FBI took belongings from Laundrie home to build DNA match, attorney says
The FBI visited the home of Brian Laundrie's parents on Sunday and removed personal items belonging to the missing man, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolini confirmed to CBS News. Laundrie, 23, has been missing since he was named as a "person of interest" in the death of his fiancé Gabby Petito.
"The FBI requested some personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie to assist them with DNA matching and Brian's parents provided the FBI with what they could," Bertolini said.
Police are still searching for Laundrie in Florida. On Thursday, a Wyoming court issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie, alleging that he used an unauthorized bank card after Petito's death.
In a statement issued Monday through their attorney, Laundrie's parents said they do not know where their son is and have not helped him evade detection.
"Chris and Roberta Laundrie do not know where Brian is," the statement said. "They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him. The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong."
Police found the body of Petito, 22, in Wyoming, and the initial autopsy report ruled her cause of death was homicide. On Sunday, friends and family of Petito gathered at a memorial service in Long Island, New York.
Petito and Laundrie were on a months-long cross country trip in a 2012 Ford Transit van when Petito was last seen. On August 12, a witness reported to police that the two were involved in a domestic dispute.
Responding officers from the Moab Police Department interviewed both Laundrie and Petito, but they classified the incident as a mental health break and separated the two for the night. The police department said it is investigating the officers' response, but maintains they followed the correct protocol.
On September 1, Laundrie returned home without Petito, and her parents reported her missing 10 days later. Now, investigators are hoping finding the missing man will help investigators learn what happened in Petito's final days.
Rose Davis, a good friend of Petito, said Laundrie first appeared extremely "charismatic" in person and is extremely outdoorsy, which could potentially help him hide from police.
"He's good with nature. He can go into nature," Davis told "48 Hours." So, my first thought was he's — he's in the woods. He's somewhere in the woods."