WATCH | ‘Turn yourself in,’ say Gabrielle Petito’s family to Brian Laundrie | Channel

Gabrielle Petito.

Gabrielle Petito’s family, including mom Nicole Schmidt and stepfather Jim Schmidt, dad Joe Petito and stepmother Tara Petito, appeared on Dr Phil on Tuesday urging Brian Laundrie to turn himself in.

Laundrie, the fiancé of Petito who was found dead in a forest in Wyoming following the couple’s cross-country trip, remains at large.

Petito has since been laid to rest, with her death ruled a homicide.

“Turn yourself in,” Petito’s family said on TV, “we want to know the truth.”

They added: “You’re only making it worse. For us, and for himself.”

Though Laundrie has been named a person of interest in the case, police say he is not a suspect; the warrant for his arrest is due to his unauthorised use of a debit card, which the family believes belonged to Petito.

Petito family spokesperson, Richard Stafford, tells Dr. Phil they believe Laundrie used the card to cover his expenses to drive back to Florida and proceeded to evade police when he got home to his parents.

It’s since been revealed the Laundrie family went on a camping trip before he reportedly disappeared; his parents reported him missing three days after they last saw him take off on a hike

“He used her credit card to get home and then ran from the police,” Stafford alleged. “That’s going to show a lot what he was thinking back then.”  

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