GABBY GRAVE
GABBY Petito's family revealed on Wednesday that her body was found near a campsite about a five-minute walk from where Brian Laundrie would have parked their van.
The 22-year-old's stepdad Jim Schmidt spoke about visiting the location on the outskirts of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming where her body was found.
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He described in an interview with Dr Phil seeing the remnants of a fire ring and a clearing where a tent would have been placed.
Jim told Dr Phil that Gabby's remains were discovered just in front of the area where the tent and fire would have been.
He added that it would have been only a short walk from where the van would have been parked but was off the beaten path.
"The dispersed campgrounds are basically just open land where anybody can go and camp and where their van was basically alongside what was a creek bed," Jim said.
"If you cross over the creek bed, once you get over the other side, it’s trees sparsely placed around and a lot of sagebrushes.
"It’s actually on the borderline with the Grand Teton National Forest.
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"[The camp was] in an area where there are a few trees and there were the remnants of a fire ring there," Jim continued.
"You can see where the rocks had been moved to make a fire ring and there was a clearing where I would assume -- knowing that I have a similar tent -- that I would place my tent.
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"It would face out overlooking the mountain range.
"Her body was found -- what would be -- in front of the tent if that’s what was there or in front of the fire ring.
"There was definitely a fire ring there."
Gabby's mom Nichole Schmidt added: "It’s wasn’t far from the van, it would have been a five-minute walk."
"You would have to want to go out over to that area," Jim concluded of the area where Gabby was found.
"People go down to go by the creek but not a lot of people cross over there, it’s not a place that’s heavily trafficked."
Gabby's stepdad also spoke about how he left a stone cross on the exact location where her body lay with flowers by her chest.
FINDING GABBY'S BODY
He told Dr Phil about the search for her where he claimed rainbows showed them the way to her body.
"It's wild stuff," Jim said.
"When they started with the grid search in the area where she was found, it had to be called off at the end of the day because of the weather.
"But as the weather started to break, a rainbow was over the area and stopped over the area where she was found the next day.
"We also saw a bald-headed eagle and search and rescue said that meant we would find her tomorrow."
Gabby's stepmom Tara Petito also spoke about seeing four rainbows in the sky as they were flying.
"I've never seen a rainbow on a flight before never mind four," she told Dr Phil.
GABBY 'SENDS SIGNS'
The family also believes Gabby is sending them signs through chipmunks appearing to watch them.
"A chipmunk was following me along the path where I went out to where the body was found," Jim said.
"And when I was placing the rocks to make the cross a chipmunk came out from a hole and sat there and watched me.
"I thought maybe that was Gabby watching me."
"They've been at our house and I've never seen a chipmunk in Long Island," her dad Joe Petito added.
The family has now launched a Gabby Petito Foundation to raise funds for other young people who go missing.
They called on Brian Laundrie to turn himself in as the search continued for Gabby's fugitive fiancé.
He is not currently a suspect in her death but has been named as a person of interest.
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The FBI issued a warrant for his arrest on September 24 after a grand jury charged him with misusing a bank card that didn't belong to him and spending $1,000.
The Petito family lawyer confirmed on Tuesday that the card was Gabby's.
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Gabby Petito's dad 'wants Brian Laundrie to be jailed rest of his life'
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