KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY
Who is Brian Laundrie’s sister Cassie?
See what Cassie said about her brother's disappearance and involvement in Gabby's death
CASSIE Laundrie reportedly saw her brother Brian after he returned to his parent's home in Florida without his fiancée Gabby Petito.
The disturbing case of Gabby's disappearance is the subject of a new documentary series on ITVX.
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Who is Brian Laundrie's sister Cassie?
Cassie Laundrie is the sister of Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of slain Gabby Petito.
Gabby went missing while travelling across the US with her fiancé Brian in 2021.
The couple set off on the planned four-month trip at the start of July.
Gabby’s family stayed in touch with her until the end of August when communication stopped.
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Her parents began to worry and started their search for their daughter, with internet sleuths getting involved in the missing persons case.
Laundrie returned to his home in Florida at the beginning of September in the van that he and Gabby had been travelling in, but he was on his own.
Little is known about his sister Cassie’s background, but she came under fire from Gabby’s dad, Joe Petito, in an interview with NewsNation, who said the Laundrie family had a warped sense of love.
“If that’s that family’s version of love, to just ignore and not care that someone’s gone and people are looking for them and entire country’s looking for them, I mean, that explains how we got to where we are today. Because I mean, look at their version of what they call love,” Petito said.
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The Petito family’s lawyer Richard Stafford expressed anger at the lack of cooperation from the Laundries.
“The family is devastated,” he said at a press briefing. “Every day that this goes on, they get more and more devastated.
"They’re at the point that that desperation has turned to anger. They know that the Laundries know where their daughter is, and they will not tell them. That’s infuriating.”
What did Cassie say about Gabby Petito's disappearance?
In an interview with ABC's Good Morning America, which aired on September 18, 2021, Cassie claimed she had not seen her brother after he returned to Florida without the late Gabby Petito.
I am ending my life not because of a fear of punishment but rather because I can't stand to live another day without her
Brian Laundrie
Cassie opened up about Gabby after her brother hired an attorney and refused to work with the police.
She stated: "Obviously me and my family want Gabby to be found safe."
Cassie continued: "She's like a sister and my children love her."
"And all I want is for her to come home safe and found and this to be just a big misunderstanding."
In that interview with Good Morning America, Cassie said that she had spoken to police but not her brother since he returned home.
"I wish I could talk to him," she said. "I've cooperated every way that I can. I wish I had information or I would give more."
"I talked to the police the second they called," she continued. "I called them right back. We were in Orlando on vacation with my kids at Disney and we came back to this."
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However, on October 1, 2021, Cassie's attorney Steven Bertolino told reporter Brian Entin from NewsNationNow.com that Cassie was with her family at the Fort De Soto campground in early September.
Laundrie lawyer Bertolino said: "Cassie saw her brother Brian on September 1 when he stopped by her home and again on September 6 at Fort De Soto Park."
Roberta Laundrie, Brian Laundrie's mother, checked into a campground at Fort De Soto Park in the timespan between Brian returning home and when Gabby was reported missing, according to a public record request from Pinellas County in Florida.
On October 5, 2021, Cassie appeared on Good Morning America to urge her brother to come forward.
She begged her fugitive brother to "get us out of this horrible mess" following the death of his girlfriend.
"I really wish he had come to me first that day with the van, because I don't know we'd be here," Cassie said.
"I worry about him. I hope he's ok and then I'm angry and I don't know what to think.
"I'd tell my brother to just come forward and get us out of this horrible mess," she concluded.
Brian Laundrie's sister 'received DEATH THREATS' from people 'vowing to kidnap her kids'
It came just hours after Cassie broke her silence to reveal she "doesn't know" if her brother killed his fiance Gabby — or if her parents were involved in his weeks-long disappearance.
On October 12, 2021, it was reported that police records showed Cassie was the target of threatening messages after Gabby was found dead on September 19, 2021.
Call logs on the Manatee County Sheriff's website show deputies were dispatched to Cassie's home at least three times over the course of two weeks.
Is Brian Laundrie dead?
Brian Laundrie's remains were officially identified on October 21, 2021, after an extensive search at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
The FBI released a statement after it was confirmed on October 21 that the human remains found in the search for Brian were bones.
The statement read: "On October 21, 2021, a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found at the T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve and the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park are those of Brian Laundrie."
Bertolino confirmed that Brian's parents were informed of the finding, saying: "Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the remains found yesterday in the reserve are indeed Brian’s.
"We have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundrie’s privacy at this time."
On Nov. 23, 2021 the autopsy results for Brian were revealed.
The coroners determined that Brian died from a gunshot would to the head.
His death was ruled as suicide.
Gabby Petito's father says fiancé Brian Laundrie should be 'leading charge' to find missing daughter
Bertolino announced Laundrie's cause of death in a statement reading: "Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide.
"Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families."
Brian was named a "person of interest" and dodged all FBI interviews amid his return from the park.
However, in a shocking turn of events, Brian was then reported missing after it was revealed no one had seen him for days.
“The attorney for the Laundrie family called FBI investigators Friday night, indicating the family would like to talk about the disappearance of their son.
The family claimed that they had not seen Brian since Tuesday of this week,” Josh Taylor, a public information officer for the North Port Police said.
“Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail. It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime,” Officer Taylor added in a statement Friday.
“We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigations,” he said.
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Gabby was last seen on August 24 after leaving a Salt Lake City, Utah hotel but it is unknown the last time her boyfriend was seen.
In the notebook that was found with Laundrie’s body, a letter was found where he took responsibility for Gabby’s death.
He claimed that he killed her after she injured herself in a fall in Wyoming, saying he thought it was “merciful”.
Laundrie said that he loved Gabby and he apologized to "everyone who this will affect".
He ended the note by writing: "I am ending my life not because of a fear of punishment but rather because I can't stand to live another day without her.
"I've lost our whole future together, every moment we could have cherished."
How to watch The Disappearance of Gabby Petito
You can stream The Disappearance of Gabby Petito on ITVX from Thursday May 9, 2024.
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Exploring the sad story of Gabby’s disappearance and death, the docuseries is made up of three parts.
The programme includes interviews with her parents, as well as the internet sleuths who tried to solve the case.
Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito's disappearance:
- June 2021 - Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 - Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
- July 8 - Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
- July 18 - Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah's Zion National Park.
- August 12 - Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 - Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip.
- August 24 - Gabby is spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- August 25 - Gabby Facetimes her mom, Nichole Schmidt, for the final time. In a later police report, Schmidt said her conversations with her daughter revealed "more and more tension" between her and Brian.
- August 25 - Gabby also posts her last Instagram. No location is given.
- August 27 - Gabby is seen for what's believed to be the final time. Witnesses claim they saw Brian in an explosive argument with staff at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, leaving Gabby in tears.
- August 27 - Four hours later, travel bloggers driving through Grand Teton National Park drive past the couple's van "abandoned" on a dirt road.
- September 1 - Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
- September 11 - Gabby's parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 14 - Brian's family issues a statement saying he has retained an attorney and will not be cooperating with investigators.
- September 14 - Brian is allegedly last seen by his family. He reportedly told them he was going hiking in Cartlon Reserve but failed to return.
- September 15 - Florida's North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 - Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 - Brian's parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days and report him missing.
- September 18 - Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 - Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby's but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
- September 20 - Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie's home, seizing his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed."
- September 21 - Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
- September 21 - The FBI announced the body found in Wyoming was identified as Gabby's. The cause of death was not yet revealed.
- September 21 - The Teton County Coroner's office said Gabby's official cause of death was still pending but the initial manner of death is homicide.
- September 22 - Police continue to scour Carlton Reserve for a trace of Laundrie but yield no leads. A specialist dive team is called in to assist with the hunt.
- September 23 - Officials announced a federal arrest warrant for Brian was issued.
- September 26 - Gabby's funeral was held on Long Island, New York.
- October 12: Gabby's autopsy results were made public. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed Gabby died by strangulation.
- October 20: Laundrie's personal items were found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. A medical examiner was called to the scene.
- October 21: The FBI confirmed the remains found have been identified as Laundrie's.
- November 23: Laundrie's autopsy reveals he died from a gunshot wound to the head.
- October 1, 2022: The Gabby Petito Story premieres on Lifetime.