A police spokesperson has confirmed that the boyfriend of a missing young woman has not yet spoken with investigators about her mysterious disappearance — and it’s unclear when he will.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito’s mother reported her missing this past weekend, after Gabby, 22, fell out of contact while on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. Gabby’s mother Nicole Schmidt reportedly last communicated with her daughter on FaceTime on August 23 or 24. She also received a text message from her daughter’s phone on August 30; and said in an interview with “CBS Mornings” that she is not certain her daughter wrote the message. She declined to share details about the content of the message.
Authorities in Florida confirmed this week that Laundrie returned to North Port, Florida, with the converted camper he and Gabby had been traveling in, but without his girlfriend.
“We have the vehicle, we took it away very late Saturday night into Sunday,” North Port Police Spokesperson Josh Taylor told the Daily Mail.
It is unclear exactly when Laundrie returned to Florida. Taylor said that investigators are processing the vehicle for possible evidence.
“We take it, we process it for evidence – fingerprints, any evidentiary value that we think is possible. We are continuing to try to piece the things together. The situation is obviously very fluid,” Taylor told the Daily Mail.
Taylor also said that Laundrie has not yet spoken to investigators, while appearing to confirm that Gabby’s boyfriend is not yet being treated as a suspect. As previously reported, Laundrie has obtained an attorney.
“We have not talked with him, we would love to talk to him,” Taylor told the news outlet. “He is under no obligation to talk to us – and he has not. And we don’t even know yet if a crime happened.”
Gabrielle Petito is described as a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is reportedly feet 5 inches tall and 110 pounds, with several tattoos, including one on her forearm that reads “let it be.”
Anyone with information is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
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[Feature image: Gabrielle Petito/Instagram]
