Since the Gabby Petito case picked up steam, boyfriend Brian Laundrie was the primary person of interest. In a strange twist of fate, officials discovered his body. With that occurring, what happens next in the investigation?
NBC New York sat down with retired FBI agent Weysan Dun for investigation insight. With more than 30 years working cases like this, he speculated what he thinks authorities will do next. First, NBC asked if the FBI would still lead the investigation or if North Point Police take over now.
“As far as the FBI’s involvement, I think a lot will depend on whether there are any potential additional federal crimes that might be investigated,” Dun stated. He goes on to say the FBI could also assist local and state authorities if requested. Nonetheless, news reports lead him to believe investigations dealing with Laundrie concluded.
Additionally, both the victim and suspect passing away makes discovering what happened on the couple’s trip quite difficult. People coming forward with information can help put more pieces together, but otherwise, the investigation may hit a wall.
NBC then asked about Laundrie’s parents, a focal investigation point lately. Dun admits most information concerning them is speculation. Further, even if Laundrie’s parents involved themselves with Gabby’s death, chances are they didn’t with their son’s, but it is possible. However, if they knowingly obstructed justice or contributed to Petito dying, police can charge them.
Finally, regarding filling in the gaps of Petito’s texting and social media absence, officials may examine digital data and cell phones. Dun states even this may be challenging since this hinges on people having their phones with them, being turned on, recently using them, etc.
Nancy Grace Doesn’t Believe Brian Laundrie’s Parents Will Face Charges
As Weysan Dun mentioned, charging Brian Laundrie’s parents with anything at this point is iffy since speculation fuels most discussion surrounding them. Nancy Grace recently spoke about the subject, agreeing they likely won’t face charges.
Fox legal analyst Nancy Grace spoke on Fox News recently about Laundrie’s parents and whether they face criminal charges. Some theorize his parents planted some of Brian’s belongings near the partial remains found on October 20. Grace says this is a flawed line of thinking. “If you follow that thinking that they planted those items, it doesn’t make sense. A logical conclusion would be they planted the body too. That did not happen,” she said.
Aiding and abetting is another subject many onlookers talk about. Grace agrees, saying that’s a bigger issue than planting items. “I would be more concerned, if I were them, about aiding, abetting, and encouraging him hiding out from police and not revealing the truth,” she continued. “Here’s the fly in the ointment: Unless they did an overt act, they will never be prosecuted.”
In short, though it’s easy to say Laundrie’s parents involved themselves somehow, proving it was criminal in nature is difficult.
