A COUPLE that lives across the street from the Laundrie’s North Port, Florida, home claims they saw Brian’s parents leave the home with a van the day Gabby Petito was reported missing.
William and Charlene Guthrie said that about a week after Brian returned to Florida on September 1, the Laundries packed up an attached camper to their pickup truck and left for what they assumed was a long-weekend camping trip.
“We didn’t know it was Gabby’s, we just assumed it was [Brian’s] van,” Charlene told Fox News on Wednesday.
“We just thought they had come back from wherever. We didn’t know they were on a trip. We assumed they went back to their house or wherever they got a house … We didn’t know much about them at all,” she added
The couple, who moved to the area recently, also said living near the Laundries has been a “nightmare” since the search for the deceased 22-year-old vlogger started on September 11.
William had been doing some yard work when he saw the Laundries hook what seemed like a new camper to their pickup truck.
“I saw them doing some work. And then when they prepared for their trip, I saw them loading the camper.”
The Laundries stayed away from the home over the weekend, according to the Guthries.
They don’t know if Brian returned home with his parents, per reporter Rebecca Ollier.
The Guthries were later questioned by police once the search for Petito was on and they shared this information with them.
Petito, originally from Blue Point, New York, had been living at the Laundrie home after she moved to Florida to live with her fiancé and before they took off on their cross-country trip.
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…
Her body was found on Sunday in Wyoming and authorities have said the cause of death was homicide.
Federal investigators are still searching for 23-year-old Laundrie, who is so far only publicly considered a “person of interest” in her death.
He 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 where her daughter was 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.
A days-long search of the reserve has yielded no trace of Laundrie.
On Wednesday, an underwater recovery team was summoned to Carlton Reserve as part of the search.
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