BRIAN Laundrie's parents aren't sharing what they know about Gabby Petito’s strangling death and their son’s sudden disappearance, an ex-FBI official claims.
“There’s got to be something they know that they're not disclosing,” ex-FBI agent Dennis Franks said.
PARENTS 'KNOW THINGS'
“There's been a lot of information about what they have and haven't done – including coming from the sister,” said Franks, who works as a Security Consultant, in an interview with NewsNationNow.
“They do know things that they're not going to reveal.”
Franks is skeptical that Christopher and Roberta Laundrie are coveting critical information because they quickly let their attorney Steve Bertolino be their mouthpiece.
“They hired this attorney, which they have a right to do,” he said. “This attorney is providing a certain amount of information.”
But he suspects there is much more that they’ve chosen to withhold.
“How to you get to that,” asked Franks. “I don't know.”
KNOW SOMEONE WITH INFO
Whether or not the parents are playing possum or truly in the dark about what happened to Gabby in Wyoming or where their son is they might know someone else who could come forward to help.
“If they don't know something maybe they know someone – somebody who knows them; someone who knows some information.
Read our Brian Laundrie live blog for the very latest news and updates…
“I always like the idea of going back to those involved and talking to them as much as possible.”
FINDING BRIAN
The manhunt for the 23-year-old ex-fiancé has drawn federal and local Florida law enforcement spending valuable time and manpower searching through 24,000 acres of treacherous swampland of the Carlton Reserve in Venice, Florida.
Petito's remains were found near the camping area in Bridger-Teton National Forest on September 21 after her family reported her missing on September 11, sparking a widespread search.
On September 23, coroners in Wyoming listed her likely cause of death as the result of a homicide in a preliminary report.
That same day, a federal arrest warrant for Brian was issued accusing him of swiping more than $1,000 of a debit card that is believed to be Gabby’s sometime between August 30 and September 1, according to the indictment.
STRANGLED GABBY
On Tuesday, Teton County, Wyoming, coroner Dr Brent Blue ruled Gabby was strangled up to four weeks before her body was found.
During the press conference, Dr Brent Blue described Gabby as a victim of domestic violence but refused to comment on whether her 23-year-old missing ex-fiancé Brian Laundrie is a suspect.
“Unfortunately, this is one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved in domestic violence," Dr Blue said.
Brian and Gabby, who met in New York before moving to Brian’s home in North Port, Florida two years ago, were around two months into their planned four-month cross-country road trip touring the US’ national parks before Gabby vanished sometime around August 27.
Brian quietly returned home to Florida alone on September 1, failing to alert police or Gabby’s family that she was missing.
He reportedly acted “without a care in the world” upon his return, neighbors said, mowing the front yard and enjoying idyllic bike rides with his mom.
Gabby was eventually reported missing by her mother in New York on September 11.
SWAMPLAND SEARCH
That came after 10 days of allegedly being stonewalled by Brian and his parents about where her daughter was, she said.
Then, on September 13, Brian allegedly vanished after telling his parents he was going hiking at Carlton Reserve.
But they didn’t report Brian missing until four days later.
A vigorous manhunt ensued to track down Brian focused mainly at the 25,000-acre swampland that is full of alligators, snakes and insects.
'ONTO SOMETHING'
Franks is convinced the month-long effort hasn’t been a waste.
“I have to think they're onto something,” Franks told NewsNationNow, suggesting there is some detail that is keeping their pursuit in the vast wilderness infested with alligators, snakes and insects.
“I have to think they’re not just relying on information that he might be there.
[They have] some kind of forensic information, a signature or human intelligence that puts them in that direction.”
Franks acknowledges that authorities are not about to waste “a lot of resources in that area.”
“There has to be something that we don't know that they're relying on to continue their effort to search that area,” he said.
WANTED FUGITIVE
The Denver Field Office of the FBI released a federal arrest warrant for Brian on September 23 for running up a $1,000 balance from August 31 through September 1 on a Capital One debit card.
Brian was reportedly indicted by a federal grand jury for violating a federal statute prohibiting use of unauthorized access devices.
The charges stem from August 30, when Brian allegedly used Gabby’s debit card and personal identification number to access her bank accounts.
That same day, Gabby's mom, Nicole Schmidt, also receives a text from Gabby's phone that reads: “No service in Yosemite.”
The mother is convinced that the text wasn’t sent from her daughter.
"That text was NOT from Gabby I know it!"
More specifically, Schmidt explained the date of the text didn't add up.“The van was in Florida on the 1st [of September]," she told the New York Post.
Brian Laundrie timeline
Brian Laundrie has not been seen since the morning of September 13. Here is a timeline of Laundrie’s latest whereabouts:
- July 2021: Brian Laundrie and his fiancé Gabby Petito leave for a grip across the country. The couple visit numerous national parks across the way.
- August 12: Police in Utah respond to an incident involving the couple. The bodycam footage is not released for another month but it shows a visibly upset Gabby talking to police after reports of a domestic violence incident outside a grocery store.
- August 24: Gabby is seen leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, with Laundrie.
- September 1: Laundrie returns to his home in North Port, Florida without Gabby.
- September 6: Laundrie joins his family on a camping trip about 75 miles from their home in North Port.
- September 11: Gabby's family reports her missing.
- September 13: Laundrie leaves home to go hiking in Carlton Reserve, Florida. His family had initially said he departed on September 14, but revised their timeline weeks later.
- September 15: Laundrie is named a person of interest in the case of Gabby.
- September 16: Bodycam footage is released regarding the incident between Gabby and Laundrie.
- September 19: The FBI announces a body found at a Wyoming national park is believed to be that of Gabby's.
- September 23: The FBI issued a warrant for Laundrie's arrest claiming he "used unauthorized debit cards after Gabby Petito's death."
- September 26: A funeral is held for Gabby in New York.
- September 27: Dog the Bounty Hunter announces he will lend a hand and help search for Laundrie.
- September 28: Gabby's family held an emotional press conference as the search for Laundrie continued.
- October 5: Laundrie's sister, Cassie, appeared on Good Morning America and urged her brother to come forward.
- October 7: Laundrie's father, Chris Laundrie, assisted law enforcement in the search to find his son.
- October 12: Gabby's autopsy results were made public. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed Gabby died by strangulation.
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