Watch live as coroner gives update on Gabby Petito autopsy
Gabby Petito’s parents have said that they “want vengeance and justice” for the loss of their daughter, and hope to see their daughters fiancé, Brian Laundrie, behind bars.
In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Ms Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, said: “We want vengeance and justice, and for him to pay for his crimes.”
Nichole Schmidt, Ms Petito’s mother, added: “I just want to get him in a cell for the rest of his life.”
Meanwhile, today marks the 31st day since Mr Laundrie was reported missing by his parents. North Port Police have not reported any new evidence, but have continued to search for him, alongside the FBI, in the Carlton Reserve, a 24,000-acre nature preserve, where he was reportedly hiking alone before going missing in September.
Authorities have previously said there is believed to be a 50 per cent chance that Mr Laundrie is still alive.
Footage shows Laundrie’s father tearing down protest sign
Brian Laundrie’s father, Chris Laundrie, stormed out of his house on Saturday to tear down a protest sign on his lawn, Fox News footage shows.
The sign had read, “What if it was Cassie?” – apparently referring to Cassie Laundrie, Chris’ daughter.
Protesters have been gathering outside the Laundrie home for weeks, waving protest signs and shouting at the family.
Nathan Place17 October 2021 18:46
Former FBI agent believes Brian Laundrie is alive
Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer says she believes Brian Laundrie is still alive, judging by comments from the Laundrie family’s lawyer.
“The attorney has repeatedly said he is representing the family and he is representing Brian Laundrie,” Ms Coffindaffer told NewsNationNow. “You would not represent someone who is not alive.”
Nathan Place17 October 2021 18:15
The Appalachian Trail – the land of Laundrie look-alikes
As the search for Brian Laundrie enters its second month, New Yorker writer Charles Bethea explored the ways that amateur sleuths have been looking for the fugitive along the Appalachian Trail – and mistaking other “archetypal, long-distance” hikers for him.
One couple, Severin Beckwith and Anna Brettmann, who were hiking from Georgia to Virginia along the trail in late September, had an unexpected encounter with a number of US Marshals who came bursting into their hotel room while they were taking a nap.
It turns out that Mr Beckwith, like many bearded, skinny and pale hikers, resembled Mr Laundrie, and someone at the hotel had tipped off the marshals.
“The preponderance of such men,” Mr Bethea writes, “perhaps, has made the Appalachian Trail a locus of the manhunt among the amateur set.”
Celine Wadhera17 October 2021 17:45
Dog the Bounty Hunter denies pitching show on the search for Brian Laundrie
Dog the Bounty Hunter has denied claims that he had pitched a show to A&E network that would follow the search for Brian Laundrie.
He told The Sun: “Anything about us ever going to A&E, that is a lie”. And added: “Will this search cause us to get a show? I doubt it.”
However, the 68-year-old told the newspaper that he would “absolutely” consider using some of the footage that he had captured in his search for Mr Laundrie in a show at a later date, but insisted that he was not currently producing a show.
Celine Wadhera17 October 2021 16:45
Online trolls create Brian Laundrie Halloween costumes
With Halloween around the corner, a handful of internet trolls have taken it upon themselves to create DIY Brian Laundrie costumes.
One image shared online showed a man wearing a laundry basket around his waist, filled with laundry and tide detergent, The US Sun reported. “My name is Brian” was digitally added to the photo.
Another photo featured a man wearing a green morph suit with a flower mask on top. The image of a flowerbed was added to the photo, referencing an online theory that Mr Laundrie is hiding in a secret bunker below a flower bed in his parents’ backyard. This photo had been titled ‘Brian Laundrie’s Halloween Costume this year”.
Celine Wadhera17 October 2021 15:45
17-year-old girl missing in Greenbelt, Maryland
Police have reported that a 17-year-old girl has been missing in Greenbelt, Maryland since 9pm on Friday night.
Evelyn Velasquez was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black and grey sweater, and pink Nikes when she left her home along the Greenbelt Station Parkway on Friday.
Authorities have noted that Evelyn is on the autism spectrum, and added that she is a “critical missing juvenile”.
In 2020, more than 260,000 women went missing across the US; the majority of them were under the age of 21, and none received anything close to the media coverage that the Gabby Petito case has garnered.
Celine Wadhera17 October 2021 15:15
Petito friend: ‘We met on Bumble for friends’
Rose Davis, one of Gabby Petito’s best friends, has confirmed that she met the 22-year-old travel blogger on Bumble.
In a TikTok live in the early hours of Sunday morning, the 21-year-old said: “We met on Bumble for friends,” adding that she had known Ms Petito for “a few years”.
“Once I met Gabs, it was like, you’re stuck with me now,” she said affectionately.
She added: “I am very sad about Gabby, that’s why I’m not sleeping”.
Ms Davis had been expecting a call from Ms Petito on her birthday on 29 August, and had hoped to meet up with Ms Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie in Yellowstone National Park. Sadly, neither the call or the meeting ever occurred.
Celine Wadhera17 October 2021 14:45
Petito family collect Gabby’s ashes
The Petito family collected Gabby’s ashes from the Valley Mortuary in Jackson, Wyoming, the MailOnline reported.
After visiting Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park – one of the last places the 22-year-old visited before she was killed – her parents were seen leaving the mortuary on Saturday morning.
Joseph Petito, Ms Petito’s father, was seen clutching an urn containing her ashes, while her mother, Nichole Schmidt, was visibly upset leaving the funeral home.
Ms Petito’s remains will now be taken to Long Island, New York, where she will be laid to rest.
Celine Wadhera17 October 2021 14:05
Protesters chant ‘Justice for Gabby’ outside of Laundrie family home
Protesters gathered outside the Laundrie family house in North Port Florida on Saturday evening to demand justice for Gabby.
The small group could be heard chanting: “Justice for Gabby” and “Say her name – Gabby Petito”.
Celine Wadhera17 October 2021 13:35
Retired US Marshal: ‘It just doesn’t make sense’
Retired US Marshal Lenny DePaul told 60 Minutes Australia that there was a lot about the case that just didn’t add up.
“I think Brian’s parents did help him,” he said. “Gabby lived in Florida with them. They got engaged. He shows up in the van without her. What does he tell his parents? ‘Oh, we broke up, I left her out there, I just decided to drive the van back home, and let’s go camping?’
“It just doesn’t make sense.”
Celine Wadhera17 October 2021 12:45