See Why Police Say They Confused Brian Laundrie With His Mother

NORTH PORT (CBSMiami/CNN) —  Do you spot the resemblance?  North Port constabulary deliberation Brian Laundrie looks precise overmuch similar his ma Roberta. So overmuch truthful that investigators confused his parent with her lad portion they were monitoring the family’s location successful the days aft Laundrie’s fiancée, Gabby Petito, was reported missing, a constabulary spokesperson said.

“They are built benignant of similarly,” North Port Police Department spokesperson Josh Taylor told WINK quality on Monday successful an exclusive interview. “No lawsuit is perfect”

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The revelation of the surveillance mistake clarifies astatine slightest 1 discrepancy — but possibly raises a caller contradiction — betwixt the versions of events laid retired by authorities and by the Laundrie household lawyer of what happened during a captious fewer days successful September aft Petito went missing portion road-tripping with Laundrie but earlier her assemblage was recovered successful a Wyoming nationalist forest. A coroner ruled Petito died by strangulation.

Laundrie’s remains were recovered past week at a quality reserve adjacent his household home, and his parents could beryllium cardinal to knowing what happened to Petito and aboriginal to him.

After Laundrie returned to Florida without Petito, constabulary saw him thrust distant from his household location September 13 successful his Ford Mustang, Taylor told WINK. Then, 2 days later, the Mustang returned.

“We thought that we had seen Brian travel backmost into the home,” Taylor said.

Police present judge the car had really been driven backmost to the location by Laundrie’s mother, Roberta Laundrie, Taylor said.

But for the adjacent 2 days, constabulary believed Brian Laundrie was astatine home.

Investigators realized the mistake September 17, erstwhile his parents told constabulary they hadn’t seen their lad since September 14, a Tuesday. They aboriginal changed their recollection, their lawyer has said, to accidental they hadn’t seen him since September 13, aft helium said helium was going to the Carlton Reserve, the adjacent 25,000-acre quality park.

Laundrie household lawyer notes different constabulary gap

As to the Mustang’s operator connected September 15, “I judge it was his mom, who was wearing a shot cap,” Taylor said. “They had returned from the parkland with that Mustang.

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“So, who does that, right?” the constabulary spokesperson continued. “Like, if you deliberation your son’s missing since Tuesday, you’re going to bring his car backmost to the location — so, it didn’t marque consciousness that anyone would bash that if helium wasn’t there. So, the idiosyncratic getting retired with a shot cap, we thought was Brian.”

Police, however, had placed a citation by September 14 connected the Mustang portion it was parked astatine the quality reserve, the Laundrie household attorney, Steve Bertolino, pointed retired Tuesday.

“Everyone makes mistakes. But Brian and Roberta are not ‘built’ the same. Moreover, it was (North Port police) that enactment the summons connected the Mustang astatine the parkland and if they saw Brian permission connected Monday successful the Mustang, which is quality to me, past they should person been watching the Mustang and the parkland starting connected Monday and they would person known it was Chris and Roberta that retrieved the Mustang from the park.

“Now to beryllium clear, nary this whitethorn person made a quality with respect to Brian’s beingness but it surely would person prevented each of the mendacious accusations leveled by truthful galore against Chris and Roberta with respect to ‘hiding’ Brian oregon different financing an ‘escape,'” Bertolino added.

North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison was asked September 16 during a quality league if helium knew wherever Laundrie was “right now.”

“Yes,” Garrison responded.

The Laundries aboriginal told constabulary they had gone to the quality sphere connected September 15 to retrieve the household vehicle.

“Let the grounds beryllium clear, the Laundries reported Brian did not travel location the nighttime helium went retired for the hike,” Bertolino told CNN past week. “I really reported that to the FBI, personally.”

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