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NORTH PORT, Fla .– Gabby Petito’s parents have described in heartbreaking detail the times they learned of the news that their 22-year-old daughter’s remains were believed to have been found in Wyoming after she’s been missing for weeks, and say they believe her fiance, Brian Laundromat, is still alive.
Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, Gabby’s mother and father, and her almost lifelong in-laws Tara Petito and Jim Schmidt, sat down for an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw which aired Tuesday on his eponymous show. The approximately 30-minute interview covered topics ranging from Nichole Schmidt’s first idea that his daughter was not doing well; the text messages Gabby’s parents sent to Laundrie’s parents; and their belief that he is hiding.
Almost all four parents were scattered across the country when the FBI told them on September 19 that they “had information they wanted to share,” Schmidt recalls.
With Jim Schmidt in Wyoming, he met law enforcement officers in a conference room at the hotel where he was staying, he said. As he entered the room for the meeting that day, Jim could see through a window an FBI agent rushing to meet him. He found out later because he wanted to share the news before word got out of their discovery.
“They described a piece of clothing to me that matched one of his favorite sweatshirts that we knew to be, that we knew to be his,” recalls Jim Schmidt. “We were all crying in the room. You know, we couldn’t believe it, because we had hope. I knew what we were potentially going to find coming here.”
The others joined the meeting by conference call, where they learned that the FBI had found the remains of a body that matched Gabby’s physical description.
“I was able to calm down and we got everyone on a conference call, and I was able to relay it to everyone,” Schmidt continued. While Jim Schmidt was in Wyoming, Nichole was in New York City and Tara and Joe Petito were in Florida, they told McGraw.
Through tears, Petito’s mother described to McGraw learning that investigators had “found remains.”
“And we knew it was Gabby. Even though we hoped it wasn’t,” she continued. “It was the hardest thing I ever had to listen to… But I knew she was gone. As a mom, I knew she was gone.”
The FBI confirmed two days later that the remains belonged to Petito and identified the manner of his death as homicide.
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Nichole Schmidt added that she suspected the worst of 9/11, just hours after reporting her daughter’s disappearance, after learning from authorities that the van in which Gabby and Laundrie had traveled across the country was back in the country. his family’s home in North Port, Florida. .
“I didn’t want to admit it,” she said, “but I felt it the night I found out the van was in Florida on the 11th, I felt in my heart it was gone. “
Brian Laundrie and Petito had set out on their road trip in mid-June in a converted white Ford Transit van with the intention of visiting national parks along the way. They had started dating years earlier after meeting at their local high school in Long Island, New York, and had moved to North Port, Florida to live with Laundrie’s parents.
On September 1, Laundrie returned to the North Port home in the couple’s van, but without Petito, officials said. She was not reported missing until 10 days later, on September 11, when her mother notified police in Suffolk County, New York. Authorities then seized the van from the laundries’ home. Brian then disappeared, with his lawyer first telling reporters he was missing on September 14, before changing course for September 13.
Soon after, authorities named Laundrie as a person of interest in connection with what was then his disappearance. September 23, FBI issued an arrest warrant for him, accusing him of bank card fraud.
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On Tuesday’s show, Stafford alleged that Brian Laundrie stole Petito’s credit card, used it “to get home and then fled the police.”
During another part of the interview, Joe Petito told McGraw that Brian “didn’t tell us” that he got home in Petito’s van. Nichole Schmidt added, “As far as we’re concerned now, our daughter was camping.”
Parents began frantically texting and calling Brian Laundrie’s parents, even thinking early on that Brian was missing as well, Joe Petito said.
“One of the texts, I mean, I was going to call the police. You know, ‘I’m just letting you know because we have no idea, no answer,’” Joe Petito continued. “A normal parent, when you text someone saying they’re going to call the cops because you can’t find your child, they’ll answer you.”
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Joe Petito further described how Brian’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, allegedly “got papers at the door,” with instructions for the police to contact their lawyer.
Petito, who has spoken openly to the media about his feelings about how the situation has been handled by the Laundrie family, told McGraw he felt the laundries “owed me more than that.”
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“I am a dad. I ask my children to defend their decisions,” he explained. “If they make a mistake, I’ll help you. I’ll guide you down this path. But you’re going, man, you’re going to admit your mistake because that’s what a parent does – not what they do. I am. sorry.
Gabby’s parents said they both believed the laundries “knew a lot more information than they released,” as Nichole Schmidt said.
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When asked if they “100%” believe Brian Laundrie was in hiding, Joe Petito replied, “I think so. ”
“Because he’s a coward. Thoroughly. I could use other words, but I can’t use them on your show. Coward,” he said. “Everyone who has lived in this house is cowardly, and they don’t know how to defend their actions.”
Michael Ruiz of Fox News contributed to this report.
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