NORTH PORT, Fla. (NewsNation Now) — Brian Laundrie and his 22-year-old girlfriend Gabby Petito were on a cross-country road trip when she went missing. Neither Laundrie, nor his parents, are speaking with police.
The trip was documented on social media until Petito vanished somewhere near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Her last text to her family was Aug. 30. They became worried when they didn’t hear from her again.
“It was day 8 or 9 that I really became concerned. I figured she could not be off the grid that long,” said Nichole Schmidt, Petito’s mother.
On Tuesday, the Moab City Police Department independently confirmed to NewsNationNow.com that police were called to an incident involving the couple last month.
Our officers did respond to an incident involving Brian Laundrie and Gabrielle Petito on 12 August 2021 however, neither Brian or Gabrielle were the reporting party. Officers conducted an investigation and determined that insufficient evidence existed to justify criminal charges.
Moab City Police Department
The van the couple was last seen in together is in North Port, Florida, at Laundrie’s parents’ house. Police towed the van away to be processed by the FBI and say when they tried talking to the parents and the boyfriend, all they would do is give them their lawyer’s phone number.
“And then all of the sudden the person she was traveling with is back here, and she is not here. The person is unwilling to talk with us to that point. All of that is very, very concerning,” said Josh Taylor of the North Port Police Department.
The attorney for Laundrie’s family released a statement on Tuesday.
“On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Ms. Petito is successful and that Ms. Petito is reunited with her family. On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment.”
Police are also guarded with what they’re revealing about Petito’s mysterious disappearance.
“I think we know a lot more than we have put out there in the media. And there is a reason for that. It is for the integrity of the investigation,” said Taylor.