# Why is the Gabby Petito case getting so much coverage? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080 "2021-09-21T20:04:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/61 "2021-09-24T15:50:00Z")
It’s also a class thing, which absolutely intersects race but may even go beyond it. Missing white girls, particularly those who come from an affluent background (or even a middle class background), are often interesting stories to people who come from the same income bracket. People inevitably project their own selves into news stories with thoughts of “_That could be my child. That could be my next door neighbor’s child._” It lures them in. Content producers and advertisers know this. They know us better than we know us. ---
**Author:** ![TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thegunismightierthanthepen/32/2981_2.png) [@TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheGunIsMightierThanThePen)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/62 "2021-09-25T01:49:17Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > But I think the extra hook is the boyfriend’s bizarre behavior. The first headline I remember was about how he had lawyered up and wouldn’t talk to police. Having an obvious suspect and a steadily unfolding story (looong trail of breadcrumbs) gives it legs. > > Most missing person cases are like “… she left the party and was never seen again.” There’s just nothing more to report. Those are pretty much the same thoughts I have. This case seems almost tailor-made for online sleuths / armchair detectives. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/63 "2021-09-25T15:30:53Z")
When I first posted this thread I didn’t appreciate that they were “influencers”. What did we call Internet posters before being named influencers? Anyway it looked more like a couple of bored youngsters who think their life should be an adventure - to Hell with working. It reminded me of another couple I started a thread about several years ago. They were 20 something and were tired of wasting their youth working. They quit their jobs and spent all their money on an old boat to cruise the seven seas. They had very limited experience on boats and didn’t even make it to sea before they sank. Then all they did was whine about their dreams of a leisure life were crushed and started a go-fund-me. I wonder how they turned out? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/64 "2021-09-27T01:56:21Z")
Go to your room. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/65 "2021-09-27T02:11:51Z")
The MWWS aspect, and the slightly interesting initial facts explain the initial coverage, but a key reason this case (and others) blew up into getting “so much coverage” is because it got some initial coverage. In other words there’s the snowball effect. Once a story starts people hear about it and become invested, so they are then interested in updates and it becomes a “watercooler” subject, which causes people to become more invested and so it goes. In other words, it is the same psychology as a “craze” - like cabbage patch dolls or whatever. Once it starts it is self-fulfilling. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/66 "2021-09-28T14:41:14Z")
You’re always going to be able to find a situation where things were not exactly the same, because no two crimes are different. I can, for example, find that [there was a black influencer murdered just last month](https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-miss-mercedes-morr-instagram-influencer-killed-murder-suicide-richmond-texas-20210831-xlgeanm6d5es5cuteo5emh4heq-story.html) that didn’t widely make the news, but then it wouldn’t count because everyone knew it was a murder right away. But Missing White Woman Syndrome is an easily established phenomenon. Just look at the breakdown of missing persons. Then look at the breakdown of missing person reports that get wide attention in the news. It’s clearly there. And, since the phenomenon exists and occurs regularly, there is no reason to assume it didn’t apply here. Sure, there may be other factors. So what? The experts on the topic say it exists, and I’m clearly not in any position to prove them wrong as a white man who has only very, very rarely faced racism (and never of the systemic kind). I lack the expertise and/or life experience to go against the experts who have claimed it applies here. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/67 "2021-09-28T15:38:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The experts on the topic say it exists, and I’m clearly not in any position to prove them wrong as a white man who has only very, very rarely faced racism (and never of the systemic kind). I lack the expertise and/or life experience to go against the experts who have claimed it applies here. This is the SDMB, this kind of humility is just completely out of place. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/68 "2021-09-28T16:10:19Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > What did we call Internet posters before being named influencers? “Assholes” ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/69 "2022-06-25T14:41:28Z")
Here is his confession: > **[FILE\_4929.pdf](https://cdn.winknews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/FILE_4929.pdf)** > > 1699.32 KB She was injured during a hike and he wanted to end her pain? I find that very bizarre. Anyone would try to get the person to medical help. > **[Brian Laundrie's Notebook Reveals Confession to Killing Gabby Petito: 'I...](https://people.com/crime/brian-laundrie-notebook-confession-killing-gabby-petito/)** > > Gabby Petito was found dead last September after vanishing on her cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/70 "2022-06-25T19:19:16Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > She was injured during a hike and he wanted to end her pain? I find that very bizarre. Anyone would try to get the person to medical help. Yeah, not really buying the story. I think he was just trying to make himself sound better, like he made a mistake rather than outright murdered her. Excuse me, “ended her life.” You would think a couple of people that planned to live on the road in a van would have had a really good set of plans to get help if someone was hurt. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/71 "2022-06-25T19:33:57Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > You would think a couple of people that planned to live on the road in a van would have had a really good set of plans to get help if someone was hurt. Having seen much of the van life lifestyle, the plan is to be young and immortal and not get hurt. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/72 "2022-06-25T19:46:35Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Having seen much of the van life lifestyle, the plan is to be young and immortal and not get hurt. Like another thread I started several years ago about the young couple who were dismayed that they had to spend all their time working. How could they enjoy life doing that? So they quit their jobs and put all their money in an old sailboat to travel the seven seas. They sunk before they got out of the harbor. They wailed about their dreams even more and formed one of those Go Fund Me things and people actually contributed to it. I wonder what happened to them? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/73 "2022-06-25T19:51:30Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > Like another thread I started several years ago about the young couple who were dismayed that they had to spend all their time working. How could they enjoy life doing that? So they quit their jobs and put all their money in an old sailboat to travel the seven seas. They sunk before they got out of the harbor. - And you thought being underwater on your mortgage was bad. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/74 "2022-06-25T21:30:49Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > > [@k9bfriender](#): > > > > Having seen much of the van life lifestyle, the plan is to be young and immortal and not get hurt. > > Like another thread I started several years ago about the young couple who were dismayed that they had to spend all their time working. How could they enjoy life doing that? So they quit their jobs and put all their money in an old sailboat to travel the seven seas. They sunk before they got out of the harbor. Another young couple did much the same thing, only they were able to get their creaky boat as far as an isolated Pacific atoll, where they hoped to support themselves by raising a cannabis crop. [It did not end well.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_the_Sea_Will_Tell) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/75 "2022-06-25T22:01:20Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > She was injured during a hike and he wanted to end her pain? I find that very bizarre. Anyone would try to get the person to medical help. Only my opinion: The story Laundrie tells is basically accurate except… I think she got knocked down and hit her head during a violent argument. Laundrie hoped she’d be ok and like any abuser, ask for forgiveness. _It’ll never happen again._ The knot on her head and chills that he describes gets worse and Laundrie panicked. He must have known a hospital would report her injuries to the police. He probably did kill her as described in the notebook. I only have basic first aid training. Doesn’t Gabby’s reaction to injuries sound like shock? The chills and shaking? First Aid teaches to elevate the legs and wrap people in blankets until help arrives. There may have been a serious concussion. She certainly needed a trip to the ER for expert help. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/76 "2022-06-25T22:10:52Z")
Yeah, Laundrie’s explanation is completely self-serving. It reads like a pack of lies. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/77 "2022-06-25T22:35:48Z")
Also comes a bit late. If he had come out of the park with her body and the story, then at the least, he was pretty stupid, and should pay a price for that, _maybe_ negligent homicide or something like that. But covering it up, just going home and leaving her to rot? No, fuck that, assume the worst and charge him with first degree murder. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/78 "2022-06-25T22:48:17Z")
If I understand correctly, you do have to cross a creek to get from where the van would have been parked to the campgrounds in that area, but the walk is 5 minutes… ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2022, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/79 "2022-06-25T23:04:25Z")
Who performs a mercy killing by _strangulation_? He says she was in pain, so she was conscious. Being in pain while getting the life choked out of you for several minutes is the opposite of merciful. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080/80 "2022-06-26T02:13:50Z")
The whole story makes no sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-gabby-petito-case-getting-so-much-coverage/951080.md?page=5)