A rave venue already under investigation by Liverpool Council for more than 18 months finds itself in more hot water after closing roads on event nights without permission. The LDRS…
“People could have been killed” as “very large shards” of glass reportedly kicked in by vandals on the roof of Birkenhead Market crashed into the aisles below last week, according…
This is the Birkenhead News round-up of police and crime news in and around Wirral during the previous seven days. Birkenhead News has a Facebook group for Birkenhead. You can…
THE mysterious disappearance of social media star Gabby Petito caught the world’s attention in 2021.
A new Netflix docuseries called American Murder Gabby Petito delves into the final days of the influencer’s life.
Gabby Petito was a 22-year-old woman who went on a trip around America with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
They planned to travel around the country for four months — but a tragic series of events unfolded.
On July 2, 2021, the pair embarked on their travels, but before long Gabby’s family began to worry.
Gabby had six younger siblings and half-siblings, and was born and raised in Blue Point, New York.
She documented her life and travels on social media sites including YouTube and Instagram.
Gabby and Laundrie set off on their four-month trip at the start of July 2021, and she documented their trip on her YouTube channel Nomadic Statik.
They appeared to be having the time of their lives as they visited some of the most picturesque parts of the US.
Gabby’s family stayed in touch with her until the end of August when communication suddenly stopped.
Her parents began to worry and started their search for their daughter, with internet sleuths getting involved in the missing persons case.
Laundrie returned to his home in Florida at the beginning of September in the van that he and Gabby had been travelling in, but he was alone.
Before this, on August 12, 2021, a witness called the police to report that a couple, later identified as Gabby and Laundrie, were seen fighting in Utah.
The caller said they saw a man slap a woman before they drove off together.
Police approached the couple and body cam footage showed them both talking about the physical altercation.
Gabby told the officer that she hit Laundrie first.
I’ve lost our whole future together, every moment we could have cherished.
Brian Laundrie
The search for Gabby came to a tragic end when a body was found on September 19, 2021.
Her body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area in Wyoming which is where the Ford Transit Connect was previously seen before Laundrie drove it home.
An autopsy determined that the manner of death was homicide by “blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation” which occurred three to four weeks before the body was found.
Laundrie was described as a person of interest on September 15 by police after he returned home to Florida on his own as he was the last person to have seen Gabby before she disappeared.
However, just two days later his parents told police they had not seen their son since September 14.
Police then announced that they were searching for the Carlton Reserve Laundrie.
More than a month later, on October 20, Laundrie’s body was found in a Florida park along with a notebook and backpack.
It was confirmed on November 23 that Laundrie had taken his own life.
Here we take a look at the sad events surrounding Gabby going missing:
In the notebook that was found with Laundrie’s body, a letter was found where he took responsibility for Gabby’s death.
He claimed that he killed her after she injured herself in a fall in Wyoming, saying he thought it was “merciful”.
He said that he loved Gabby and he apologised to “everyone who this will affect”.
He ended the note by writing: “I am ending my life not because of a fear of punishment but rather because I can’t stand to live another day without her.
“I’ve lost our whole future together, every moment we could have cherished.”
When Gabby was reported missing and her body had not yet been found, her family spoke out at new conferences.
At one her father Joseph Petito said: “We ask you to put yourselves in our shoes.
“We haven’t been able to sleep or eat.
“And our lives are falling apart.”
Since Gabby’s death, her mother Nichole has made several public appearances, including one on NBC’s TODAY.
On August 4, 2022, she revealed on the show that The Gabby Petito Foundation would be donating $100,000 to the National Domestic Violence Hotline in memory of her daughter.
“We’re trying to do good for Gabby, and for everybody else,” Nichole told NBC News senior national correspondent Kate Snow, via TODAY.
“Our story begins because of domestic violence tragedy, and we don’t want to see that happen to anybody else.
“Every potential call that’s coming in is someone’s life, and that’s how we have to think about this.
“Time is precious, lives are precious,” continued Nichole
Gabby’s parents sued Laundrie’s parents and their attorney for pain and emotional distress — they believed the Laundries withheld information regarding Petito’s death.
They have since reached a settlement where Gabby’s family received $3million.
American Murder Gabby Petito dropped on Netflix on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Exploring the sad story of Gabby’s disappearance and death, the docuseries is made up of three parts.
The show features interviews with her loved ones, who reveal the untold story behind her tragic murder.
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
SPOTTING the happy dog is easy, but can you outsmart everyone and find the hidden butterfly in this optical illusion?
Time to put your vision and brain skills to the test and solve this tricky brainteaser in just seven seconds or less.
This image is known as an optical illusion, meaning there could be other not-so obvious elements to be found.
Everyone can quickly see the happy dog sat next to his owner in their comfy living room.
But only those with 20/20 vision and a high IQ can solve this mind-bending puzzle in time.
Are you able to find the hidden butterfly or will you be left scratching your head?
It might seem a bit daunting at first, but the key is to carefully examine each section of the image.
You might wish to start from the top left corner of the image and work your way down, or maybe do the complete opposite – whatever gives you more confidence!
Another useful tactic is picking an element of the picture – in this case a card – and analyse what’s around it.
Were you able to catch the butterfly? If so, congratulations!
Still struggling to figure this one out? Have a look at the solution image at the bottom to check if you were close enough.
Engaging in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions.
Some benefits include:
Did you know that solving optical illusions is a great way of training your brain and improving creative thinking?
Brainteasers are purposefully designed to trick our vision and can be used as simple determiners of intelligence.
So you might want to try The Sun’s wide range of optical illusions created to stimulate the deepest parts of your brain.
In this puzzle, you must be a genius if you can help a family find a mistake in their game.
If you think you have a high IQ, then try spotting the strawberry amongst the carnival scene in less than nine seconds.
And if you have 20/20 vision you might be able to spot the hidden number in this mind-boggling image.
SUN readers can win a stunning four-bed Marbella villa or £650,000 cash alternative from just £1.79 with our discount code.
We have teamed up with 7days Performance to offer one lucky winner the chance to claim this amazing prize this week.
The villa is situated near Marbella and is equipped with a private garden, swimming pool and spectacular views of the Strait of Gibraltar and Africa.
With a privileged location in a new residential area in San Diego, a 10 minute walk along the “Camino Verde” which leads to the exclusive area of Cala Sardina.
The competition is open now and closes at 8.45pm on Sunday 2nd March with the draw available to watch live on Facebook at 9pm.
Tickets are normally £1.99 but Sun readers can claim a discounted price of £1.79 when you sign up and use promo code SUN10.
You can enter online, or with a postal entry.
Every competition has a limit on the number of entries, and each prize is guaranteed to be won regardless of the number of entries.
7days Performance have competitions almost every day for amazing prizes as well as massive cash jackpots. So far they have given away over £105million with 800,000+ prizes won.
4 Bed Luxury Villa near Marbella + £10,000 Cash
This wonderful property is distributed over three floors, built with high quality materials and excellent finishes.
It enjoys great luminosity thanks to its large windows throughout the house and its south-east orientation.
On the first floor there is a spacious living-dining room with integrated kitchen, all in an open plan style.
On the upper floor there are 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
The master bedroom has an en-suite his and hers bathroom and its own private balcony.
All the bedrooms are equipped with custom made wardrobes, creating a minimalist and tidy feel that achieves the whole design of the Villa.
Parking space for two vehicles in the grounds of the property.
Swimming pool to enjoy the hot days, very comfortable and practical garden, with space for sun loungers, and a spacious area for the barbecue area.
It is really a dream home to enjoy, with a high potential for holiday rentals or long term.
HAVE you ever been tempted to try out a side hustle to earn some extra cash?
You’re not alone, plenty of people across the nation are giving it a go as they struggle to keep up with the cost of living.
One smart side-hustler set herself the challenge of raking in an additional £10,000 this year through alternative money-making methods.
Charlie Louise documents her progress on her TikTok account, @charlie_louise_cc, breaking down her profits to her 8,600 followers.
This week, she’s made a cool £237, through some pretty unusual (and yummy!) methods.
Charlie captioned her video: “Part 6 – Is it possible to make 10k a year? Day 6 of my side hustle challenge and I’ve exceeded my goal. A study for £100 supposed to happen today for [sic] postponed though.”
Despite missing out on the well paid study, Charlie smashed her target of making £27 a day.
She showed video clips of the four clever money-making schemes she’d completed this week.
First, Charlie made a tidy £18 by walking her four-legged friend Simba.
The pair enjoyed a leisurely stoll, while Charlie cashed in on their cute bonding time.
She then made £39 as a mystery shopper.
The savvy saver went undercover at the pub, a bowling alley and a dress shop – and was reimbursed for all her spends.
She even managed to use the opportunity to treat her other half to two fancy date nights, where they tucked into burgers and scored strikes at the bowling alley.
Without costing Charlie a penny!
Charlie came away from method number three with a stunning glow.
She earned £30 as a product tester trying out a brand of fake tan, pocketing the cash without even having to leave her home.
Finally, Charlie earned a whopping £150 by devouring some delicious pasta.
She joined in on a market research study that required her to try the tasty meal.
Happy with her progress, she told viewers in the comments: “The easiest £237 when it’s all fun and games.”
And people were quick to praise Charlie for her smart side hustles.
One person told her: “Good work honey.”
While another said: “That’s amazing! And had date nights paid for. Perfect.”
And someone else had clearly been inspired, writing: “I want to do it!”
LOVE Island All Stars fans have spotted another ‘clue’ that Sammy Root and Elma Pazar were dating before the show.
Tonight’s Love Island All Stars final will see Sammy and Elma take on four other couples to scoop the £50,000 prize.
But fans think they’ve worked out they were actually a couple before their time in the villa.
Sammy joined Towie for its most recent series and one storyline involved him pursuing Elma.
And someone posted a clip of the ITVBe show’s finale, during which Elma said of their romance: “We’re getting there.”
And Sammy added: “Step by step.”
“I will put any money on that these two have been together since December…
“Completely makes sense now.”
It comes after eagle-eyed fans spotted a comment on Sammy’s Instagram from Elma from eight weeks ago.
She posted a string of heart hand emojis, with Sammy responding by posting the couple holding hands.
Sunday’s dramatic All Stars episode had axed Islanders from the series return to dump a couple.
Harriett Blackmore and Ronnie Vint were axed – but not before she brutally hit back at Liv Hawkins, who tried to shade both their relationship and Grace Jackson and Luca Bish‘s.
Liv claimed she’d seen messages from Grace saying she’d “do whatever it takes” to win the show.
Rushing to defend her best mate, Harriett said: “Babe, you’ve made it up… f****** go home.”
