Gabby Petito's Fiancé, Brian Laundrie, Has Been Named a Person of Interest
Published Sept. 16 2021, 5:16 p.m. ET
The internet has been closely following the missing person case of van-life blogger Gabby Petito, who disappeared in September while on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend. Gabby was last seen in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming almost two weeks before she was reported missing by her family.
Her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, has become a person of interest for local authorities in the case, though he is resisting the investigation.
Who is Brian Laundrie? He and Gabby had been together for two and a half years.
Gabby was on a cross-country road trip with Brian when she supposedly went missing. The pair had been together for about two and a half years before the trip, leaving in July and expecting to conclude their travels in October. Gabby's first post of their relationship dates back to March 2020, when she shared a shot for their one-year anniversary.
"One whole year's worth of adventures and stories down [and] a lifetime to go," she captioned the post.
The pair got engaged later that year, which Gabby celebrated by sharing a photo of their first date.
"Here’s a picture from our first date because I have so much love for you," she captioned the post. "Brian asked me to marry him and I said yes! @bizarre_design_ you make life feel unreal, and every day is such a dream with you."
He reportedly returned to the home they shared in North Point, Fla., on Sept 1. She was reported missing ten days later, on Sept. 11, by her family.
Brian Laundrie is now a person of interest in Gabby's missing person case.
Brian is reportedly not helping investigators in their search for his missing fiancée. According to Josh Taylor, a spokesperson for the North Point Police Department, when authorities arrived at Brian and his family's home for questioning, they "were essentially handed the information for [the family's] attorney," per CNN.
"That is the extent of our conversation with them," Josh said. "It's my understanding we have had some conversations with his attorney but certainly nothing to the level of providing us the details that we would like."
"We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past few weeks," North Port police Chief Todd Garrison said in a statement, according to NPR. "The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation. The answers will eventually come out."
Even Gabby's family has released a statement requesting that Brian and his family stop resisting the investigation.
"Every day the search for Gabby continues the Schmidt and Petito family becomes more desperate," a statement from Gabby's family attorney said, calling Brian's silence "reprehensible." "We beg you to do the right thing and help us bring Gabby home... You tarnish your love for her with your silence."
If you have information about Gabby Petito's disappearance, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, the North Port Police Department at 941-429-7382, or the FBI Tampa Field Office at 1-800-CALL-FBI.