When it comes to true crime TV, America’s Most Wanted is the undisputed gold standard. The show was created by John Walsh, who became a victim rights advocate after the abduction and murder of his own 6-year-old son Adam in 1981. Over the course of 26 seasons, the information put out on the Fox staple led to the capture of over 1,000 fugitives.
So you can understand why when Walsh speaks out about a case, people listen! And the TV host has a lot to say about the murder of Gabby Petito.
Related: Everything We Know About The Case So Far
The 75-year-old anti-crime crusader hit a few shows on Tuesday, starting with Good Morning America, where he blasted several people involved with the investigation, saying:
“From the beginning this has been a tragedy of errors.”
Having watched the infamous bodycam footage, he had one of the same questions we did. In that 911 call, the witness said he saw Gabby’s boyfriend, Brian Laundrie hitting her. But the cops decided she was having a “mental health crisis” — and seemingly ignored the eyewitness testimony!
Walsh wasn’t having that. He asked:
“How is it that that 911 operator… didn’t get that information to those two deputies that stopped ’em? It just was chilling to see that those cops didn’t get the information that the person who called in was so concerned that he pulled over a tourist and called 911 because he saw this guy beating the heck out of Gabby.”
It’s a fair question! Park ranger Melissa Hulls, who was there that day has given an answer. She also spoke out on Tuesday, saying:
“It’s not that we didn’t think he was manipulative, but we have to worry about the safety, and not the psychology of it. We have to go by the facts that we were faced with at the time, and not let our emotions drive the decision.”
Whether that answer is acceptable?
Not for Walsh! He said:
“And it’s so sad because she might be alive today. He terrorized her not to tell the cops that he was the aggressor, he was the slapper and the puncher … She was terrified.”
He also speculated:
“She was scared to death in that video… he probably killed her right after.”
Wow.
Walsh was also merciless with the Florida cops who apparently allowed Brian — a person of interest in the disappearance — to slip through their fingers.
“This dirtbag shows up at his parents’ home … he’s there for 10 days and he never mentions where Gabby is … so he’s got 10 days to scrub the van and throw away anything that’s in the house.”
The host, whose latest show is called In Pursuit, also labeled Brian’s family the “dirty Laundries” and suggested they probably helped him to escape the police.
He’s harsh and has clearly already made up his mind… but it’s tough not to agree. The family wouldn’t help with Gabby Petito’s case for several days, only speaking out when their own son had disappeared. And even then, their information has not been perfectly consistent either.
See Walsh go off and let us know what YOU think of his hot takes (below):
“From the beginning this has been a tragedy of errors.”
Victim advocate @john_walsh weighs in on the hunt for Gabby Petito’s boyfriend and search for answers. https://t.co/iFwOtXB26H pic.twitter.com/70EDUFWIss
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 21, 2021
[Image via GMA/Twitter.]
The post Gabby Petito Murder: <i>America's Most Wanted</i> Creator John Walsh Has STRONG Opinions On Brian Laundrie & His Family! appeared first on Perez Hilton.