Who is Joseph Petito? Missing Gabby's father expresses despair in Instagram post
As the search is on for Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who went missing while on a trip with her boyfriend, her father Joseph Petito posted her picture of her on Instagram and expressed his distress as he believes he is not going to "hear hear voice on New Years" or "hug her on Christmas". "I just had my break down. I grab a bottle of whiskey, and took a walk in the rain. I cried, a lot. There’s a chance I won’t see her again. I won’t hear hear voice on New Years, or hug her on Christmas. I broke down," he wrote. He added that he finds strength because "there’s a job that’s not done" and they might be able to bring Gabby home.
"But then I stopped feeling sorry for myself and remembered there’s a job that’s not done. There’s a good chance we bring her home safe. So a picked myself, and I am going back to work," he added.
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Joseph had earlier said that her family will 'do anything we can to find her'. "Pride isn't an issue right now. My only daughter is missing," he said. "I'm going to do -- the family, Gabby's mom -- we're going to do anything we can to find her," he told WPTV. Reportedly, Joseph Petito was involved in a "public service" incident report at Brian Laundrie's home on September 10. North Port police confirmed that Joseph expressed concerns over his daughter being missing, but did not visit the home physically.
Joseph's Instagram post comes at a time when police said that Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito's boyfriend, is himself missing and his whereabouts have been unknown for days. The FBI is now looking not just for Petito, but for Laundrie too. On September 17, Friday, officers visited Laundrie's home and had a "conversation" for about two and a half hours. They left without anyone in custody. Witnesses saw police officers go into Laundrie's house while protestors outside his home demanded justice for the missing girl.
“The attorney for the Laundrie family called FBI investigators Friday night, indicating the family would like to talk about the disappearance of their son. The family now claims that they have not seen Brian since Tuesday of this week,” Josh Taylor, a public information officer for the North Port Police said.
“Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail. It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime,” Officer Taylor added in a statement Friday, September 17. “We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigations,” he added.
Gabby Petito went missing during a road trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, 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 traveled in has been recovered from Brian Laundrie's home. However, Brian added to the mystery of her disappearance by refusing to cooperate with police and hiring an attorney.