned the post: "21 oranges," along with an emoji of the fruit.

Web sleuths pointed out that oranges have often been used in film and television to foreshadow a death or upcoming tragedy.

According to Uproxx, this started with 1972's The Godfather, where there was an orange in every scene that showed someone dying.

Read More on The US Sun

When the Godfather gets shot on the street, he's holding oranges, and when Vito dies he is peeling one, among other examples.

Read More on The US Sun

The fruit or the color orange has been used by directors to announce impending doom in films such as Requiem for a Dream and Point Break and on series like Family Guy, Lost, and The Wire.

The vlogger disappeared while on a cross country road trip with Laundrie
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The vlogger disappeared while on a cross country road trip with LaundrieCredit: Reuters
Laundrie was pictured relaxing in a hammock
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Laundrie was pictured relaxing in a hammockCredit: Social Media - Refer to source

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