By Aaron Miller-
Cops dealing with the missing case of Gabby Petito have said no attempts have been made to obtian a search warrant for Laundrie’s home because they haven’t concluded that a crime has occurred. “In order to get a search warrant, you have to be tied to a crime. Right now, we don’t have a crime,” Garrison said.
Cops have been urging Brian Laundrie to co-operate with police, but have admitted they don’t have the legal power to obtain a search warrant for his property.
The logical position that something untoward has occured presents official statements like this from the police as showing stupidity. Police operation of this kind lacks the practicality of common sense required in efficently investigating crimes.
Laundrie has invoked his Fifth Amendment right, which generally means a person cannot be forced to make statements he or she feels might be negative or used against them. The amendment is usually invoked so a person can avoid answering specific questions. The right must be affirmatively waived.
“So I can’t compel him to speak,” Garrison said. “All of our information has been directed through an attorney. That can change. The attorney can come forward and say, ‘listen, Brian wants to provide a statement now.'”
The present state of affairs is a nightmare for the family of Gabby Petito, who have to live with the worst fear in the face of no specific news about their daughters whereabout. The situation is suspicious enough for cops to act, and act fast.
Petito was traveling with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, in a cargo van the two had outfitted as a makeshift recreational vehicle for a months-long cross-country road trip when she mysteriously disappeared.
The couple documented their trip abroad, and Gabby was said to have been having the best time of her life.
Last month, officers with the Moab City Police Department responded to reports of disorderly conduct involving Petito and Laundrie, which ended with a report describing them as having “engaged in some sort of altercation.”
The report released by the police department indicates Laundrie and Petito had a physical fight following an argument, but “both the male and female reported they are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn’t wish to see anyone charged with a crime,” according to the report from Officer Eric Pratt.
Petito was described by one officer as “confused and emotional”, but the couple were reuinited after being separated, leading to this very concerning scenario of puzzling questions where answers that appear obvious must be masled for the sake of procedure and fair play.