”He mowed the lawn. Him and his mother went for a bicycle ride around the block," neighbor Charlene Guthrie said.
Neighbors in the Florida community have a message for Brian Laundrie, one of the most wanted men in America, who has been named “a person of interest” in the homicide investigation of his fiancée, Gabby Petito, but not a suspect:
“Turn yourself in. They’re hunting. They’ll find ya,” according to a published report.
Laundrie, 23, has not been named a suspect in Petito’s murder and it is still unknown if he played a role in her death. However, he has not spoken to the FBI, and since Sept. 14 has fallen off the grid. On Sept. 17, Laundrie's parents, Christopher, 62, and Roberta, 55, claimed that they had not seen their son since Sept. 14, according to multiple news reports.
A massive search that includes drones, canines, and ATVs and sniffing canines continues at the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve, which is not far from Laundrie’s family home, and approximately 24,000 miles away from where Petito's body was found in the Wyoming campsite.
Laundrie was last seen on Sept. 14 when he left his North Port Florida home located on Wabasso Avenue, which he once shared with Petito and his parents.
His parents told officials that their son had reportedly gone on a hike and that was the last time they had spoken to him.
Charlene Guthrie, who lives across from the Laundrie home, told Fox13 News that she was disturbed after hearing that the remains that were found were Petito’s, and spoke about the activity taking place outside the family home days before Laundrie went MIA
”He mowed the lawn. Him and his mother went for a bicycle ride around the block," Guthrie said. ”I mean, everything was just normal life once he came back."
She continued: “And I just can’t get over the fact that they — it seemed like nothing bothered him. How can you do that?”
While Laundrie has not been accused of a crime, the remains of the young woman, who he allegedly planned to marry, were found Sunday night in a remote area of Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest and confirmed late Tuesday by the Teton County Coroner and the FBI to be Petito’s, who they say died by homicide, Inside Edition Digital previously reported.
"I mean, I just … can't believe they didn’t do something,” said Guthrie. “I’m really angry now that they … let this go. And that everything was so natural and they remained so normal through the whole thing, you know, while they were here, till he went on the run."
The disappearance and death of the 22-year-old Blue Point, Long Island, native, described as a “free-spirit, who was living the dream,” traveling cross-country with her love and documenting their adventures on their personal Instagrams and a travel account under the name “Nomadic Statik,” has struck a chord with many across the nation since Petito’s story ended so tragically.
And now, Guthrie, like many others, are asking why Laundrie’s parents did not speak with officials sooner. It was reported that Laundrie had returned home on Sept. 1 before he went MIA, 14 days later.
"I have children, and I know that you do what you can to protect your child, but, you know, that can go so far, and you gotta do the right thing eventually. You have to," she said.
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