Who are Brian Laundrie's parents? Gabby Petito's fiance named person of interest
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA: The mysterious disappearance of Long Island woman Gabby Petito in Utah has startled the entire country. The public is vehemently condemning her fiancé Brian Laundrie, whose suspicious activities and alleged non-cooperation with the investigation have fuelled a lot of speculations. Now, the police officially declared Laundrie a person of interest in Petito's missing case. The 22-year-old woman has been missing since last month after she went on a cross-country trip with Laundrie. While he later returned to his parent's home in North Port, Florida, Petito is nowhere to be found.
Petito’s mother Nicole Schmidt claims her daughter has been missing for weeks. Her family reported her missing to the Suffolk County Police Department on September 11 after they tried in vain to communicate with her for a long time. Meanwhile, Brian Laundrie quietly returned to his Florida home in the same 2012 Ford Transit van which the couple drove for their trip. According to Petito's family, he has hired an attorney and refused to cooperate with investigators. In fact, Laundrie's parents Christopher and Roberta have also come under the scanner for rebuffing cops and refusing them to meet their son.
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Who are Brian Laundrie's parents Christopher and Roberta?
Brian Laundrie's father Christopher 'Chris' Laundrie, 62, and mother Roberta Laundrie, 55, are residents of Wabasso Avenue in North Port, Florida. According to their tax documents, they own a 10,000-sq.ft property in the area. Recently, the couple was papped in front of their house on Tuesday, September 14, after they drove cops away from questioning their son. “We talked to the parents, who did not make him available,” North Port Police spokesman Josh Taylor confirmed to The New York Post. A police officer was also seen leaving a pink envelope at their door later. Meanwhile, Chris Laundrie has been spotted at usual household activities like lawnmowing, while continuing to shield their son from the ongoing probe.
On Tuesday, the Laundries issued an official statement to the media through their lawyer Steve Bertolino, who said, "This is an extremely difficult time for both the Petito family and the Laundrie family. I understand that a search has been organized for Miss Petito in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family. On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment.”
Brian Laundrie and his parents' eerie silence on Gabby Petito's disappearance raised a lot of suspicions. Particularly after Petito's mother Nicole claimed that she shared an amicable relationship with Roberta Laundrie, who thought of her "like a daughter" and was once "so excited" about the news of Brian and Gabby's engagement. Now, they are deliberately avoiding interaction with the
investigators and seeking legal strategies to do the same.
"It’s an excessively mysterious scenario. We don’t perceive why he’s doing this. Everyone’s assuming the worst and considering he’s in charge of this, however I don’t need to imagine that. I need to imagine she’s simply short of lend a hand in the market and that everyone must stay looking out,” Nicole Schmidt told ACQRO, adding that Brian's sister Cassie is the only person in the family to have spoken to the cops.
Nicole further alleged that Brian Laundrie and his mother Roberta deliberately ignored her frantic texts to know the whereabouts of her daughter. “I texted Brian's mom that I was trying to get in touch with Gabby. I also texted Brian. I got no replies. I knew something was wrong. I felt something was off and I needed to get her reported missing immediately," she shared.
On Wednesday, September 15, the North Port police declared Brian as a person of interest in Gabby Petito's missing case. Chief Garrison noted, "As a father, I can imagine the pain and suffering Gabby’s family is going through. We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past weeks. The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation. We will help find Gabby and we will help find anyone who may be involved in her disappearance."