Brian Laundrie is now considered a person of interest in the disappearance of 22-year-old Gabby Petito, who didn't come home with him after their cross-country trip this summer, but he's still not talking—to authorities, to Petito's family, or to the public. His parents, whom he shares his Florida residence with, are mostly staying mum as well, but his sister has emerged to speak publicly on the matter, though she says she hasn't personally spoken with him since he returned home to North Port on Sept. 1, reports the New York Times. "I wish I could talk to him," Cassie Laundrie told Good Morning America in an interview that aired Friday. "I've cooperated every way that I can. I wish I had information or I would give more."
Cassie Laundrie called her brother, 23, a "wonderful uncle," adding that "he's always been there when I need him. He's been there every time Gabby has needed him." She also noted to ABC News on Thursday that Petito is "like a sister" and that her own kids adore Petito. "Obviously me and my family want Gabby to be found safe," she said. "All I want is for her to come home safe and sound, and this to be just a big misunderstanding."
Laundrie hasn't been named a suspect in the case since Petito was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11, 10 days after he arrived back home. Petito's mother says the last text she received from her daughter—and she isn't convinced it was actually from her—was on Aug. 30. "No service in Yosemite," the text read. Brian Laundrie rolled into North Port two days later. Petito was last seen leaving a hotel with Laundrie in Utah on Aug. 24. Meanwhile, police in Moab, Utah, released bodycam video this week showing footage of a distressed Petito and Laundrie after they were pulled over by police on Aug. 12. Cops determined the couple had just had an emotional squabble and temporarily separated them, sending Laundrie to a hotel. No one pressed charges.
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A protest is set to take place Friday afternoon outside of Brian Laundrie's home, as Petito's family continues to plead with him and his family to fill them in on what he knows, reports Fox News. "We're all trying to find the answer and the only person who knows it is sitting over in their house," Petito's father, Joe Petito, told the network Thursday. "The only one who doesn't care is the one who's supposed to care about her the most." He's also responding to Cassie Laundrie's remarks on that hoped-for "misunderstanding." "If that's that family's version of love, to just ignore and not care that someone's gone ... I mean, that explains how we got to where we are today. Because I mean, look at their version of what they call love," he told NewsNation's Ashleigh Banfield on Thursday. (More Gabby Petito stories.)
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