this is "nightline." >> tonight, deadly mystery. >> gabrielle petito. >> what happened to gabby petito? >> where is gabby? >> not seen since late august. the search yielding a grim discovery. >> earlier today, human remains were discovered consistent with the description of gabrielle petito. >> and today, the release of this 911 tape. >> we drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl. >> he was slapping her? >> plus, "reservation dogs." >> the ground breaking new dark comedy featuring an indigenous cast and crew. making a splash at last night's emmys. >> people are so talented, it's

just not being shown yet. >> "nightline" will be right back. "nightline" will be right back. some people have joint pain, plus have high blood pressure. they may not be able to take just anything for pain. that's why doctors recommend tylenol®. it won't raise blood pressure the way that advil® aleve® or motrin® sometimes can. for trusted relief, trust tylenol®. ♪ we'll bring the pieces that inspire. you bring a desire to play and discover. together, we'll create a style that is trademark 'you'.

good evening. thank you for joining us. the social media post showed a happy couple seemingly in love, enjoying each other's company in the great outdoors. now, both have disappeared. and authorities have found a body that matches her

description. here's abc's trevor alt. >> gabby petito. >> reporter: it's a case that captivated the internet. >> we got ready, made the bed in the tent. >> reporter: social media influencers sudden livanishes. soon after her boyfriend disappears, too. with some of the online followers turning into citizen investigators. >> this instagram is like okay, she's alive and here on this date. this is helping us try to figure out when everything went wrong. >> reporter: 22-year-old gabrielle petito hadn't been heard from in more than two weeks. and then yesterday -- >> human remains were discovered consistent with the description of gabrielle "gabby" petito. >> reporter: her apparent remains found in a remote area near grand teton national park

in wyoming. the cause of death still undetermined. the father tweeting a picture of gabby standing in front of angel wings saying she touched the world. and now, the only named person of interest in petito's disappearance, her boyfriend, brian laundrie, has been missing since last week. is sister telling abc news she hadn't spoken with him. >> i wish i could talk to him. i've cooperated every way i can. i wish i had information or i would give more. this is all i have. this is -- i gave it to the police. >> reporter: while confused by the situation, she added that her brother has always been there for her. >> he's a wonderful uncle. he's always been there when i need him. he's -- i mean, he's been there every time gabby needed him. >> reporter: then today, an fbi search of laundrie's family home in florida, as well as his mustang, the car he supposedly left behind when he went missing. >> it looks like to me they were searching for any evidence or information that would further

shed light on what happened to gabby. things like computers, cell phones, written documents. and maybe just as important, what brian may have said to a family member. >> doing some morning yoga. >> reporter: gabby and brian were part of the so-called van-like trend of social influencers. driving across the country, documenting their road trip on youtube, tiktok and instagram. >> we are right on capital reef right now. >> reporter: they left new york july 2nd. the social media account soon filling up with pictures and videos of their travels over the following weeks. but behind those picture perfect images, there was trouble. this 911 call from august 12th just released today a passer by allegedly witnessing the couple having a fight in moab, utah. >> we drove by and the gentleman

was slapping the girl. >> he was slapping her? >> yes. we stopped, they ran up and down the sidewalk. he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off. >> reporter: with officers responding to that call, body camera footage capturing petito in distress. >> what's going on? >> we've just been fighting this morning. >> reporter: according to the police report at one point, petito went to slap her boyfriend. he pushed her away, catching her off balance. she then scratched him in the face. >> sometimes i just get very frustrated. >> reporter: laundrie's sister saying that behavior seemed normal to her. >> it was typical. whenever they would fight, they would take a break, come back and be fine. that's what you do as a couple. >> reporter: in their last posted video on youtube august 19th, the two talk about down sizing their lives. >> i love the van. >> since we left new york, i've

only set up my hammock once. and you we're in utah -- >> we're like in the desert. >> with very few trees. >> reporter: the couple was last seen together august 24th, leaving a hotel in salt lake city. >> all the chocolate melted. >> it's a river of chocolate. >> you can't keep chocolate in utah. >> reporter: she spoke with her mom the next day, telling her they were now in wyoming, headed towards yellow stone national park. >> she sounded good, excited to continue her trip and excited to start her youtube channel and -- she just -- i don't know. she seemed okay. >> reporter: but then about a week later, september 1st, 23-year-old laundrie returns to his home in florida with the van, but without petito. because the two had been camping in places that often didn't have

cell service, took a while for petito's friends and family to notice that they hadn't heard from her in some time. >> we don't know where she is. >> a few days is one thing when you're out camping. but when it starts to become seven, eight, nine, ten days, that's a problem. >> reporter: her parents then report her missing september 11. her boyfriend did not. >> petito took the couple's camper van. laundrie stayed in a hotel. it's what happened the next day and after that, that no one knows. no one except laundrie. >> reporter: a multistate search ensues to find petito. neither laundrie or his parents are helping. all three refusing to speak with police about gabby's disappearance. that was despite petito's loved ones pleading for help. her attorney reading out loud a letter to laundrie's family. >> we believe you know the location of where brian left gabby. as a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us?

>> two people went on a trip, one person returned. that person that returned isn't providing us any information. >> where is gabby? >> reporter: soon, angry protestors began gathering outside the laundrie family home. >> let investigators know what you know. >> reporter: brian's attorney says he specifically advised his client not to speak to anyone. and then, nearly a week after petito is reported missing, police say laundrie has disappeared. >> his attorney reached out to law enforcement on late friday evening. said the family needed to speak with us, that they were concerned they had not seen brian since tuesday. >> reporter: search crews focus on this florida nature reserve, where laundrie's family said he went september 14. they would finally speak to police but only about brian's disappearance. anything about gabby is off the table. in the vacuum of information, about either petito or laundrie,

social media lights up. cyber sleuths stepping in to fill the void. >> now you guys, gabby petito is still missing and we are trying to find out where she is. >> the caption is not like her normal captions. it said happy halloween with two emojis. >> i contacted the police on tuesday when i saw -- i first saw she was missing on tiktok. i saw his face and i'm like, oh, my gosh, that's the man who i gave a ride. >> reporter: and miranda baker saying she and her boyfriend picked up brian as a hitchhiker a few days after petito was last seen. >> he said he had been camping for multiple days without his fiance. >> reporter: that video has 8 million views. like a true crime podcast unfolding in real time, during real-life tragedy, with content and entertainment. >> the support from the public's response to request of tips has been remarkable. >> reporter: law enforcement in

this case has been thanking the public for its help. but too many tips can inadvertently clog the system. >> it's sort of generally a huge problem, even beyond law enforcement, where misinformation then becomes reality, if that's the only thing or the first thing you hear. >> reporter: the popular camp ground, located in the shadows of the grand tetons where petito was found, is now closed off as law enforcement continue looking for clues. authorities are still searching for brian laundrie, as each day more questions than answers seem to arise. >> there's tons of circumstantial information, but i've not seen anything yet that actually will put him in the location where she was found. >> reporter: as the investigation presses forward, gabby petito's family is grappling with the unthinkable. >> she loved to take pictures and get them out there as much as possible. she loved natural beauty. she's an amazing person.

>> she always tried to smile and make people smile and always enjoyed, you know, every moment. that's something to be admired. >> our thanks to trevor. up next, behind the scenes with the history making comedy "reservation dogs." comedy "reservation dogs." we're here! they're finally here. this year, "here" means getting back to everything they've missed. here! achoo! ...here! look over here! join lysol here for healthy schools in keeping "here" healthy. when you buy a pack of lysol disinfecting wipes, another pack will be donated to a school in need. so everyone has enough protection to stay here, here, and here. lysol here for healthy schools wow... nobody's here. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible

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i have been a sales and sales management professional my whole career. typical day during a work week is i'm working but first always going for a run or going to the gym. i love reading. i love cooking healthy. it's super important to me. i was noticing that i was just having some memory loss. it was really bothering me. so i tried prevagen and it started to work for me. i wish i had taken prevagen five or ten years ago. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. film and television have not been kind or factual in their portrayal of indigenous people.

something creators of "reservation dogs" went on a mission to change. here's abc's kaylee hartung. >> reporter: on a recent night in hollywood, a ground breaking premiere. for the first time, a tv show filmed almost entirely with indigenous actors. >> produced, written and directed by an indigenous crew. and filmed on indigenous land. >> when i looked along the whole step and repeat red carpet and looking at every stop and everybody being interviewed, that was so empowering. like an oh, my god moment to see. >> i wouldn't have thought i would have ever be part of something so massive and ground breaking. but here we are. >> you have all these amazing kids. none of them look alike. they're all representing

different facets of what an indigenous teenager would be like. >> hey, everyone out there in indian territory, oklahoma. >> reporter: it's a dark comedy called "reservation dogs" now streaming on fsx and hulu. >> we're selling meat pies if you want any. >> hey, y'all, this girl with stomach pains is selling meat pies. y'all want any? >> reporter: the show becoming an instant hit. already renewed for a second season. the young stars even joining the a-listers at last night's emmy awards. >> we're here as actors, proud to be indigenous people, working in hollywood. >> reporter: set in oklahoma -- >> somebody ripped all the damn copper out of 20 different street lamps. >> hurry up. >> reporter: a group of native american teenagers are trying to scrape together to travel to the promised land of california, their way of coming to terms with the tragic death of their friend.

can either of you imagine the impact it would have had on you as a kid tosee a show like "reservation dogs" on your television? >> i would have started acting a lot earlier, you know? >> i wish we could have had a show like this as a kid growing up. >> it's one of the roles i'm most proud of playing. >> reporter: 28-year-old deborah jacobs plays the ringleader of the group, happy to be in her element. >> too often have i been the only indigenous person onset. let alone the only queer indigenous person onset. i was really getting used to feeling isolated and lonely and even though i was really proud of the projects that i was a part of, they never hit close enough to home for me like "reservation dogs" did. >> are you crazy horse or sitting -- >> no, no, no. i'm not one of those awesome guys. i'm more of your unknown warrior. >> reporter: keeping true to native american culture. the show injects humor by way of

necessity into each episode. >> the show is about celebrating our community, and indigenous comedy, and the way that we've coped with 500 years of colonization and genocide is by laughing it off and making fun of each other. >> where does the story come from? >> reporter: the show was created by sterling, in collaboration with his friend and oscar winner. filming on indigenous land where he grew up has been years in the making. >> oklahoma is unique. there's 38, 39 tribes now. you drive an hour in any direction, you're in new tribal territory. with new languages, new kcustom. that's smack dab in a conservative state. >> this is the project where the location informs everything about what we're seeing. >> yes. >> you couldn't manufacture that. >> it is a character. i think actually oklahoma as a location is part of what people are responding to when they say they've never seen anything like this.

we all face different experiences and we all have friends that committed suicide. health issues is a big issue in native communities. lack of water, lack of resources, all of these things that come with surviving attempted genocide. >> people have been encouraging voices and have quickly realized that why aren't we allowing space for indigenous people, and now we're being granted a space to share our story. >> reporter: according to ucla, native americans landed just 0.3% of film roles in 2018 and 0.5% in 2019. native women did not account for any of those roles. >> i grew up seeing people that represented me being shot off horses constantly. >> reporter: as recently as the 1990s, native actors were largely stereotyped. how would you describe how you've seen native people portrayed on screen?

>> native people are the zombies. we are the walking dead of westerns. we are the thing in the way of western expansion. a lot of that has to do with guilt about the attempted genocide of our people. and we -- i think that people don't want to see us as humans. because that makes you feel bad. >> reporter: the history of problematic native characters. >> what's your crime, boy? >> indian. >> reporter: and whitewashed representation on camera has led to backlash. johnny depp came under sharp criticism following his portrayal of tonto. two years later, actress rooney morrow was cast as tiger lily. it's a role she regrets, saying i hate, hate, hate, that i'm on that side of the whitewashing conversation. i can understand why people were upset and frustrated. strides are being made. in 2019, the first native american received an academy award.

>> i would simply like to say, it's about time. >> reporter: to the cast and crew of "reservation dogs," that pivotal moment in representation is just the beginning. >> it's very obvious to see in "reservation dogs" that talent on screen and behind the screen, it's always been there, it just hasn't been nurtured, given the opportunity to be in these places and to be able to hire these people to tell these stories. >> what impact do you hope the show can have on kids who are growing up just like you did but now get a chance to see you? >> i hope it shows we're just normal. all people need are opportunities to be heard. there are amazing stories, if we're open to hearing them. >> our thanks to kaylee. "reservation dogs" is now screaming on fx on hulu. up next, california's giant sequoias in the cross hairs of the climate crisis.

sequoias in the cross hairs of the climate crisis. ♪ ♪ we'll bring the pieces that inspire. you bring a desire to play and discover. together, we'll create a style that is trademark 'you'.

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finally tonight, they're some of the most famous trees in the world.

california's giant sequoias. with wildfires threatening, authorities in california are working hard to protect them and leaving nothing to chance. workers covered many of the trees with structure wrap, sort of protective plank et, from the flames. and they removed anything that might fuel the fires. over the weekend, flames reached the giant forest, but so far the firefighter's efforts have kept the iconic trees safe. that's "nightline" for this evening. you can catch our full episodes on hulu. see you right back here same time tomorrow.