Grim images show Brian Laundrie’s parents refusing to cooperate with police in the search for his then-missing girlfriend, Gabby Petito.
Gabrielle Petito, 22, never returned from her ill-fated “trip of a lifetime” three years ago when her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, 23, beat and strangled her to death during their cross-country trip.
He left his body in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, as he returned alone to North Port, Florida.
Newly released police footage showed North Port police at Laundrie’s home in Florida the night Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, reported her missing, asking for cooperation in the search for the woman.
When officers knocked on the door of Laundrie’s dimly lit home on the night of Sept. 11, 2021, Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, were able to They were seen suspiciously opening the front door and standing in the frame just enough to block the view inside the house.
Newly released police footage shows North Port police at Brian Laundrie’s Florida home asking for cooperation from parents Christopher and Roberta in their search for Gabby Petito in 2021
Gabrielle Petito, 22, never returned from her ill-fated “trip of a lifetime” when her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, 23, beat and strangled her to death on their cross-country road trip in 2021.
When officers knocked on the door of the dimly lit home on the evening of Sept. 11, Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, can be seen warily opening the front door and standing in the doorway just long enough to block the view inside the house. Pictured: Christopher and Roberta Laundrie
“I’m not talking to anybody,” Christopher said after police revealed they had a New York detective on the phone.
After repeated attempts by North Port officers, Christopher insisted 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 strip of open door before the officer asks: “When was the last time you saw Brian and Gabrielle?”
Stuttering his words, Christopher revealed that Brian was inside his home in North Port and “that’s all I’m going to say.”
Christopher proceeded to tell the officer that he had a lawyer and that the police could contact him, before going inside to gather the contact information.
Without opening the door more than a crack, Christopher hands the officer a Post-it note purportedly containing Laundrie’s attorney’s contact information before angrily confirming to the officers that Petito was not inside the home with Laundrie.
“No, no, she’s not here,” he said before explaining agitatedly that someone had been questioning him the night before about Petito’s whereabouts.
Christopher told the officer that he had a lawyer and that police could contact him, before going inside to gather contact information.
Before leaving Laundrie’s home that night, the officer asked about the lone white pickup truck in the driveway, registered only to Petito. Pictured: Gabby Petito
After the confrontation, the officer explains that the van is registered solely to Petito and that he is arranging for a tow truck to come and collect the vehicle. Pictured: Petito’s SUV being towed away by North Port Police
Before leaving the house, the officer asked about the lone white pickup truck in the driveway, registered only to Petito.
“Is this your vehicle? Your truck?” the officer asked.
Christopher said as he walked in, “It’s… it’s both of them.”
While deliberating with the detective over the phone outside Laundrie’s home, the officer shares that the family “is tired of being harassed and being called names by the (Petito) family.”
The detective then divulged additional information from a story provided by Laundrie’s sister, Cassie, placing him on a return flight from Wyoming, where he dropped Petito off, although the van they were traveling in together was parked in the Florida driveway.
She shared with the officer that Petito’s phone has been off for 10 days and that her family has had “no contact with her at all” since then.
About 45 minutes after their first encounter, the officer returned to Laundrie’s door, attempting to appeal to her sympathetic side by pleading, “I’m trying to find a solution 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 behind him, silent.
The officer asked for more help and information about the last time Laundrie saw Petito and also asked to speak to Laundrie himself.
Authorities say after Laundrie beat and strangled his then-girlfriend, he left her body in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and drove to his parents’ home in North Port, using her pickup truck and debit 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 grocery store with Laundrie in Jackson, Wyoming, on August 28, 2021.
Speaking firmly and with his hands, Christopher told the officer that Laundrie would not speak to him or anyone else.
Questioning the strangeness of the Laundries’ behavior, the officer pleaded again, trying to extract as much information as possible.
Laundrie’s father told the officer and detective he had been speaking to to call his attorney and “that’s it.”
After the confrontation, the officer explained that the truck was registered solely to Petito and that he was arranging for a tow truck to come pick up the vehicle.
“This nightmare never ends,” Schmidt said. Fox Digital News Today, just over three years after her daughter’s remains were found.
Authorities say after Laundrie beat and strangled his then-girlfriend, he left her body in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and drove to his parents’ home in North Port, using her pickup truck and debit card.
Petito, of Blue Point, New York, was last seen alive at a grocery store in Jackson, Wyoming, on August 28, 2021.