Haunting last photos of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie released

New photos of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie show the young couple in Utah, just two days before Moab police pulled them over after a roadside fight.

New photos of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie show the young couple in Utah’s Arches National Park just two days before Moab police pulled them over after a roadside fight.

The images, captured by a photographer who only later discovered their significance, were taken just over two weeks before Ms Petito, 22, disappeared during the couple’s fateful cross-country trip.

The photos show the pair by the iconic Delicate Arch, a 16m-high freestanding arch near Moab at around 11am on August 10.

“They stood out because they had the ‘van life’ look to them and I remember feeling envious because they seemed like enthusiasts,” the photographer said.

“In the first photo you see, my wife and I at the top walking along the ridge with Brian and Gabby down below,” he said. “He’s wearing the woven hat.”

The photographer said he spoke with Mr Laundrie and Ms Petito who provided he and his wife with tips on how to navigate the steep slope up near the arch.

A photographer has released new photos of Gabby Petito with Brian Laundrie in Utah, taken just days before the couple had a roadside fight in Moab, Utah. Picture: Backgrid

Laundrie (circled, left) and Petito (right) were friendly and appeared in a relaxed mood at the Delicate Arch landmark in Utah. Picture: Backgrid

Later, while the passing the couple again, the photographer said it “must be cool to have a personal photographer”, referring to a man who had been taking their photo moments before. They then offered to take his, but the photographer declined.

He said they later “exchanged a friendly nod” as their two vehicles passed each other.

The photos are among the last of the couple together before Ms Petito disappeared later that month.

Ms Petito posted one more photo with Mr Laundrie at the Delicate Arch on her Instagram page on August 12, the same day a couple reported to Moab Police that they had seen Mr Laundrie slapping Ms Petito.

Police filmed the couple on bodycam as they questioned them about the domestic violence incident before taking Mr Laundrie, 23, to a motel for the night.

Laundrie (left) and Petito can be seen as dots on the steep slope up to the iconic arch on the morning of August 11. Picture: Backgrid

Ms Petito posted another photo of the two of them inside her Ford Transit van on August 19, although it is not known when the image was taken.

The Laundrie family lawyer Steven Bertolino said Brian flew back home to Florida alone on August 17, returning to reunite with Ms Petito a few days later on August 23 in Salt Lake City.

Ms Petito was last seen alive at the Merry Piglets restaurant at Jackson Hole, Wyoming on August 27 by staff and fellow diners who later said Mr Laundrie’s behaviour was aggressive and that the couple was having a blowout fight.

On September 1, Mr Laundrie returned to Florida in Ms Petito’s van alone and she was reported missing by her family on September 11 after they hadn’t been able to make contact with her and they found out Mr Laundrie had returned to the family home alone.

Brian Laundrie refused via his family lawyer to speak with Florida Police.

Chris and Roberta Laundrie later reported their son had left the family home in North Port Florida, where he had lived with Gabby before their road trip, on September 13. They officially reported him missing on September 17.

Gabby’s body was found at a remote Wyoming campground on September 19.

Parents of Brian Laundrie, Chris and Roberta, caught on camera at the Myakkahatchee Creek preserve where their son’s remains were found. Picture: Fox News

The couple discovered the spot where Brian’s remains and belongings were found weeks after he vanished. Picture: Supplied

A white ‘dry bag’ said to contain Brian’s diary carried by officers from the Myakkahatchee Creek crime scene. Picture: Fox News

Brian Laundrie’s remains and items of interest were found in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Picture: Supplied

On Wednesday, the FBI said human remains were found with Mr Laundrie’s backpack and notebook near the Myakkahatchee Creek entrance of the Carlton Reserve.

The remains were about 8km from the Laundrie family home and have been positively identified as those of Brian Laundrie.

Chris and Roberta Laundrie were at the search site when their son’s remains were found.

Laundrie family lawyer Steven Bertolino said Chris and Roberta and two officers were spread out on either side of the trail and said the Laundrie couple had told police about the location as a possible place to search as early as September 17.

Footage taken by Fox News shows the moment when Chris finds a white “dry bag” containing some of Brian’s items.

The FBI told a press conference the area where the remains and items were found had “up until recently been underwater”.

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