Joe Petito, the father of missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito, told CNBC he’s urging Gabby’s fiance, Brian Laundrie, to work with authorities in their search for his daughter.
“Cooperate … We’ve got questions, maybe you’ve got the answers, maybe you don’t, but there’s only one way we can find out,” Joe Petito said on “The News with Shepard Smith.”
Investigators say Gabby Petito was living the “van life” with Laundrie, road-tripping across the country in a 2012 Ford Transit van. The couple began documenting their travels on YouTube three weeks ago, but her mother says she hasn’t heard from Gabby since Aug. 30.
The couple left from Petito’s mother’s home in Long Island on July 2 and made it to Utah by August. Petito’s mother said their next destination was Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, but then communication with her daughter became infrequent. She said there were no more phone calls and just one last text message. Her family reported Gabby missing to the police over the weekend.
According to police, Laundrie is safe at his family’s home in Florida.
Laundrie’s attorney issued a statement Tuesday saying, “This is understandably an extremely difficult time for both the Petito family and the Laundrie family. … On the advice of counsel the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment.”
Host Shepard Smith asked Joe Petito about the statement.
“That’s four lines of crap, is basically what I see,” Petito said. “You’re telling me this is a very difficult time for you when your child is in your home, safe? I don’t know where mine is, and I can’t ask questions why, or where, or how, or where to start?”
Attorneys for the Laundrie family did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Officials said they’re searching for Petito with the help of the FBI. Police in Florida said the couple’s van was at Laundrie’s house.
“Just doing everything I can do to find her, because apparently … Gabby’s side of the family are the only ones that give a damn,” Joe Petito said.
Police are asking anyone with information about Gabby Petito’s whereabouts to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
