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The family of Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, 22, who disappeared while the couple were traveling across the country, said Friday night it was not known where he was also.
“Please be aware that the fate of Brian Laundrie is currently unknown,” a family lawyer said. “The FBI is currently at the Laundrie residence removing property to help locate Brian. As of now, the FBI is looking for both Gabby and Brian.”
The laundry has not been seen since Tuesday, according to police and the family’s lawyer.
The development was the latest in a case that has gained national attention as the couple have traveled across the country since June in their 2012 Ford Transit van and documented the trip on social media. Laundrie returned home to North Port, Florida on September 1 without his girlfriend, police said.
Petito’s parents reported his disappearance on September 11 after not speaking to him for two weeks.
Petito was last seen on August 24 leaving a hotel room in Utah. The next day, she spoke to her mother, Nichole Schmidt, telling her their next stops would be Grand Teton and Yellowstone, Schmidt told ABC News this week.
Schmidt received two texts from his daughter’s phone a few days after speaking to her, but it was not clear whether they were actually sent by Petito.
Laundrie has been named a person of interest in the case, but has so far refused to speak to police.
“A lot of people are wondering why Mr. Laundrie would not make a statement or speak to law enforcement in the face of Ms. Petito’s absence,” lawyer representing the Laundrie family, Steven P. Bertolino said on Wednesday. , in a press release. “In my experience, intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focuses their attention on in cases like this, and the warning that” any statement will be used against you “is true. Whether or not my client has anything to do with Ms. Petito’s disappearance. As such, on the advice of the lawyer, Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on this matter. “
The North Port Police Department said Friday afternoon he entered the family home, where Brian is believed to have stayed, to speak with the family “at their request.”
Police then tweeted: “The conversation at Laundrie’s home is over. Once we have the details, a statement will be made. We call for calm!
It was after this tweet that the family lawyer released the statement that Brian Laundrie’s location was unknown.
People had gathered outside Laundrie’s house all day Friday, some with megaphones, chanting “Where’s Gabby?” and calling on Brian Laundrie or the family to speak to the authorities. These people were moved from the lawn to the sidewalk as they chanted towards the house.
Brian’s sister Cassandra Laundrie spoke to ABC News Thursday night, saying she spoke to police about Petito’s disappearance but mostly learned details of the news.
“Obviously my family and I want Gabbie to be found safe and sound,” she said. “She’s like a sister and my kids love her, and all I want is for her to come home safe and sound and that’s just a big misunderstanding.”
Earlier today, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office in Moab, Utah, said Petito and Laundrie did not appear to be linked to the murders of two women at a campsite in mid-August. The sheriff’s office said Thursday it had been in contact with Florida authorities about an investigation into a possible link to the double murder.
The pair were last seen leaving a bar on August 13, a day after authorities were called over a disagreement between Petito and Laundrie as they traveled to Moab.
The couple’s white van had been pulled over after a witness called police about an altercation between the two at Arches National Park. The couple admitted to having a fight and that Petito slapped Laundrie in the face, according to the report. The two told police the laundry did not have Petito.
There was “insufficient evidence to support criminal charges,” Moab Police Department chief Bret Edge said in a statement on Tuesday.
ABC News’ Alondra Valle, Julia Jacobo and Matt Foster contributed to this report.
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