Brian Laundrie Flew Home During Cross-Country Trip To Empty A Storage Unit

Brian Laundrie left his fiancee Gabby Petito and flew home to Florida in mid-August, the family's lawyer said. Laundrie returned home on August 17 to "empty and close" a storage unit he was renting. He returned to Petito in Utah six days later, on August 23. She was last seen on August 25.

Attorney Steven Bertolino told Insider that Laundrie and Petito were trying to save money as they considered extending their cross-country road trip.

Bertolino confirmed Laundrie's flight home after his sister, Cassie, told a group of protesters gathered outside of her home about her brother's trip back to Florida. She told them their presence has upset her and her family.

"This is not what we want to be doing," she told them. "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."

When asked if her brother killed Petito or if he was still alive, she told them: "I don't know."

Petito's body was found on September 19 in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, and her death was ruled a homicide. Laundrie is considered a person in interest in her murder but has not been named as a suspect. He disappeared shortly after Petito was reported missing and has been on the run for three weeks. A warrant has been issued for his arrest on charges that he used a credit or debit card without permission.