Gabby Petito’s family urges Brian Laundrie to turn himself in

The family of Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, the 22-year-old whose death in Wyoming sparked a manhunt for her fiance, on Tuesday urged Brian Laundrie to turn himself in to law enforcement officials.

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The family spoke for the first time Tuesday since authorities confirmed that they recovered Petito’s body Sept. 19 near a campsite in Wyoming’s Briger-Teton National Forest. A coroner subsequently ruled Petito’s death a homicide, though her cause of death remained pending Tuesday.

Richard Stafford, an attorney representing the family, said he did not expect the Laundrie family to help authorities who continue to search for their son.

“The Laundries did not help us find Gabby, they’re sure as not going to help us find Brian,” he said Tuesday. “For Brian, we’re asking you to turn yourself in to the FBI or the nearest law enforcement agency.”

>> Related: Coroner: Remains found in Wyoming belong to Gabby Petito

Petito’s family reported her missing after she vanished at the end of August, while she was on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie.

On Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, without Petito. Afterward, he declined to speak with investigators about his fiancee. He was later named a person of interest in her disappearance.

Four days after investigators found Petito’s body, federal authorities issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie on allegations of bank card fraud. Officials said Laundrie used Petito’s debit card without her authorization “on or about Aug. 30″ through Sept. 1.

>> Related: Gabby Petito: Federal warrant issued for Brian Laundrie’s arrest

Police began searching for Laundrie after his family reported him missing on Sept. 17, telling investigators that they last saw him wearing a hiking bag on Sept. 14. Authorities searched the nearly 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County for days without finding any signs of the 23-year-old.

“We welcome everybody’s help to find him,” Stafford said Tuesday. “If you have any information, we’re asking that you call the FBI tip line or your local police department.”

Family members said they are launching a foundation named for Petito and aimed at helping the families of other missing persons. Details were still being finalized Tuesday.

“We’re just hoping that through our tragedy with losing Gabby, that in the future some good will come out of it -- that we can help other people who are in a similar situation,” said Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt. “We need positive stuff to come from the tragedy that happened. We can’t let her name be taken in vain.”

>> Related: Family pleads for information in Gabby Petito’s disappearance

Schmidt said the family is still working through grieving and figuring out how to get back to normal, “Whatever normal may be from here on out.” He said the family feels Petito’s presence with them and that “she’s giving us signs.”

On Monday, Jim Schmidt; Gabby Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt; Gabby Petito’s father, Joe Petito; and her stepmother, Tara Petito got tattooed together to remember the 22-year-old. They each got “Let it be” tattooed onto their right forearms to match a tattoo Gabby Petito had.

“We have each other,” he said. “We’re a big family, we have a huge support network, and we’re just going to keep pushing forward and living every day and loving every day because that’s what Gabby did, and that’s what we need to do.”

Authorities continue to investigate.

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