NORTH PORT, Fla. — The Laundrie family home has been seen around the world in news coverage about Gabby Petitio’s disappearance and the subsequent search for her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.
Reporters, neighbors and even protestors who kept a close eye on Laundrie's parents' whereabouts swarmed the home throughout the investigation.
But, the New York Post reported Brian Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, have now put the home up for a sale. The outlet even published a photo that appears to show a "for sale" sign posted in front of the home.
THE QUESTION
Did Brian Laundrie’s parents put their North Port home up for sale?
THE SOURCES
- Steve Bertolino, attorney for the Laundrie family
- Zillow
- Realtor.com
- Real Estate MLS
THE ANSWER
No, Brian Laundrie’s parents have not put their North Port home up for sale.
WHAT WE FOUND
The Laundrie family attorney, Steve Bertolino, said there’s no truth to the reporting.
“The story is not accurate,” Bertolino told 10 Tampa Bay.
As for the photo purporting to show a "for sale" sign posted on the front lawn, Bertolino said they’re not sure where the sign came from or if the photo is even real.
“We do not know if the sign was Photoshop or if someone put it there, took the picture and then took it down,” he said.
Sites like Zillow and Realtor.com show the home as being "off market" and not currently for sale. The sites estimate the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is worth between $218,000 and $309,000.
The home isn’t registered in the MLS database either.
A medical examiner revealed last week Brian Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot, more than a month after his skeletal remains were found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Sarasota County.
Brian Laundrie was the only person of interest in the homicide case of his Petito.
The couple set out in July on a cross-country road trip in Petito's Ford Sprinter van, documenting their adventures in national parks for Petito's YouTube channel.
But when Brian Laundrie returned to his North Port home where he and Petito had lived with his parents on Sept. 1, he was alone. Petito’s body was later found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Brian Laundrie was reported missing on Sept. 17 after his parents said he went for a hike and never returned home. Detectives and FBI agents searched the vast Carlton Reserve area for more than a month, looking in the only place they had seen a sign of Brian Laundrie.
Brian Laundrie’s parents helped search the reserve twice, each time with North Port officers. On their second attempt, on Oct. 20, Laundrie's father found a drybag and brought it to the officers. Authorities then say they found skeletal remains nearby, along with a notebook and other personal items.
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