The Florida couple were on a cross-country trip from Long Island, New York, to Oregon when Pettito stopped communicating with her family somewhere in Wyoming in late August. Laundry returned home to Northport on the Gulf Coast with her 2012 white Ford Transit on Sept 1 – 10 days before the Pettito family reported her missing.
Timeline: What happened to Gabi Pettito?
Police in Florida are expected to hold another press conference on Thursday afternoon to provide an update on the investigation.
With details surrounding Pettito’s disappearance revealed, the Moab City of Utah Police Department confirmed an August 12 incident involving Brian Laundry and Gabriel Pettito, but “there is not enough evidence to warrant criminal charges.”
Officers responded to a report of a domestic problem after a witness said the couple, involved in an altercation in Arches National Park, drove off in a white van, according to a police report.
When police officers found a truck and stopped it to stop traffic, the couple admitted to arguing. Pettito admitted that she slapped Laundry when she thought her boyfriend would leave her in Moab, according to the report. The couple also stated to the police that Londry did not hit Pettito.
Pettito told police that she has severe anxiety and other medical conditions, which have been omitted from the police report, and that arguments have been building over the past few days. Police described the incident as a “mental/emotional break” and not a domestic assault, according to the report.
They agree to separate at night and the police help Londry get a hotel room while Pettito seizes the truck. According to the police, the couple did not want to separate, but the officers asked them to do so rather than press any charges. A responding officer considered Brian to be “in little danger due to his closeness to his fiancée”.
It is not clear what happened after that.
Laundry allegedly obstructed the investigation
Police in the couple’s hometown in Florida said Laundry did not cooperate with police and He is now considered an important person in the case. He was not charged with any crime.
Officials said Laundry was not available for interviews with investigators and did not provide any useful details.
“We are appealing to anyone, including Brian, to share information regarding her whereabouts in the past few weeks,” Northport Police Chief Todd Garrison said in a statement on Wednesday. “The lack of information from Brian is hampering this investigation. The answers will eventually emerge.”
The FBI and the Suffolk County Police Department in New York are assisting with the investigation.
He reportedly returned to Florida alone 10 days before Pettito’s disappearance was reported, and the events leading up to this are currently unknown. That truck has since been impounded by investigators and processed for clues.
While Laundry has not spoken publicly, his family released a statement Tuesday through their attorney Stephen B. Bertolino, in which he described Pettito’s disappearance as a “very difficult time” for both families.
“Understandably, this is a very difficult time for both the Pettito family and the Laundry family,” the statement read. “We understand that a search for Miss Petito has been organized in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On behalf of the Laundrie family, we hope that the search for Miss Petito will be successful and that Miss Petito will be reunited with her family. On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family remains in The background is at this point and will have no further comment.”
The Pettito family released a statement Tuesday claiming that “the only person who can help find Gabe is refusing to help,” adding that they are “begging the Laundry family not to “stay in the background” but to help find who Brian referred to as the love of his life.”
“Brian refuses to tell Gaby’s family where he last saw her,” Pettito’s family said. “Brian also refuses to explain why he left Gabi alone and drove her truck to Florida. These are important questions that require immediate answers.”
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Instagram account has been mysteriously deleted
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pettito family said their Instagram account had been mysteriously deleted.
“We have no idea who deleted Gabe’s Instagram account,” the family’s lawyer told the sister station. WABC-TV. “We contacted Instagram and the FBI to let them know that it has been removed.”
Facebook said on Wednesday that Petito’s Instagram account was removed by mistake and has since been reinstated.
“the life”
Pettito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, said her last video chat with her daughter was on August 24 or 25, although they exchanged text messages for a few days after that.
She has since said she’s not sure if her daughter is actually sending these messages.
“We do not eat, we do not sleep, we are actively looking for it,” she said.
Prior to the last contact, Pettit is believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. she It has been reported missing To the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department by her family on September 11 at approximately 6:55 p.m.
The couple was documenting their journey on YouTube. They embarked on their journey in July from the town of Pettito in Blue Point, New York, saying on social media accounts that they intended to reach Oregon by Halloween.
Pettito and Laundry were childhood sweethearts in Suffolk County.
“We were excited about them,” Schmidt said. “I think she is in danger because she is not in contact with us. She could be alone somewhere. She could be stranded somewhere in the wild and she needs help.”
eight minutes Youtube video “Van Life: Beginning our Van Life Journey” features scenes from the couple’s journey.
“Gabi Pettito, you never go out,” she says as she walks with Brian along the beach. The video, which was set to music, garnered nearly 450,000 views: Sunset. Gabby drives the white van. Gabe is running along the beach. Gabe brings the food. Other photos show the couple kissing, flipping backwards on hammocks and moving along the beach.
“I love the truck,” she says towards the end of the video as the camera pans toward the white Ford parked in the Utah desert.
The entry is the only one posted on their YouTube channel, Nomadic Statik.
“Thanks so much for watching, we hope you’ll be with us on our journey wherever the truck takes us!” They wrote.
Pettito is described as a white female standing around 5 feet 5 feet tall and 110 pounds.
She has blonde hair, blue eyes, and several tattoos, including one on her finger and one on her forearm that says “let it be.”
Investigators are asking anyone with information about Petio’s disappearance to contact the Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, and the North Port Police Department is actively assisting in this case and can be contacted at 941-429-7382.”
In addition, the FBI field office in Tampa is assisting with this investigation. Advice can also be called at 1-800-CALL-FBI or sent to Tips.
The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.
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