Gabby Petito's Parents Admit They Felt Tricked By Brian Laundrie: 'I Thought He Would Take Care Of Her'
Gabby Petito's parents have admitted they felt tricked by Brian Laundrie, who at first appeared to be "a nice guy."
The slain TikToker's parents and step-parents appeared on Australia's 60 Minutes to discuss the tragic death of their daughter, and their feelings about her former fiancé who has now been missing for more than a month.
"He just seemed like a nice guy," Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, said in the interview, referring to how she felt about Gabby going on the cross-country road trip with the 23-year-old.
"I worried. I told her to be careful, be safe. To be aware of your surroundings. Don’t trust anybody," she continued. "But I felt safe because she was with Brian and I felt like she would be okay. I thought he would take care of her."
Joe Petito also mentioned that he thought the budding social media influencer looked "happy" in pictures and videos from the ill-fated trip. "But as we look more and more into this, it might not have been as great as people online perceived."
- Gabby Petito's Family Recalls The Moment They Found Out The Influencer Was Dead: 'It Was The Hardest Thing I Ever Had To Listen To'
- Young Love, Concerned Parents, & Tragic Loss: Top Five Revelations From 'The Murder of Gabby Petito: Truth, Lies and Social Media'
- Gabby Petito's Parents Heartbreakingly Detail The Late Influencer's Tumultuous Relationship With Fiancé Brian Laundrie In New Doc
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Nicole added, "He was very polite and quiet," musing on how the fugitive used to interact with their family throughout the allegedly rocky relationship. "He’d draw them pictures and stuff. He would read books to my little one at night before bed. So, he just seemed like a nice guy."
The Vlogger's stepfather, Jim Schmidt, agreed that Laundrie had always seemed like a decent man. "Every time he would come over he was polite. He’d talk with our other children as well. They got to know him and they liked him."
Now, the grieving parents are just hoping that if the Laundrie family knows anything, they will come forward.
"If they do know something, and they're withholding that, and they don't want to let us know, that's cruel," Joe said, and Jim added, "Gabby was 22-years-old. Her life was stolen from her... stolen from us."
As OK! previously reported, Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman believes the person of interest's parents and sister know far more than they are admitting to authorities.
The reality star told TMZ that he's "certain" that Cassie Laundrie knows more than she has said in interviews when he showed up at her North Port home on Wednesday.
