New bodycam footage shows Brian Laundrie’s parents refusing to help cops look for Gabby Petito
Disheartening footage shows Brian Laundrie’s parents refusing to cooperate with police as they search for his then-missing girlfriend, Gabby Petito.
Gabrielle Petito, 22, never returned from her ill-fated “trip of a lifetime” three years ago after her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, 23, beat and strangled her during their cross-country trip.
He left her body in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, while he returned alone to North Port, Florida.
Newly surfaced police footage shows North Port police at Laundrie’s Florida home the night Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, reported her missing, asking for help in the search for the woman.
When officers knocked on Laundrie’s dimly lit home on the evening of September 11, 2021, Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, They are found suspiciously opening their front door, standing far enough in the doorway to block the view of the interior of the house.
Newly surfaced police footage shows North Port police at Brian Laundrie’s Florida home asking parents Christopher and Roberta for help in their search for Gabby Petito in 2021
Gabrielle Petito, 22, never returned from her ill-fated “trip of a lifetime” after her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, 23, beat and strangled her during their cross-country road trip in 2021.
When officers knocked on the dimly lit home on the evening of September 11, Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, could be seen suspiciously opening their front door, standing so far back in the doorway that they blocked the view of the interior of the home. Pictured: Christopher and Roberta Laundrie
“I don’t talk to anybody,” Christopher said after police revealed they had a New York detective on the phone.
After North Port officers repeatedly attempted to contact him, Christopher continued to insist he did not want to talk.
The footage shows Christopher dressed in a sleeveless shirt, while his wife Roberta stands in his shadow, blocking the narrow, open doorway. The officer then asks, “When was the last time you saw Brian and Gabrielle?”
Christopher stammered and said that Brian was at their house in North Port and “that’s all I’m going to say.”
Christopher told the officer he had a lawyer and that the police could contact him, then slipped inside to get the contact information.
Christopher doesn’t open the door more than a little and hands the officer a Post-it-sized note, reportedly containing Laundrie’s attorney’s contact information. He then angrily confirms to the officers that Petito was not in the house with Laundrie.
“No, no, she’s not here,” he said, before explaining irritably that someone had questioned him about Petito’s whereabouts the night before.
Christopher told the officer that he has an attorney and that the police can contact him, before sneaking inside to collect the contact information
Before leaving Laundrie’s house that night, the officer asked about the lone white van in the driveway, registered only to Petito. Pictured: Gabby Petito
After the confrontation, the officer explains that the van is registered to Petito only and that he is arranging for a tow to retrieve the vehicle. Pictured: Petito’s cross-country van being towed by North Port police
Before the officer left the house, he asked about the white van in the driveway, which was registered only to Petito.
“Is this her vehicle? Her van?” the officer asked.
As Christopher walked in, he said, “It’s… it’s both of them.”
While speaking to the detective on the phone outside the Laundrie home, the officer tells the family that they are “tired of being harassed and getting calls from the [Petito] family.’
The detective then released additional information about a story from Laundrie’s sister, Cassie, that placed him on a flight back from Wyoming — where he left Petito behind — even though the van they were traveling in together was parked in the Florida driveway.
She told the officer that Petito’s phone has been turned off for 10 days and that her family has had “no contact with her” since then.
About 45 minutes after their initial meeting, the officer returned to Laundrie’s door to appeal to their sympathetic side, pleading, “I’m trying to figure something out for her parents. You, as parents, just want to know that your daughter is safe.”
“We don’t know anything,” Christopher replied as Roberta stood silently behind him.
The officer begged for more help and information about the last time Laundrie had seen Petito and also wanted to speak to Laundrie himself.
Authorities say that after Laundrie assaulted and strangled his then-girlfriend, he left her body in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and drove home to his parents’ house in North Port, using her van and ATM card.
“This nightmare never ends,” Schmidt told Fox News Digital today, just over three years after her daughter’s remains were found
Petito, of Blue Point, New York, was last seen alive at a Laundrie grocery store in Jackson, Wyoming on August 28, 2021
Christopher told the officer with firm hand gestures that Laundrie would not be speaking to him or anyone else.
The officer wondered how strange the Laundries’ behavior was and again pleaded for as much information as possible.
Laundrie’s father told the officer and detective he was consulting with to call his attorney and “that would be it.”
After the confrontation, the officer explained that the van was registered solely to Petito and that he arranged for a towing service to retrieve the vehicle.
“This nightmare never ends,” Schmidt said Fox News Digital today, more than three years after her daughter’s remains were found.
Authorities say after Laundrie assaulted and strangled his then-girlfriend, he left her body in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and drove her van and debit card home to his parents’ house in North Port.
Petito, of Blue Point, New York, was last seen alive at a grocery store in Jackson, Wyoming, on August 28, 2021.