PROTESTERS are putting the spotlight on Brian Laundrie's parents as they take up camp outside their home and urge them to come forward with any details of Laundrie's whereabouts.
A wave of protesters has descended on the Laundries' home in North Fork, Florida just days after police took DNA samples from the residence in connection to Gabby Petito's death.
Read our Brian Laundrie live blog for the very latest news and updates…
Some of those protesters are taking Petito's death "personally" and are taking matters into their own hands by chanting "Justice for Gabby" among other chants outside of the Laundries' home in the chances Brian's parents come forward about his supposed whereabouts.
"I take this very personally, I could feel their pain," said protester John Riches from Tampa, Florida. "Gabby's family is suffering, this needs to stop."
Riches said he's a family friend of Petito, knowing her cousin and her dad's side of the family. "They can't sleep, eat, they have police outside their home making sure they're safe, so I took it personally."
The Tampa native explained he and other protesters have been outside the Laundries' home since Monday, using bullhorns to chant at all hours and showing them photos of Petito.
"We remind the parents that the spotlight is on them," he said. "They need to come forward, cooperate with authorities and let them know what they know."
"This poor girl is dead and since their son has arrived at home, all they have done is avoid responsibility and answering questions," said Andrea Griffin, a protester from Manatee County.
"They haven't shown any concern in the world when Gabby was missing, when her body was found or when their own son went missing," Griffin continued.
Others were more direct with his parents.
"Come on man, you know where he's at, just help the FBI," said Jesse Routzahn, who drove two hours from Okeechobee to leave flowers at Petito's shrine at the Laundrie home. "Get Brian in where he needs to go, come on man, help get justice for Gabby."
Riches agreed with the similar sentiment put forth by both Griffin and Routzahn, saying he and several protesters were at the residence on Monday when police came to pick up DNA samples at Laundrie's home.
"We feel we set the ball in motion because if we weren't here screaming, maybe the parents wouldn't have called the cops to report him missing and it would have allowed Brian to escape longer," Riches said.
"If they're so concerned about Brian how come they're not coming out and giving a public statement telling Brian to turn himself in? They're just hiding."
The three said people are continuously stopping by and offering food and water and a thumb's up for their efforts, saying some neighbors have offered a place for the restroom and others had pizza delivered.
"I think the majority of the neighbors have no problem with us here, they want this to end, they want brian found and justice for the family," Riches added. "No neighbor has given us any trouble and we're out here with bullhorns."
"We're gonna do this as long as he remains missing, hoping this puts pressure on the family to come forward," Riches ended. "We're speaking on behalf of millions who can't be here."
Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito’s disappearance:
- June 2021 – Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 – Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
- July 8 – Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
- July 18 – Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah's Zion National Park.
- August 12 – Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip. The video receives more than 200,000 views.
- August 24 – Gabby is spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- August 25 – Gabby Facetimes her mom, Nichole Schmidt, for the final time. In a later police report, Schmidt said her conversations with her daughter revealed "more and more tension" between her and Brian.
- August 25 – Gabby also posts her last Instagram. No location is given.
- August 27 – Gabby is seen for what's believed to be the final time. Witnesses claim they saw Brian in an explosive argument with staff at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, leaving Gabby in tears.
- August 27 – Four hours later, travel bloggers driving through Grand Teton National Park drive past the couple's van "abandoned" on a dirt road.
- September 1 – Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
- September 11 – Gabby's parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 14 – Brian's family issues a statement saying he has retained an attorney and will not be cooperating with investigators.
- September 14 – Brian is allegedly last seen by his family. He reportedly told them he was going hiking in Cartlon Reserve but failed to return.
- September 15 – Florida's North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 – Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 – Brian's parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days and report him missing.
- September 18 – Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 – Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby's but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
- September 20 – Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie's home, seizing his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed."
- September 21 – Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
- September 21 – The FBI announced the body found in Wyoming was identified as Gabby's. The cause of death was not yet revealed.
- September 21 – The Teton County Coroner's office said Gabby's official cause of death was still pending but the initial manner of death is homicide.
- September 22 – Police continue to scour Carlton Reserve for a trace of Laundrie but yield no leads. A specialist dive team is called in to assist with the hunt.
- September 23 – Officials announced a federal arrest warrant for Brian was issued.
- September 26 – Gabby's funeral was held on Long Island, New York.
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