Missing Long Island native's boyfriend a person of interest, hindering investigation, police say
9/15/21
BLUE POINT, Long Island (WABC) -- The boyfriend of a missing 22-year-old woman originally from Long Island has officially been named a person of interest in her disappearance, and police in their Florida hometown say he is hindering the investigation.
Gabrielle Petito, whose family is from Blue Point, and Brian Laundrie were on a cross-country trip to Oregon when she stopped communicating with her family somewhere in Wyoming.
"Several detectives are working around the clock to piece this complex and far reaching situation together," said the North Port, Florida, Police Department, which is now the primary investigating agency in partnership with FBI and working with the Suffolk County Police Department.
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He reportedly drove back to Florida alone 10 days before Petito was reported missing, and the events leading up to that are presently unknown.
"As a father, I can imagine the pain and suffering Gabby's family is going through," North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said. "We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past few weeks. The lack of information from Brian is hindering the investigation. The answers will eventually come out."