Brian Laundrie's father was seen coming out of his Florida home on Saturday to remove a sign protesters left outside his home next to a photo paying tribute to his son's slain girlfriend Gabby Petito. Chris Laundrie, 62, was seen removing both the sign and the tribute to Petito and looked quite annoyed.
The incident happened after a group of protesters who had gathered outside the the Laundries Florida home on Saturday had just left. Laundrie, 23, has been on the run since September 17, two days before Petito's body was found by police in Wyoming. Since then police have been searching for him. Many believe his parents Chris and Roberta are shielding their son from justice.
Angry Father
A visibly angry Chris Laundrie was seen rushing out of his Florida home on Saturday to remove a sign protesters had left behind on his lawn demanding for Petito. The yellow sign read: "What if this happened to Cassie?" a reference to his daughter and Brian's sister.
Besides, Chris also appeared to remove other tributes left alongside the yellow sign including flowers, pumpkins, and an enlarged photo of a smiling Petito that was captioned: 'remembered me?'
It is not known what triggered Chris to remove the sign but it was probably because it had a reference to his daughter Cassie Laundrie's name. Cassie had earlier said that she does not know if her parents are involved in the disappearance of her brother who has been on the lam for more than a month now.
"I would tell my brother to just come forward and get us out of this horrible mess," she said on "Good Morning America" last week.
Police Warn Protesters
Police have so far been unsuccessful in tracing Laundrie amid multiple reports of his sightings in Florida and other parts of the country. Chris Laundrie's move to rip off the sign p[laced on his lawn came as police warned protesters not to harass the family.
Protesters have been gathering outside the Laundrie home for weeks to pay tribute and demand justice for Petito. The warning from police came after Marissa Zdazinsky (who goes by the name Molly Golightly on YouTube) approached the Laundrie family's home twice on Sunday to leave pictures of Petito on the family's doorstep.
Police soon arrived to caution her, and instructed other protestors to stop using bullhorns to harass the couple.
On the other hand, Chris a week earlier had said that he would leave his North Port house and join the manhunt for his son. However, it's unclear what his contribution to the search has been.
Chris and Roberta Petito are under pressure to help police find their son, considered a person of interest in Petito's strangulation. Her body was found on September 19 in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park.
The case made international headlines after Laundrie returned from the journey alone, hired a lawyer, and refused to cooperate with investigators. He was reported missing on September 17 by his parents.
Chris and his wife Roberta, Laundrie's mom, have largely been holed up in the home, which has had a constant presence of protesters and reporters since Petito was reported missing on September 11. The public has been suspicious of his parents, who through their lawyer have dismissed innuendo that they helped their son go into hiding.
