ON September 15, police named Brian Laundrie as a person of interest in connection to the disappearance of his fiancee Gabby Petito.
Petito, 22, went missing after going on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé; she was last seen on August 24 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Is Brian Laundrie missing?
On Friday, September 17, Laundrie's attorney said his client is missing, as the FBI is now trying to locate him and Petito.
Nearly a week into the search for Petito, officers with the North Port Police Department entered Laundrie's Florida home to speak with his family; however, Laundrie was nowhere to be found.
Laundrie's attorney told ABC7: "Be advised, the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown.
"The FBI is currently at the Laundrie residence removing property to assist in locating Brian. As of now, the FBI is looking for both Gabby and Brian."
According to his attorney, investigators removed items from Laundrie's parents' house to assist in his search.
Laundrie and Petito were traveling to Oregon when she stopped communicating with her family somewhere in Wyoming in late August.
While Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, revealed that she heard from her daughter on August 27 and 30, she told Fox News she is not sure if it was her as only text messages were exchanged.
It was just a text. I did not verbally speak to her," she told the media outlet.
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…
"I can't say much, but she's no longer with the van. I don't want to say anything more than that, but for people looking for her, I want them to look for her now, not look for that van anymore."
Following the unusual circumstances, Schmidt then reported her daughter missing on September 11 at around 6.55pm.
The couple left for their cross-country adventure on July 2 from Blue Point, NY, and were scheduled to reach Portland, Oregon, and visit a family friend for Halloween.
However, Laundrie had since returned home without her, and it is still unclear when he made the trip back.
What was the bodycam footage released by police?
Just weeks before Petito vanished, the pair were stopped by police and questioned about an apparent domestic dispute that had been reported.
The more than hour-long clip begins with officers pulling over the couple's white 2012 Ford Transit van and approaching the passenger-side window.
With tears streaming down her face, Petito tells the officer: "We've just been fighting this morning. Some personal issues."
Brian adds: "It's been a long day. We were camping yesterday, and camping got [inaudible] and stuff."
Petito is then ordered out of the vehicle and separated from Laundrie.
"I'm so sorry, officer," he calls out as Petito opens the door.
Petito is visibly emotional as she attempts to explain what she and Laundrie were arguing about to the officer.
"I have OCD, and I was just cleaning and straightening…," she says, sobbing. "And I was apologizing to him and saying I'm sorry that I am so mean as sometimes I am so mean because I have OCD and get really frustrated.
"Not like mean towards him I guess my vibe is like in a bad mood and I said I'm sorry I'm in a bad mood I am stressed I had so much work."
Body language expert Logan Portenier, known as Observe on YouTube, said Petito appeared to be genuinely shaken up in police body camera footage captured after the altercation.
"This doesn't seem to be an abuse situation of Brian abusing her, at least with strikes that could leave physical evidence," Portenier speculated, based on her demeanor.
"And she doesn't show some of those hiding characteristics that might come up in an incident where she wants to be discovered or helped, but she's afraid to because it might be a risk to her."
He observed that Petito, who called herself "mean" and said she had been in a bad mood while she was talking to cops, admits her own faults, which also hints at the genuine nature of the conversation.
Portenier pointed out that some of her body language, such as pacing and wringing her hands, makes sense after being pulled over by several police officers.
When it comes to Laundrie, Portenier pointed out that he was stuttering a bit, speaking in a high-pitched voice and wringing his hands, which all indicate that he was nervous as well.
Laundrie is "clearly agitated," but it's not exactly clear why he is agitated, Portenier alleged.
When talking about the altercation the couple got into, Laundrie said that he ended up with some scratches on his body because Petito was holding her phone when she reached for him.
"He's still really going out of his way to try to not have any light shed against him," Portenier said.
"This could be because he's worried in a situation like this. It could just be that he's worried he'll get pegged for something that he wasn't doing," he added.
Portenier pointed out that Laundrie could have been nervous for many reasons, but his body language indicates that he was working hard to deflect blame.
Portenier concluded his video by offering some speculation about how the couple's trip ended with Laundrie back home in Florida and Petito still missing.
Have Brian Laundrie's parents commented on Gabby Petito's disappearance?
On September 14, 2021, Laundrie's parents – Christopher, 62, and Roberta, 55 – issued an official statement to the media through their lawyer.
They said: "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 re-united 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."
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