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The silence of Brian Laundrie: Where is Gabby Petito's boyfriend?

Missing Gabby Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie said through his lawyer that he would 'remain in the background'

As the search for missing Long Island woman, 22-year-old Gabby Petito continues, her family has condemned her boyfriend Brian Laundrie for not revealing to police where he last saw her. Brian continued to stonewall police until he broke his silence hours back, with his lawyer saying that Brian would “remain in the background”. Both of Petito's parents -- mother Nicole Schmidt and father Joe Petito -- are pleading for her safe return.

“Brian is refusing to tell Gabby’s family where he last saw her,” their statement said. “Brian is also refusing to explain why he left Gabby all alone and drove her van to Florida. These are critical questions that require immediate answers." The statement added: "The Schmidt and Petito family beg the Laundrie family to not ‘remain in the background’ but to help find who Brian referred to as the love of his life. How does Brian stay in the background when he is the one person that knows where Gabby is located." The family further urged Brian “to come forward and at least tell us if we are looking in the right area.”

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Brian's behavior has left everybody puzzled. He did seem to be in love with Petito, so his silence is certainly alarming. In an Instagram post shared last year, Brian had written about Petito: "My biggest fear is that one day I’ll wake up and it will have all been a dream, because that is what every second has felt like since the moment we found each other. Till death do us part or until I wake up, I’m so happy the answer was yes, Love you hunny."

Petito went missing during a road trip with Brian. Petito's mother said that she set out on a tour of national parks in early July and was last heard from on August 25. The white van that the duo were traveling in has been recovered. However, Brian has added to the mystery by refusing to cooperate with the police. Urging for help to locate her daughter, Petito's mother told Fox News: "I can’t say much, but she’s no longer with the van. I don’t want to say anything more than that but for people looking for her, I want them to look for her now, not look for that van anymore." The missing woman's family has created a Facebook page to track updates, and started a GoFundMe to help fund the search for the 22-year-old. Till the writing of this article, $29,496 has been raised of the $35,000 goal.

Petito's family has continued to express their helplessness at Laundrie refusing to open up and cooperate, and instead hiring an attorney. "(It’s like) drowning with your hands tied behind you. You can't describe it. There's nothing you can do. You can't control anything," Petito's father Joe Petito told Newsday.