Gabby Petito case: Laundrie family attorney cancels Tuesday press conference
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. - The attorney for the family of Brian Laundrie has canceled a press conference scheduled for Tuesday related to the disappearance of 22-year-old Gabby Petito, according to FOX 5 NY. The cancellation came after a conversation the attorney had with the FBI on Monday.
Steven Bertolino, the attorney for the Laundrie family, was scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. ET in Long Island, New York.
"As per my conversation with the FBI this evening there will be no press conference tomorrow," Bertolino told FOX 5 NY.
FBI agents swarmed the family’s home on Monday morning in North Port, Florida, spending hours at the residence while Laundrie’s parents were temporarily placed in an unmarked van. Laundrie, who has not cooperated with the police, is now considered a person of interest in the case and hasn’t been seen himself since Sept. 14, according to investigators.
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The search warrant came after officials in Wyoming discovered a body believed to be that of Petito, who went missing on a cross-country trip with Laundrie. Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on New York's Long Island. His parents later moved to North Port, about 35 miles south of Sarasota, and the couple had been living with his parents before making the trek, according to the Associated Press.
But on the trip, Petito lost contact with her family in late August when the couple said they were visiting Grand Teton National Park. Their social media posts documenting the trip also abruptly stopped, and Laundrie returned to their Florida home in the van — alone — on Sept. 1, authorities said.
Petito was later reported missing on Sept. 11 by her family in New York. That same day, the van was seized by the North Port Police Department in Florida at their shared home, authorities said.
Petito's family had been pleading with Laundrie’s parents to tell police where their son last saw her, but the Laundrie family declined to speak with investigators and instead provided them with information for their attorney. A statement shared Sept. 14 by Bertolino said the family would remain "in the background at this juncture" and provide no further comment.
But on Friday, North Port police spoke with Laundrie’s parents "at their request," who told investigators that their son had been missing since Sept. 14. The revelation prompted a multi-day search of a vast wildlife reserve in Sarasota County but was called off on Monday.
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In Wyoming, an autopsy of the body was planned for Tuesday. The FBI said agents had discovered the body while searching campsites on the edge of Grand Teton National Park, which the couple had visited, but release no details on the cause of death.
"Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified," FBI agent Charles Jones said Sunday. "This is an incredibly difficult time for (Petito’s) family and friends."
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This story was reported from Cincinnati.