Brian Laundrie's Sister Speaks Out About Her Brother's Disappearance
Gabby Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, set out on a cross-country van trip this summer, and after Laundrie returned to his parents' house in Florida — where they lived together — with her van and without her on September 1, questions quickly arouse around her disappearance (via CNN). Petito was reported missing by her parents on September 11, and Laundrie and his parents refused to speak to police about the investigation. They also hired real estate lawyer Steven Bertolino to represent them, and he has been speaking to the press on their behalf since the story broke.
On September 17, Laundrie's parents, Roberta and Christopher, reported Brian missing after they claimed that their son had gone to the Carlton Reserve near their home in North Port three days prior. "The whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown," Bertolino told CNN, adding, "The FBI is currently at the Laundrie residence removing property to assist in locating Brian. As of now the FBI is now looking for both Gabby and Brian."
Petito's remains were discovered just two days later in Teton County, Wyoming, where the couple were camping in late August. After an initial autopsy was performed, the coroner ruled that the manner of Petito's death was consistent with homicide. Brian has been in hiding ever since, and all eyes are on the odd behavior his family has been exhibiting.
Brain Laundrie's sister Cassie broke her silence on September 16
Brian Laundrie's older sister, Cassie Laundrie, first spoke to the press about Gabby Petito's disappearance on September 16 in an interview that has been picked apart by social media users everywhere. "Obviously me and my family want Gabby to be found safe," Cassie said on "Good Morning America" (via ABC News). "She's like a sister and my children love her, and all I want is for her to come home safe and sound and this to be just a big misunderstanding." During the interview, Cassie also said that she hadn't been able to speak to her brother and had "cooperated every way" that she could, and that she wished she had more information to offer at the time.
In late September, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino confirmed that Brian and his parents had gone camping together at Fort De Soto from September 6-8 (via People) — nearly a week after Brian's return and just days before Petito was reported missing by her family. It was also revealed that Cassie had joined them on the camping trip, and after days of protesters gathering outside her Florida home, she and her husband finally broke their silence about the camping trip, and offered up new information about her parents, Brian, and more.
What Brian Laundrie's sister said about him and their family
Speaking to a small group of protesters outside her Florida home on Monday, October 4, Cassie Laundrie gave new insight into the case against her brother, Brian, and their parents, Christopher and Roberta. Cassie said that if she knew where her brother was, she would "turn him in." She also gave new details about the family's early September camping trip to Fort De Soto. "We just went for a couple of hours and we ate dinner and had s'mores around the campfire and left, and there was nothing peculiar about it. There was no feeling of grand goodbye. There was no nothing," she said (via ABC News), adding, "I'm frustrated that, in hindsight, I didn't pick up on anything. It was just a regular visit."
Cassie went on to say that she's worried about her brother and that she hopes he is okay, but that she's "angry" and doesn't "know what to think" about the situation. "I hope my brother is alive because I want answers just as much as everybody else," she said. When asked if she thinks her parents are involved in helping her brother cover up a potential murder and assisting his escape, Cassie didn't rule it out. "I don't know if my parents are involved. I think if they are, then they should come clean," she said, adding that the Petito family "deserves answers."
Cassie Laundrie revealed she hasn't spoken to her parents since Gabby Petito's disappearance
While Cassie Laundrie admitted that she had seen Brian and their parents when he came home on September 1 and "for a few hours" during their September 6-8 camping trip, she revealed that she hasn't spoken to her parents — or the family's lawyer, Steven Bertolino — since Gabby Petito was reported missing on September 11.
Cassie also clarified a statement that was "misconstrued" by the media during her September 16 appearance on "Good Morning America," telling the small group of protesters that when she had said "I haven't been able to talk to him," she meant that she hadn't spoken to him since Gabby Petito was declared missing (via News Nation Now).
She also addressed Bertolino's statement he made about her being with the family at the Fort De Soto campsite, which didn't sit well with her, considering she hasn't spoken to him or her family. "I'm in the boat where I'm getting ignored by my family and thrown under the bus by my family's attorney," she said, adding that she is "just as baffled and blown away as everybody else" by the continuous twists and turns in the case.