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Gabby Petito: 'Useless' North Port police and FBI slammed as Brian Laundrie vanishes

'How does the FBI let the SINGLE person of interest in a missing persons case DISAPPEAR?' one user asked.

Law enforcement authorities are being severely criticized after they confirmed that missing vlogger Gabby Petito's fiance Brian Laundrie, who was a person of interest in her disappearance, has gone missing too. Laundrie and Petito had gone on a cross country trip together in their van in July but only the former returned on September 1, and has since refused to talk to the police regarding his fiancee's whereabouts. 

Laundrie's lawyer confirmed that his whereabouts are "currently unknown", and that he was last seen on September 12 morning. The development has not gone unnoticed, with the FBI now also hunting for Laundrie, police confirmed. Meanwhile, Petito's mother has slammed Laundrie, saying, "He's hiding."

The North Port police tweeted on late Friday that the Laundrie family had requested a meet with cops and they were talking to them but not Brian. North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said in an interview later that Brian was not at the house at the time police spoke with the family, and said, "I don't know where he's at right now. You know, he could be anywhere."

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A few hours later, the police put up a missing bulletin on their Twitter page, asking for the community's help to locate 23-year-old Brian. He was described as a white male, weighing 5'8 160lbs. He is said to have brown eyes and short brown hair, trimmed facial hair. He was last seen wearing a hiking bag with a waist strap. After people found out that Gabby Petito's fiance was missing, the outrage was immediate as people took to social media to criticize the law enforcement agents, especially after the police declared in a press conference earlier that they knew where Brian was despite his refusal to cooperate with the investigation into Petito's disappearance. 

'Florida police proving themselves to be useless & stupid'

"You’re telling me #BrianLaundrie is now missing too ????????? #gabbypetitio," one of them said, while another noted, "Me trying to make sense of ANYTHING the police are doing in this case #gabbypetitio." A third quipped, "This #gabbypetitio stuff is insane! Now #BrianLaundrie is missing?! You know he on the run for sure. This stuff is crazy. How does the FBI let the SINGLE person of interest in a missing persons case DISAPPEAR?" One more added, "Authorities FAILED to keep track of #BrianLaundrie location. now he’s on the run. do not let this man get away! #gabbypetitio" The next commented, "Someone in the family has to have close ties with a cop because wtf is going on??? Florida police proving themselves to be useless & stupid #gabbypetitio"

A commenter tweeted, "If Brian Laundrie wasn't white, he would have been locked up from the second they started to investigate. Now they lost him. #gabbypetitio." One more noted, "Holdddd the f**k on. He’s been missing since TUESDAY!? Did they not JUST say in the presser yesterday they knew exactly where he was? What in the actual f**k is happening. #gabbypetitio." Another wrote, "#gabbypetitio HOW THE HELL DOES THE MAIN SUSPECT IN A MISSING PERSONS CASE JUST GO MISSING?? His parents are 100% accessories to all this shit. They never reported Gabby missing and now they waiting 3 days to report their son (the main suspect!) missing?? He FLED. He’s guilty af". A person reacted with, "How did the police lose Brian? Put a detail on your suspects...dude could be anywhere right now. I mean obviously his moral compass isn't all that great so running/hiding/fleeing isn't out of the question if he won't even talk about where he last saw his FIANCÉ #gabbypetitio."

Police say they are 'frustrated'

In the news bulletin, the police said they shared the community's frustration at the fact that Brian was now missing as police resources, which could have been used to locate Petito, will not have to be dedicated to finding her fiance.

"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 fiance Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they have spoken to investigators in detail," a statement read, reminding people that Brian was "not wanted for a crime" but merely a "person of interest."

However, Garrison said he believes the Laundrie family has at least some information that could help in the investigation into Petito's disappearance. "Gabby lived in that house too, in North Port. So if Brian returned without Gabby, you would think people would be asking: 'Where is Gabby at?' There had to be some type of conversation or dialogue with the parents and other family member," Garrison speculated. "I'm a reasonable person, but I would believe that, yes, they do know something."