The family of Gabby Petito believes Brian Laundrie has gone into “hiding.”
If you’ve been following the details of the case, then you already know that the 22-year-old YouTuber had been documenting her cross-country road trip with her fiancé on social media when she suddenly vanished. Meanwhile, her partner returned to their home in Florida without saying a word about Gabby’s whereabouts. He has since remained tight-lipped about the details surrounding her disappearance, which led to him to become a person of interest in the investigation.
And in a new twist on Friday night, the FBI and investigators are now also looking for Brian as he has gone missing. According to the North Port Police spokesperson, Josh Taylor, when authorities entered the Laundrie family home, the parents reportedly told authorities they had not seen their son since Tuesday. Taylor added in a statement to CNN:
“We’ve been trying all week to talk to his family, to talk to Brian, and now they’ve called us here on Friday, we’ve gone to the home, and they’re saying now they have not seen their son. So we are working through those details as we speak. It is another twist in this story.”
Related: Another Clue — Gabby Petito’s Friend Comes Forward With Major Inconsistency!
Again, how did they lose track of a person of interest?!
This marked the first time the Laundrie family (besides his sister Cassie Laundrie) has spoken about Gabby’s disappearance. Police previously had visited the home, but the family refused to talk, giving the authorities the information for their lawyer instead. The North Port Police expressed their frustration with the family for not speaking with investigators about the situation, writing on Twitter late Friday:
“We understand the community’s frustration, we are frustrated too. For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian’s Fiancé Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail.”
But they also made it clear that Brian is still not considered a suspect in Gabby’s case:
“It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime. We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigations.”
KNow anything? Please call 1-800-CALL-FBI pic.twitter.com/oCDTwHJvCt
— North Port Police (@NorthPortPolice) September 18, 2021
However, thinking what a majority of people are thinking, Gabby’s family feels that he has just fled. Following the news, they issued a statement through their attorney Richard B. Stafford that read:
“All of Gabby’s family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing.”
Meanwhile, her stepfather, Jim Schmidt, told CNN he was completely “caught off guard” about the Laundrie family’s claim that Brian is supposedly missing.
“All that matters is finding her and bringing her home. We’re still trying to get the word out there and try to find that one person that might have some details that we need. Just trying to get out there and find that person and hopefully, they can help us with anything that will bring her home.”
We are continuing to keep Gabby and her family in our thoughts. We are also hoping police track Brian down, so that they can finally get to the bottom of this case.
[Image via Gabby Petito/Instagram]
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