Concerned for her daughter’s safety after weeks of silence, a desperate Nichole Schmidt reached out to Gabby Petito’s fiancé and his family for answers. In an interview with The Daily Mail, Schmidt claimed that she had texted both Brian Laundrie and his mother, Roberta Laundrie, on September 10, 2021. Neither responded. “I knew something was wrong,” Schmidt told The Daily Mail, adding, “I felt something was off and I needed to get her reported missing immediately.”
Petito’s family reported her missing on September 11 (per ABC4). As WFLA notes, a nationwide search effort involving police departments in multiple states as well as the FBI was soon underway. Petito’s van was also seized from the Laundries’ driveway. But, according to a Florida police search warrant, Brian and his family refused to speak with law enforcement, instead referring them to their family lawyer.
Read Related Also: Florida Lady Stabs Roommates, Goes Buying Considering They’re Each Useless
In a statement (via WINK News), the Laundries’ lawyer, Steven Bertolino, said: “Many people are wondering why Mr. Laundrie would not make a statement or speak with law enforcement in the face of Ms. Petito’s absence. 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 made will be used against you’ is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito’s disappearance. As such, on the advice of counsel, Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on this matter.”
