The Laundrie family appear to be turning against each other.
As we previously reported, the Laundries’ lawyer, Steven Bertolino, came out with a statement about Brian Laundrie’s sister, Cassie. She had previously said she hadn’t been able to speak to Brian at all, but Bertolino presented a different timeline, saying she’d actually seen him twice before he disappeared. The statement ended up casting serious doubt over Cassie’s original interview.
Related: State Attorney Explains Why Brian & Family Aren’t Facing ‘More Serious’ Charges Yet
Well, it turns out Cassie wasn’t very happy about that, and ended up telling protestors on her lawn that she was furious about being “thrown under the bus” by Bertolino. Cassie and her husband were surprisingly forthcoming and ended up speaking with the protestors for 20 minutes, sharing:
“We are just as upset, frustrated, and heartbroken as everybody else. I am losing my parents and my brother and my children’s aunt and future sister-in-law on top of this.”
She added:
“They’re not talking to us either… If I knew [why], I would say, I don’t know.”
When asked if she thought her parents were involved in Brian’s disappearance, she admitted:
“I don’t know.”
Wow.
On top of that, she didn’t know if her brother had any additional burner phones — and, shockingly, that she didn’t know if Brian had killed Gabby.
Cassie went on to clarify the timeline of the last times she’d seen Brian, which included another eyebrow-raising confirmation that he had flown to Florida in August and then returned to Utah days before Gabby’s death. Remarking on the September 1 visit (reportedly the day Brian returned to Florida in the van), Cassie explained:
“My parents wanted to surprise the kids to pick them up at school. I did not know that Brian was with them when we had previously planned to hang out with them.”
Regarding her family’s visit to the Fort DeSoto campground, she claimed “nothing came up” about Gabby, and said they “only stayed for about six hours” for dinner and s’mores because their children had school the next day.
So was she lying in her original Good Morning America interview when she said she hadn’t spoken to Brian? Not according to Cassie:
“The media ended up misconstruing what I said when they asked me if I had seen my brother. Like I said in the beginning, they didn’t say have you seen Brian, it was ‘what’s the weirdest thing about this?’ It was that I haven’t been able to speak to my brother.”
She continued:
“I tried to contact him after this and tried to contact with my family after this. I hadn’t been able to speak to my brother.”
So, instead of not having spoken to him at all, it seems like Cassie hadn’t been able to speak to him after September 11 — when Gabby was reported missing. She emphasized that she was cooperating with law enforcement, not covering for her brother:
“The world does not need to know what the FBI knows, and that’s why we’re silent.”
Though Cassie seemed to have her own doubts about her brother’s actions, she and her husband reiterated that they’d never seen Brian get angry with Gabby, and though they may have bickered, they never saw anything that reached the level of “domestic violence,” or “we would have done something about that.”
She told the gathered protestors:
“This is not what we want to be doing. This is not how we want the world to find out when we’re angry and upset. But I can’t have my kids be crying for three days in a row.”
Further emphasizing the divide within the Laundrie family, Bertolino released another statement regarding her comments. It read:
“I do not represent Cassie Laundrie. Cassie’s comments can only be attributed to the press twisting my words and hers, which were only given to clarify prior mischaracterizations by the press, with the hopes of further sensationalizing this tragic story.”
Related: Florida Hiker Has ‘No Doubt’ He Met Brian On Appalachian Trail
Meanwhile, Brian is still at large, and the search continues. Dog the Bounty Hunter has been on the case, working with an off-duty police officer as well as retired Marines and Navy SEALS. His team gave their own statement to Newsweek, saying:
“Dog has turned over evidence to the authorities including items found on one of the islands near Fort De Soto Park. It is his hope that DNA can be assessed to prove Laundries’ presence. In addition, he has had multiple conversations with law enforcement. The team is now assessing evidence and evaluating next steps.”
Whatever happened with Gabby, Brian’s actions have obviously brought a lot of strife, including to Cassie, who appears to be innocent in this situation. As Cassie’s husband noted, it would be better for them if Brian was found — so we continue to hope for that outcome to happen soon.
See the full video of Cassie’s comments (below):
[Image via Brian Laundrie/Dog the Bounty Hunter/Instagram & NewsNationNow/YouTube]
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