'Come forward': Family of former Blue Point woman implores boyfriend who traveled with her to talk to authorities

Suffolk County police and other law enforcement agencies were searching on Wednesday for a missing 22-year-old former Blue Point woman, whose parents are pleading with her boyfriend to disclose where he last saw her — as police said he isn't speaking to investigators.

Gabrielle Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, who both attended Bayport-Blue Point High School and had been living together in Florida, departed Long Island in early July for a cross-country road trip that was slated to end next month in Portland, Oregon, her family has said.

Petito, who was last known to be in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in late August, was reported missing to Suffolk County police on Saturday after not communicating with her family for roughly two weeks.

"Brian is refusing to tell Gabby’s family where he last saw her," Petito's parents said in a statement released Tuesday. "Brian is also refusing to explain why he left Gabby all alone and drove her van to Florida. These are critical questions that require immediate answers."

The Laundrie family, in their first public comments, said it was "understandably an extremely difficult time for both the Petito family and the Laundrie family" in a statement released Tuesday by their attorney, Steve Bertolino of East Islip.

"On behalf of the Laundrie family it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family. On the advice of counsel the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment."

Petito's family — her mother, Nichole Schmidt, of Blue Point, and her father, Joe Petito, who moved to Vero Beach, Florida, in June from Selden — hours later implored the young man to provide answers.

"The Schmidt and Petito family beg the Laundrie family to not 'remain in the background' but to help find who Brian referred to as the love of his life. How does Brian stay in the background when he is the one person that knows where Gabby is located?" the statement said.

"The Schmidt and Petito family implore Brian to come forward and at least tell us if we are looking in the right area."

Police in North Port, Florida, which is south of Tampa, said they seized the white 2012 Ford Transit van the couple had been traveling in from Laundrie's parents' home over the weekend and it's being processed by investigators for clues.

North Port police spokesman Josh Taylor said Laundrie's family provided his lawyer's phone number "to us to filter our questions through" but has not consented to an interview.

"He's not willing to talk to us. I don't find that very cooperative," Taylor said, adding: "I do not know of information he’s provided that’s been helpful."

Taylor added: "Certainly we would love to speak with him. I think it would be helpful for our investigation in finding his girlfriend."

Taylor said police had gone to Laundrie's house at the request of Suffolk police, the lead agency on the case. The FBI is also assisting in the investigation.

"His parents answered the door and we asked to speak with him, and we were provided a phone number to their attorney," Taylor said. "They closed the door. And that was that."

Taylor said police are trying to put together a timeline of what took place before Petito stopped communicating with her parents.

"Hopefully that leads us to either, A: finding her happy and healthy, or if we have to, unfortunately begin a death investigation. You know, that'll then become the responsibility of wherever that potential crime took place," he said.

"We are looking at everything," Taylor said. "We are currently going through everything involved with cellphones, apps, finances, toll booths, gas station, video footage, anything that will help us paint that picture of where people have been."

Suffolk police spokeswoman Dawn Schob said in a statement Tuesday: "The department is working with other law enforcement agencies including the City of North Port Police Department and the FBI. We are not commenting further at this time as it’s an active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS."

Schmidt, who spoke out about her daughter's disappearance in a tearful news conference Monday, said Petito arrived in New York June 17. She attended her brother’s high school graduation and left July 2 for the cross-country camping trip that was supposed to end around Halloween with a visit to a family friend in Portland.

Schmidt said she FaceTimed with her daughter around Aug. 23 or 24. She received texts sent from her daughter's phone until Aug. 30, but she said she's not sure Petito sent them.

The mother vowed on Monday: "We won't stop until we find her."