Brian Laundrie Manhunt: Could Parents Face Obstruction, Ancillary Charges?



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Like the manhunt for Florida Fugitive Brian Laundrie enters his third week as questions multiply about how he escaped authorities for so long and whether his parents were able to give him a head start.

Chris and Roberta Laundrie have not been charged with any mischief, but critics began to scrutinize their actions in the weeks following the disappearance of their former future daughter-in-law, Gabby Petito, who was found dead in Wyoming at a campsite she shared with their son. They didn’t say anything about her missing and took a Labor Day camping trip.

“If they gave false information to law enforcement that allowed Brian to do his laundry and be a week early, or if the parents sent law enforcement on a hunt for wild geese, searching the reserve when he was not there, there is certainly a basis to accuse them, ”said Neama Rahmani, a former justice prodigy and federal prosecutor.

Brian Laundrie's dad leaves home (Fox News)

Brian Laundrie’s dad leaves home (Fox News)
(Fox News)

The Laundrie family have remained almost entirely moms since Petito’s disappearance – even though she lived with them.

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Their son returned home after a road trip west – in his van but without her – on September 1. The family said nothing for 10 days, and Petito’s mother reported his disappearance on September 11 after repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact the 23-year-old Long Island native.

An FBI-led search team found her remains near Grand Teton National Park eight days later – at a campsite where she stayed in the van with Laundrie in late August.

So far, Laundrie has been called a person of interest in the Petito case, but has only been charged with debit card fraud for allegedly using someone else’s bank card without authorization and have withdrawn more than $ 1,000.

“Since he got engaged immediately, I doubt they made any statements,” said Pat Diaz, a former Miami-Dade homicide detective with decades of experience. “So it will be difficult to prove [wrongdoing] unless they get real proof about the parents, which I don’t think they will have. “

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It is not known if the laundries said anything to investigators. If they have remained as quiet behind closed doors as they have been in public, it would be difficult to show that they lied to authorities, he said. But the FBI may have discovered physical or digital evidence that is not yet publicly available.

Lara Yeretsian, another senior West Coast defense attorney, said potential charges against the parents depended on what, if any, they told the FBI when investigators entered their home in the month. last, and whether they have misled or misguided the authorities.

“We don’t have enough information,” she said. “This is all guesswork, honestly.”

But if charges are brought against the parents, she said, they could relate to alleged obstruction of justice or after-the-fact complicity.

Laundrie’s attorney maintained that Laundrie was missing and the parents had no idea where their son was, and neither had their daughter. Counsel for Petito’s parents alleged Brian Laundrie was in hiding.

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Rahmani said he expects federal investigators to have already started subpoenaing phone records and other material as part of their investigation and that more serious charges against Laundrie are likely.

He also said the behavior of the Laundrie family so far has been suspect.

“People who worry about their future daughter-in-law, that’s not the way they act,” he said. “They don’t call a lawyer before reporting his disappearance to law enforcement, do they? They are helping an investigation. They don’t go camping when they’re looking for someone. have done is inconsistent with anyone who is concerned with locating their missing children. “

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