MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Gabby Petito: Protesters outside Brian Laundrie's home say 'truth always comes out'

'We’re standing up for somebody who’s lost that's in our city, and we’re a big family in our city, in North Port,' said one protester

NORTH PORT, FLORIDA: Protesters gathered on Thursday, September 16, at the Florida home of Brian Laundrie, who has reportedly lawyered up and refused to so far cooperate with law enforcement authorities in the disappearance of his partner Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito. Laundrie, who is a "person of interest" in the case, was earlier engaged to Petito but the two called it off before the 22-year-old went missing under mysterious circumstances during their cross-country road trip.

Petito’s disappearance has over the days become a national talking point. Strangers have taken to commenting on both Petito and Laundrie’s open Instagram accounts. And the comments on Laundrie’s posts have increasingly only been aggressive questions and accusations of foul play. Now, it seems that these public sentiments have manifested themselves outside the internet as well.

READ MORE

Gabby Petito broke off engagement with Brian Laundrie before trip, says mom

Is Gabby Petito alive? Experts warn that time is key, but police on 'right track'

As per a Fox News report, golf carts drove by on the street as protesters carried signs, such as, "TRUTH ALWAYS COMES OUT! #Justiceforgabby," "North Port Loves Gabby," and "WOULD SHE BRING YOU HOME?"

"We’re standing up for somebody who’s lost that's in our city, and we’re a big family in our city, in North Port. And we are definitely going to do whatever we can to help the family find this missing daughter," one protester told the conservative news network on Thursday. "We all have children. If it were our child, we would want everyone to gather up and help us find our child too. So we’re going to do whatever it takes."

The report also said that another protest is being planned at the home, which belongs to Laundrie's parents. This protest is scheduled to take place on Friday evening, September 17. North Port police said that when they tried to contact Laundrie previously, they were sent off by his parents, who asked them to talk to their lawyer. Josh Taylor, a spokesman for North Port police, told The New York Post, “We talked with his parents, who did not make him available.”

More recently, Petito’s disheartened mother Nicole Schmidt told the Daily Mail that even before she reported her daughter missing (which was September 11), she contacted Brian Laundrie and his mother, Roberta, through text messages in an effort to reach her daughter, but did not receive a response. Schmidt said, “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.” 

Earlier, North Port chief of police Todd Garrison in a tweet asked Laundrie's lawyer Steven Bertolino to arrange a conversation with the suspect after he refused to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. He wrote, “Mr. Steven Bertolino, esq. The @NorthPortPolice needs your help in finding Gabby Petito. Please call us to arrange a conversation with Brian Laundrie. Two people left on a trip and one person returned!”

So far, Laundrie has only released one statement on the whole issue, that too through his lawyer. On Tuesday afternoon, September 14, Bertolino released a statement saying: “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.”