The family of missing woman Gabby Petito released a letter Thursday begging the parents of the woman’s fiancé to assist them in their search, Business Insider reported.
They asked the fiancé’s family in an open letter read by their attorney to assist them in finding their daughter if they have “any decency left,” according to Business Insider.
Petito, 22, left on July 2 on a cross country road trip with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. She was reported missing on Saturday, 10 days after Laundrie returned to their Florida home in her white 2012 Ford Transit van without her. Petito is originally from Long Island, NY.
They asked the fiancé’s family in an open letter read by their attorney to assist them in finding their daughter if they have “any decency left.”
“We are writing this letter to ask you to help find our daughter. We understand you are going through a difficult time and your instinct is strong to protect your son,” Petito’s family said in a letter read during a New York press conference held by their attorney Richard Stafford. (RELATED: Speculation Swirls After 22-Year-Old Woman Goes Missing During Cross-Country Road Trip With Boyfriend)
“We haven’t been able to eat or sleep,” the family said. “Our lives are falling apart.”
Petito was last heard from at Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. After Laundrie returned from the trip without her, he has refused to speak with investigators, several news outlets have reported. He has since obtained a lawyer and was named as a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance.
“Right now, we are investigating a missing person case,” North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said at a press conference on Thursday.
When asked if there was currently any criminal investigation into Petito’s disappearance, Garrison said “not at this time,” the New York Post reported. He also said they were not able to bring Laundrie in for questioning at the current time.
“At this time, it’s a missing person case,” he said.
“Two people went on a trip, one person returned,” Garrison said at a press conference on Thursday. “And that person that returned isn’t providing us any information.”
Petito’s family addressed Laundrie’s parents in the letter and stated that they “believe you know the location of where Brian left Gabby. We beg you to tell us.”
“As a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us?” the letter read. “If you or your family have any decency left, please tell us where Gabby is located.”