BOYFRIEND EYED
COPS FOCUS ON BEAU OF MISSING L.I. WOMAN:
The still-silent boyfriend of a missing Long Island woman was declared a “person of interest” Wednesday in her disappearance as police said his refusal to cooperate was hampering the investigation.
A national FBI tip hotline was also launched as Brian Laundrie, who was traveling cross-country with his girlfriend Gabby Petito when she went missing, remained mute about what happened as the pair drove in her van. Authorities revealed he returned alone to his home in North Port, Fla., 10 days before Petito was reported missing and has provided no “helpful details” about the woman’s disappearance.
“The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation,” said North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison. “The answers will eventually come out. We will help find Gabby, and we will help find anyone who is involved in her disappearance.”
Garrison, in an appeal for help as the case goes forward, mentioned Laundrie by name: “We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information on her whereabouts in the past few weeks.”
And Garrison later tweeted directly at Laudrie’s attorney, applying some public pressure for the lawyer to bring his client in for a sitdown.
“Mr. Steven Bertolino, esq., the North Port Police needs your help in finding Gabby Petito,” he said. “Please call us to arrange a conversation with Brian Laundrie. Two people left on a trip and one person returned!”
Meanwhile, Petito’s father, Joseph Petito of Vero Beach, Fla., told the Daily News on Wednesday that police officially putting the focus on Laundrie was long overdue.
“You can put any title you want on it, [the family] had him as the main person of interest since we found out he was back in Florida,” the angry dad said.
“Right now my daughter’s missing and he’s in the comfort of his own home having homecooked meals.”
Laundrie, 22, came home alone on Sept. 1, but his girlfriend was not reported missing until this past Saturday, authorities said.
Garrison said hundreds of tips have already poured in about the case, adding that investigators were also looking into the sudden disappearance of Petito’s Instagram page.
The missing woman’s family also issued a new statement Wednesday calling on Laundrie to answer questions about the mysterious disappearance.
“Brian, how could you do this to Gabby?” the family asked.
“You selfishly remain silent ... Brian, your silence is reprehensible! We beg you to do the right thing. You tarnish your love for her with your silence.”
The 22-year-old Petito, originally from Long Island, was living with Laundrie in North Port when they set out together on the trip inside her white 2012 Ford Transit van with Florida plates, said Garrison.
The van was fully processed for evidence Tuesday night by police and the FBI, according to Garrison.
There was no indication of any crime committed in Florida, and the police chief in Moab, Utah, confirmed that local officers investigated an Aug. 12 incident involving the couple — but did not find enough evidence to support any criminal charges.
The Laundrie family issued a four-sentence statement Tuesday, expressing hope that Petito will be found and closing with word that they would say nothing more on the advice of their attorney.
Local police were rebuffed when they knocked on the door of Laundrie’s home, with his parents speaking with the cops while the son remained resolute in his silence.
The missing woman’s family last heard from Gabby during the last week of August, and she was last believed to be in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
“If I get into a fight with my significant other and I want to split up with her and I’m in the middle of nowhere, the least I’m gonna do is take the drive back with her, even if you’re silent for two days. Then you go your separate ways,” Joseph Petito said.
“You don’t do this. You don’t leave her in the middle of nowhere in God knows what condition and don’t tell anyone.
“And the second there’s a missing person report that hits, you lawyer up? I mean, the optics of it don’t look good. But any scenario I come up with in my head makes me cry, and the only scenario I’m sticking with is that she’s stuck in the wilderness somewhere and she needs help.”