The Florida police and the FBI are looking for the 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, the friend of the missing Gabby Petito, it said late Friday (local time) in a message distributed on Twitter. The last time his family saw him was on Tuesday, the investigators said, citing the relatives. After returning alone from a trip together, he has now also disappeared.
[Wenn Sie aktuelle Nachrichten aus Berlin, Deutschland und der Welt live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
“We can understand the frustration of the public, we are also frustrated,” said the investigators. For days she and the parents of the missing Petito appealed to the friend and his family to speak up. But they had been silent so far.
“On Friday they (the relatives of the friend) spoke to the investigators in detail for the first time.” Petito’s family also reacted to the new turn and accused the 23-year-old of hiding. CNN quoted the family lawyer Richard Stafford as saying that he was not missing.
Recordings from a police body camera
In the United States, the authorities have been feverishly looking for 22-year-old Gabby Petito for days. The case is also making headlines outside the country. The couple initially shared numerous beautiful pictures of their road trip together in a converted van through the United States via social media.
But there are also recordings from a police body camera: In mid-August, the police in the US state of Utah were reportedly called to the couple and their car about a possible case of domestic violence. Petito can then be seen crying, she looks relaxed.
According to the police, the friend returned home alone on September 1, and ten days later, Petito’s parents reported their daughter as missing. Police believe Petito was in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming before she last had contact with her family.
The friend was a “person of interest” in connection with Petito’s disappearance, but he was not wanted for a crime, the investigators said on Friday. “We are currently not working to solve a crime.” It is an investigation into several missing people.
The Federal Police FBI set up a nationwide telephone hotline and asked the population for information on the possible whereabouts of the 22-year-old Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito. “We are just as frustrated as everyone else,” said Florida police chief Todd Garrison on Thursday. “Two people have set out on a journey, one has returned and he does not share any information with us.”
Petito and Laundrie, who lived together in North Port, set off on a trip to the western United States in a converted van in July. According to the police, Laundrie returned to North Port by vehicle on September 1 – without Petito. Her family finally reported the 22-year-old missing on September 11th.
Petito last had contact with her family in late August when she was believed to be in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. (dpa, AFP)
–
