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.
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.
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Gabby’s family stayed in touch with her until the end of August when communication stopped.
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.
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.
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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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.