Brian Laundriemay not be talking to anyone about his missing fiancéeGabrielle Petito, but at least one member of his family has spoken publicly.
In an interview that aired Friday onGood Morning America, Cassie Laundrie, Brian’s sister, said Petito, 22, is “like a sister” to her.
So far, Brian Laundrie, 23, has refused to sit down with investigators to discuss Petito’s disappearance.
Laundrie and Petito had been travelingacross America in a white Ford Transit van since early July, leaving from Florida before heading to New York. Petito, an aspiring influencer and blogger, had beendocumenting her travels on YouTube.
Petito, a Long Island, N.Y., native, was last heard from on Aug. 25, when the couple had stopped in Grand Teton National Park before heading for Yellowstone. Six days later, Laundrie returned to his parents' North Port, Fla., residence in the van the two had been traveling in.
Petito’s mother reported her missing on Sept. 11. This week, Laundrie was formally named a person of interest in the case — days after he refused to speak to detectives.
OnGMA,Cassie Laundrie said that she has not spoken to her brother since he returned alone on Sept. 1.
“I haven’t been able to talk to him,” Cassie said, adding that she, herself, has been cooperating with police, answering all of their questions. “I wish I could talk to him.”
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On Wednesday, authorities in Moab, Utah,released body camera footagefrom Aug. 12, whenthey pulled the couple over following 911 callsof a domestic disturbance outside a food cooperative. The footage shows Petito crying, explaining that she and Laundrie had been fighting over “personal issues.”
Petito and Laundrie were released after more than an hour, and no charges were filed.
Cassie Laundrie toldGMAthat when Petito and her brother would argue, it was “typical” for them to “take a break and come back and be fine, because that’s what you do in a couple.”
“He’s a wonderful uncle,” Cassie said. “He’s always been there when I needed him.”
Petito is a white female, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and 110 lbs. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and several tattoos, including one on her finger and one on her forearm that reads “let it be.”
Also this week, investigators confirmed that they are exploring a potential link between Petito’s disappearance and the horrific murders of newlywed coupleCrystal Turner and Kylen Schulte.
Their partially unclothed bodies were recovered from a hiking trail near camping grounds located in the La Sal Mountains on Aug. 18.
The fight Petito and Laundrie had on Aug. 12 happened outside Moonflower, the food cooperative where Schulte had worked.
Anyone with information on Petito’s whereabouts, or the murders of Schulte and Turner, is urged to call 800-CALL-FBI.
source: people.com
