An ‘aggressive’ Brian Laundrie berated wait staff at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Wyoming during an argument over the bill, prompting girlfriend Gabby Petito to apologize for his behavior just days before she disappeared, witnesses say.
Nina Celie Angelo of New Orleans recalled the August 27 incident in Jackson Hole during an interview with Fox News.
Angelo, a photographer, was with her boyfriend, financial adviser Matthew England, when they stopped to have lunch at Merry Piglets sometime between 1 and 2pm.
The couple was in Wyoming in late August to attend a wedding.
While dining at the restaurant, they overheard a loud conversation in which another customer was heard screaming at wait staff in what appeared to be an argument over the check.
Angelo said that the man involved in the dispute displayed ‘aggressive’ body language.
The man left the restaurant and then returned around four times, she said. Afterward, a young woman who was with the man came into the restaurant and apologized to wait staff for his behavior.
Nina Celie Angelo (left) of New Orleans recalled the August 27 incident in Jackson Hole, Wyoming involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie (right)
Angelo, a photographer, was with her boyfriend, financial adviser Matthew England, when they stopped to have lunch at Merry Piglets sometime between 1 and 2pm. The couple was in Wyoming in late August to attend a wedding. While dining at the restaurant, they overheard a loud conversation in which another customer, Laundrie, was heard screaming at wait staff in what appeared to be an argument over the check
Angelo said she didn’t think much of the incident. When she and her boyfriend returned to New Orleans, the region was ravaged by Hurricane Ida, and they had forgotten about the altercation at the restaurant.
Earlier this month, Petito’s disappearance made headline news. Soon afterward, police body cam footage surfaced showing Petito and Laundrie being interviewed by an officer after a domestic incident in Moab, Utah.
As England watched the images of Petito and Laundrie in the body cam footage, it began to dawn on him early on Wednesday morning that they looked familiar.
'He goes, "Nina, that was the couple fighting at the restaurant",’ Angelo said.
'And it stopped me in my tracks. I felt like the blood left my body.
'I was like, "Oh my God, I completely forgot about that incident".'
The memory of the argument is particularly powerful in light of the news that Petito's body was found nearby at Grand Teton National Park on Sunday.
Laundrie, who is considered a person of interest as he was the last person to see Petito alive, has been missing for days as authorities comb a Florida swamp near his home.
'I have chills right now,' Angelo told Fox News.
'It's crazy because it wasn't just like we passed them on the street — it was a full blown incident.'
On Instagram, Angelo posted a story describing what she saw.
‘Excuse my French, but I am freaking the f*** out,’ Angelo said on her Instagram page.
‘Matt and I just realized - I don’t know cause I’m a dumb a** and I did not put two and two together - that we saw a blowout of a situation between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie in Wyoming when we were there.
‘How I did not put two and two together that this happened? I don’t know.’
Angelo said that she had contacted authorities about the incident.
She said that her boyfriend ‘has an insane photographic memory.’
England has told her for days that he ‘knows this guy, Brian’ and that he had ‘seen him before.’
Angelo, a photographer, was with her boyfriend, financial adviser Matthew England, when they traveled to Wyoming for a wedding in late August
Angelo says England recognized Laundrie and Petito after seeing news reports that included police body cam footage of the couple during an August 12 incident in Moab, Utah (above)
Angelo said England told her: ‘They were the couple fighting in the restaurant.’
‘We were sitting right next to them,’ she said. ‘They got kicked out of the restaurant and were fighting with the hostess.’
Angelo says Petito was 'hysterically crying' and 'walked out.'
'She was crying as she was standing on the sidewalk and I was watching the whole thing unfold,' according to Angelo.
'And he walked back in the restaurant and he's fighting with the hostess.'
Laundrie walked in and out of the restaurant 'four more times' to 'talk to the manager' and 'tell the hostess off,' according to Angelo.
In another video, Angelo says she is 'freaking out' and 'having an out-of-body experience' knowing that she 'did not remember this situation.'
Earlier on Wednesday, Petito's family sent a cease and desist letter to Brian Laundrie's lawyer after his business's Yelp page used photos of their dead daughter.
Richard Benson Stafford, the attorney for the Petito family, is demanding the Laundrie family lawyer Steven Bertolino take down the photos by 2pm Wednesday or face 'further action.'
The family initially tried to remove the photos themselves but were informed that only the business owner can add or remove photos, Stafford wrote in the letter dated September 22.
Bertolino has denied having control of the Yelp page and said any suggestion he would 'use this case to drum up any business' is 'disgusting'.
A Yelp spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that the photo of Petito was uploaded by a user - not by Bertolino.
In the letter, Petito's family also demands Bertolino 'cease and desist posting pictures of Gabby Petito to any and all of your social media pages, web pages, or advertisements in an effort to gain business.'
'I am sure this will be taken care of by 2pm or I will take further action on behalf of Gabby's family,' it read.
Yelp is an online directory advertising local businesses where people can leave reviews and ratings.
Bertolino's business page featured a photo of Petito on the page earlier Tuesday (seen above). It is not clear who posted them
Gabby Petito's family have sent a cease and desist letter to Brian Laundrie's lawyer after he used photos of their dead daughter on his business's Yelp page
Steven Bertolino (pictured) has denied having control of the Yelp page and said any suggestion he would 'use this case to drum up any business' is 'disgusting'
Bertolino's business page featured a photo of Petito on the page earlier Tuesday.
As of 1pm ET, the only two photos on the webpage was a montage of two pictures of Laundrie and a screengrab of a short bio page.
A warning was also displayed on the Yelp page reading that it was now 'monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports' and that the site had 'temporarily disabled the posting of content' to the page.
The Yelp spokesperson said the user who uploaded the photo had taken it down.
'We can confirm that the user who uploaded the photo removed it today. Yelp placed an Unusual Activity Alert, as part of our broader Consumer Alerts program, on the business's Yelp page on Tuesday,' they said.
'Businesses and consumers can always report reviews and photos for removal if they believe the content violates Yelp's Terms of Service or Content Guidelines.'
Both the business owner and website users can post photos onto a Yelp business page.
Under Yelp's policies, if a business owner uploads an image onto their Yelp page, it can only be removed by the business owner or by Yelp.
Similarly, if the photo is uploaded by a user, only that same user or Yelp can take it down.
Because the image was posted by a user, Bertolino was not able to remove it from the business page.
It is also unlikely that Bertolino either set up the Yelp page or had any connection to it as the page is listed as 'Unclaimed'.
Business listings can be created by Yelp following the posting of customer reviews and the business owner is then able to 'claim' the business to update business information and respond to reviews.
The 'unclaimed' tag reveals Bertolino has not done this.
Bertolino hit back at the allegations he was using Petito to drum up business, telling ABC7 the suggestion is 'disgusting' and that he has not 'advertised or sought business in over 20 years.'
'That's disgusting. Just so you know, my website and any review sites that I do not control have been overrun by John Q. Public,' he said.
'Indeed yelp actually shut the site down due to the inordinate amount of fake commenting on it.
'I have not advertised or sought business in over 20 years and I would certainly not use this case to drum up any business.'
DailyMail.com has contacted Bertolino for further information and comment.
A warning was also displayed on the Yelp page reading that it was now 'monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports' and that the site had 'temporarily disabled the posting of content' to the page
The legal action was taken hours after Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney in an Instagram post late Tuesday, saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and saying his attempt to show 'compassion' are 'beyond disgusting'.
Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day in Florida and law enforcement sources saying the 23-year-old boyfriend of Petito is the 'prime suspect' in her homicide.
Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland on social media. Dive teams were later spotted heading into the nature reserve around midday.
Bertoloni had released a statement Tuesday after a preliminary autopsy confirmed the body found Sunday in a campsite near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming belongs to 22-year-old Petito and that her manner of death was homicide.
'May Gabby Rest In Peace,' the attorney said in the statement.
Steve Petito took to social media Tuesday to blast Laundrie's attorney accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'
'As far as the law is concerned this law firm may be immune due to attorney/client privilege,' he wrote.
'But in the eyes of the public you are as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up and stalling tactic.'
He added: 'We don't require nor want you empathy. By you trying to show compassion here at this moment is beyond disgusting.'
Steve told Fox News Wednesday the Petito family will release a statement when her remains are returned to them from Wyoming.
The coroner is still carrying out tests on the 22-year-old's body to determine her cause of death.
Police named Laundrie a 'person of interest' in his girlfriend's disappearance last Wednesday.
At the time, the case was a missing person case with officials hopeful they would find the travel blogger alive.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ Laundrie is now their prime suspect in her death.
But prosecutors are said to be holding off from bringing charges or officially naming him a suspect until they can locate Laundrie.
Even then, this does not mean he will be charged with her murder.
The coroner ruled Petito's manner of death homicide but the cause of death is yet to be determined.
'Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999,' FBI Denver tweeted Tuesday.
'Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide.
'The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.'
In Colorado, homicide includes varying degrees of murder and manslaughter.
It is also unclear if Laundrie is even alive to face any possible charges.
His parents told law enforcement Friday they last saw him over a week ago last Tuesday when he left their home with a backpack and told them he was heading to the Carlton Reserve.
A North Port police spokesman said early Wednesday that searchers have 'huddled up' and headed out again to look for Laundrie in the vast, alligator-infested reserve.
Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney Steven Bertoloni in an Instagram post late Tuesday saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'
A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve.
When asked if police divers were recovering anything significant, North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor said: 'We are looking. Nothing found. We have to work to rule it out though.'
'Area resources are looking at large bodies of water, including dive teams, boats, and sonar equipment. At this time, this does not mean anything has been found. It's a part of the
