Brian Laundrie's sister has broken her silence about the disappearance of her brother's girlfriend and said her and her family 'obviously want Gabby to be found safe' just after Brian was named a 'person of interest' in her vanishing.
Cassie Launderie told ABC News Gabby Petito is like 'a sister' to her and emphasized that her 'children love her'.
'All I want is for her to come home safe and sound and this to be just a big misunderstanding,' she added.
Cassie's ABC News interview came after Petito's family penned an emotional letter begging the Launderies to help them find their missing daughter and suggesting that the family might be withholding information about where their daughter is.
Brian Laundrie's sister Cassie Launderie (pictured) has broken her silence about the disappearance of her brother's girlfriend and said her and her family 'obviously want Gabby to be found safe' just after Brian was named a 'person of interest' in her vanishing
Gabby Petito (left) was last seen on August 24 leaving a hotel with Brian Laundrie (right) in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the couple's cross-country campervan trip
A preview of the interview was released by the network on Thursday night and the full clip will be aired Friday morning on Good Morning America.
The heartbreaking letter was read aloud by family attorney Richard Stafford in a press conference held in Petito's hometown of Long Island on Thursday.=
'We understand you are going through a difficult time and your instinct to protect your son is strong.
'We ask you to put yourselves in our shoes. We haven't been able to sleep or eat and our lives are falling apart,' the Petitos wrote.
They added: 'As a parent, how can you let us go through this pain and not help us? As a parent, how could you put Gabby's younger brothers and sisters through this?'
The letter also confirmed reports that the young couple were engaged to be married and suggested the Laundries were 'so happy' that the two were planning to spend their lives together.
During the press conference Stafford would not provide further details about Petito's suspicious final text message to her family and refused to comment on the body camera footage from the August 12 incident.
In the newly-released bodycam video, an emotional Petito is seen with tears streaming down her face telling officers the couple 'have been fighting all morning' and admitting that she slapped him.
Petito set out on a cross-country trip July 2 with her boyfriend in the couple's 2012 Ford Transit van. Brian posted this photo of the couple on Instagram on July 16
Attorney Richard Stafford on Thursday read out an emotional letter from Petito's family begging the Laundries to cooperate, saying 'we believe you know the location of where Brian left Gabby'
A map shows the last known movements of Petito and Laundrie along their cross-country road trip which
