NORTH PORT, Fla. – The parents of Gabby Petito described in heartbreaking detail the moments when they heard the news that their 22-year-old daughter’s remains were believed to have been found in Wyoming after she had been missing for weeks, and say they believe her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, is still alive.
Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, Gabby’s mother and father, and her nearly lifelong step-parents, Tara Petito and Jim Schmidt, sat down for an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw that aired Tuesday on his self-named show. The approximately 30-minute interview covered topics ranging from Nichole Schmidt’s early inkling that her daughter was not okay; the text messages Gabby’s parents sent to Laundrie's parents; and their belief that he is hiding out.
Nearly all of the four parents were spread out throughout the country when the FBI told them on Sept. 19 that they "had some information that they wanted to share," Jim Schmidt recalled.
Florida fugitive Brian Laundrie was last seen by his parents on Sept. 13, according to family attorney Steven Bertolino, who said more than two weeks ago it was a day later.
When police visited the Laundrie home on Sept. 17, Brian Laundrie was not only not inside – but his parents claimed he was missing.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie initially told investigators at the time they hadn’t seen their son since Tuesday, Sept. 14, according to a police news release from that Friday that states Laundrie hadn’t been seen "since Tuesday of this week."
NORTH PORT, Fla. – Brian Laundrie stole Gabby Petito’s credit card and used it to travel home, where he returned in the beginning of September, "and then ran from the police," Petito’s family spokesperson said during an interview on Tuesday.
Petito’s family members and the family’s attorney and spokesperson, Richard Stafford, sat down for a 30-minute interview with Dr. Phil McGraw on his self-named show. It was the parents’ first interview together since officials announced on Sept. 21 that 22-year-old Petito had died of a homicide. The cause of her death has not yet been announced.
Police had previously named Petito’s fiancé, Brian Laundrie, as a person of interest in connection with what was then her disappearance. On Sept. 23, the FBI issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie, accusing him of bank card fraud.
{{#rendered}}A domestic abuse survivor knew Gabby Petito from her work at a nearby store visited the memorial for the victim at the Laundrie family’s home on Tuesday to drop off flowers.
“She was one of my customers,” she told people as she held the flowers. “She was a sweetheart and she is just a free spirit and a wonderful human being, and it’s just a sick, tragic situation. My heart breaks for her and her family and friends.”
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear for her own safety, said she last saw Petito about six months ago, with Brian Laundrie. The pair had come into her workplace to shop, and Laundrie “seemed normal.”
“She deserves justice. Her family deserves justice,” she said. She said she hopes people will realize “that sadly this is real and that it happens.”
She called the news involving Petito “just sickening.”
“They say she’s like ‘America’s Daughter’ now because, sadly, for her legacy, everybody knows somebody like her or potentially in this situation,” she continued. “It touches so many people.”
Steve Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, tells Fox News' Stephanie Pagones that Brian -- in mid-August -- "flew home to obtain some items and empty and close [a] storage unit to save money" as he and Gabby Petito "contemplated extending the road trip.”
“Brian flew home to Tampa from SLC on 08/17 and returned to SLC on 08/23 to rejoin Gabby," he continued. "To my knowledge Brian and Gabby paid for the flights as they were sharing expenses."
Bertolino's statement comes after Brian's sister, Cassie, confirmed the trip to protesters who had gathered outside of her home on Monday night.
Two weeks since Gabby Petito was revealed to have been the victim of a homicide, famed forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden told Fox News the FBI’s decision to withhold her remains from her family was "very unusual," as was the agency’s decision not to release the cause of her death when the manner was announced.
Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue found in his initial determination that Petito, 22, was the victim of a homicide, the FBI’s Denver Field Office announced on Sept. 21. Her body had turned up near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Sept. 19.
But the office stopped short of revealing the cause of death pending the final autopsy results, and days went by without the agency releasing her remains to the family – a move that Baden, a Fox News contributor, called "very unusual."
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{{#rendered}}Brett Tolman, the former U.S. attorney for Utah, tells ‘Fox & Friends First’ on Tuesday that for Brian Laundrie’s parents, legally, there is a “big difference between just staying silent and answering questions of law enforcement who are trying to investigate the whereabouts of a known person.
“The fact that they may not have given enough information when they knew it, or the fact that when they are asked directly if they know the whereabouts of Brian – those are tricky questions if they do know the truth and they refuse to give that to law enforcement,” he said.
“From the very beginning of this, it’s been strange how insular the family has become and how lacking of information we received from them, when you think they would care tremendously about what happened to Gabby,” he added.
Dennis Davis, the Appalachian Trail hiker who claimed to speak with a man he believes was Brian Laundrie on Saturday, confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he is meeting with FBI tomorrow to talk about his encounter.
The Haywood County, North Carolina, Sheriff's Office called Davis back after he reported the incident on Saturday and is setting up a meeting with Davis that will include FBI personnel.
The family of Gabby Petito, in a pre-taped interview with Dr. Phil set to air Tuesday, said repeated texts and calls to the Laundrie family in the wake of Gabby’s disappearance went unanswered.
Her father, Joe Petito, said one of the text messages said “I’m going to call the police, just letting you know, because we have no idea.”
"A normal parent when you text someone that [you] are going to call the cops because you can't find your child, they would reply. No response. Nothing."
{{#rendered}}Cassie Laundrie, Brian’s sister, tells ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ that she doesn’t know if her parents are involved in his disappearance, but “I think if they are, they should come clean.”
Cassie said she has been cooperating with police.
“I worry about him. I hope he’s ok. And then I’m angry and I don’t know what to think,” she said about Brian. “I would tell my brother to just come forward and get us out of this horrible mess.”
Cassie said the last time she physically saw and spoke to Brian was on Sept. 6 and shared a photo of her son standing next to Brian while he was camping at Fort De Soto park, five days before Gabby Petito’s reported disappearance.
“We just went for a couple of hours and we ate dinner and had s’mores around the campfire and left,” Cassie said. “There was nothing peculiar about it, there was no feeling of grand goodbye.”
The family of Gabby Petito, in a pre-taped interview with Dr. Phil set to air Tuesday, said they all believe Brian Laundrie is out there hiding somewhere.
“Why do you believe that?” the talk show host asked.
“Because he’s a coward,” said Gabby’s father, Joe Petito. “Flat out. I would use some other words but I can’t use them on your show.”
“Anyone who lived in that house is a coward,” Petito added, referencing the Laundrie home in North Port, Fla., and Brian’s parents Chris and Roberta. “And they don’t know how to stand up for their actions.”
Cassie Laundrie, the sister of Brian Laundrie, told protesters that her family has been ignoring her following the disappearance of her brother and the death of Gabby Petito.
{{#rendered}}Florida fugitive Brian Laundrie’s sister told protesters outside her Lakewood Ranch home Monday that her family has been ignoring her following the disappearance of her brother and the death of his fiancée.
When asked if her parents were helping Brian Laundrie evade authorities, she said, "I don't know" and that she hadn't been able to speak with them.
"I'm in the boat where I'm getting ignored by my family and thrown under the bus by my family's attorney," Cassie Laundrie said to a group of protesters Monday in video shared by TikTok user @chroniclesofolivia.
The lawyer Laundrie seemed to be referencing, Steve Bertolino blamed the media.
"I do not represent Cassie Laundrie," he told Fox News Digital in a text message Monday night. "Cassie’s comments can only be attributed to the press twisting my words and hers, which were only given to clarify prior mischaracterizations by the press, with the hopes of further sensationalizing this tragic story."
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