'HORRIBLE MESS'
BRIAN Laundrie's sister has told him to "come forward" and called her brother a "mediocre survivalist" in a new interview.
Cassie Laundrie begged her fugitive brother to "get us out of this horrible mess" following the death of Laundrie's girlfriend, Gabby Petito.
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"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.
Laundrie returned home to Florida alone in the couple's van on September 1, immediately retaining an attorney and refusing to cooperate with the police.
Gabby's mother said she pleaded with Laundrie for answers about her daughter's whereabouts but received no reply. She then reported Gabby missing to the police on September 11.
Three days later, on September 14, Laundrie vanished from his parent's home after telling them he was going hiking in the 24,000-acre Carlton nature reserve.
"I worry about him," Cassie said. "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.
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It came just hours after Cassie broke her silence to reveal she "doesn't know" if her brother killed his fiance Gabby Petito - or if her parents are involved in his weeks-long disappearance.
On Monday, Cassie spoke outside her home, talking to protesters and answering questions regarding her knowledge of Brian's whereabouts and supposed actions.
Read our Brian Laundrie live blog for the very latest news and updates...
Speaking just a few minutes away from her parents' North Port, Florida house, where protesters have been brewing for weeks, Cassie gave a bombshell interview and revealed she's angry she's been "thrown under the bus."
Cassie first claimed that her brother didn't talk about his fiance Petito at all while on the family camping stay her brother and her parents took upon Brian's premature return alone from his cross-country road trip with Petito.
Laundrie's sister then mentioned that Laundrie in fact flew back home following a police-involved fight with Petito and then rejoined her on their trip.
The biggest reveal came after Cassie said she "doesn't know" if her brother killed Petito or if her parents are involved in his disappearance.
'LOSING MY FAMILY'
"I am losing my parents and my brother and my children's aunt and my future sister-in-law on top of this," Cassie told protesters outside her home.
Asked to clarify what she meant by losing her parents, Cassie responds: "They're not talking to us either," followed by "if I knew, I would say, I don't know," when asked why not.
Cassie was then asked if she thinks her parents are involved, to which she responded, "I don't know."
SILENCE ON CAMPING TRIP
She then recounted their family trip to the campground, saying they arrived "at Fort DeSoto on the 6th and we got there around 2 o'clock. And we left around 8 because the kids had school the next day. We only stayed for about six hours."
Her parents and brother were there with her, adding Brian "had s'mores, we had dinner."
"Nothing came up," Cassie responded when asked if Brian mentioned his fiance.
'ANGRY AND UPSET'
Cassie said she doesn't understand why she's been "thrown under the bus" with her comments to family lawyer Steven Bertolino but said she's "angry and upset" given their portrayal.
"This is not what we want to be doing. This is not how we want the world to find out when we're angry and upset. But I can't have my kids be crying for three days in a row."
Responding to the comments, Bertolino said: "I do not represent Cassie Laundrie.
"Cassie’s comments can only be attributed to the press twisting my words and hers, which were only given to clarify prior mischaracterizations by the press, with the hopes of further sensationalizing this tragic story."
On September 1, Brian and her parents paid a visit to Cassie's house, but Cassie claims she didn't know Brian was back from his trip.
"My parents wanted to surprise the kids to pick them up at school. I did not know that Brian was with them when we had previously planned to hang out with them."
She then added that the FBI came by their home and they've cooperated, but the feds took nothing from the home.
Cassie then blamed the media, saying her words were "misconstrued."
"The media ended up misconstruing what I said when they asked me if I'd seen my brother.
"Like I said in the beginning, they didn't say have you seen Brian, it was 'what's the weirdest thing about this?' It was that I haven't been able to speak to my brother."
"I tried to contact him after this and tried to contact with my family after this. I hadn't been able to speak to my brother."
She added she didn't know if he had any other burner phones.
'MEDIOCRE SURVIVALIST'
When asked about her brother's survival skills and his possible sightings over the weekend near the Appalachian Trail, Cassie called her brother a "mediocre survivalist".
"I'd say Brian's a mediocre survivalist. It wouldn't surprise me if he could last out there a very long time, but also, I don't think anything would surprise me at this point."
Cassie also denied knowing anything about the whereabouts of her brother.
"If the FBI finds him in Timbuktu, I'd be like, well okay that's where he was. I got nothing.
"I hope my brother is alive because I want answers just as much as everybody else," she added.
NEVER SAW THEM FIGHT
Cassie denied ever seeing her brother and his fiance fight, replying with a simple "no."
She was then asked to clarify what she meant, adding, "I've never seen him be angry."
One of the protesters said they've spoken to neighbors who said they've heard screams coming from Laundrie's parent's household where Laundrie and Petito were staying, but Cassie said they've gotten "into fights, like screaming" but nothing regarding domestic violence or what's been reported.
"No domestic violence, we would have done something about that."
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"We're not monsters being made out to be Brian's shields."
"I'm getting ignored by my family and thrown by them under the bus by my family's attorney."
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Brian Laundrie's sis says she 'doesn't know' if he killed Gabby or if her her parents are involved in his disappearance
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.
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