'In Her Heart' Gabby Petito's Mom Felt She Was Gone: Dr. Phil

BLUE POINT, NY — The mother of slain Long Island native Gabby Petito told Dr. Phil on his television show that she felt it in her heart that her daughter was dead when she learned that her van was back in Florida on Sept. 11.

Petito’s parents sat down with Dr. Phil recently, speaking for the first time about how they learned she was found dead, in an exclusive interview that aired on Tuesday. The four, including her father, Joseph Petito, stepmother, Tara, and stepfather, Jim Schmidt, and mother, Nichole Schmidt, wore teal ribbons and displayed their tattoos featuring the phrase, “Let it be.” The tattoos matched Petito’s and featured a phrase from her favorite Beatles song, followed by a wave that she designed, as they talked about learning remains consistent with her description had been found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Jim Schmidt had flown out to Wyoming to be there because he felt that given the information that they had, that was where she would be found and believed someone should be there. While there on Sept. 19, he received a call from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that they had some information and he could see from his hotel window that another agent was quickly making his way up to him “pretty quickly.”

“They wanted to make sure that we were notified, and that we were aware that they found remains consistent of what they believe to be Gabby before we heard from anybody else,” he said.

Schmidt and the others had been holding out hope until then, instead, he had to make the call to the others and inform them what had transpired, recalling how he had to compose himself and relate the information to them.

Everyone was crying, he said.

Nichole Schmidt said it was the hardest thing that she ever had to listen to and it didn't hit her “right away in a second.”

“But I knew she was gone, as a mom I knew she was gone,” she added.

Schmidt made the revelation after Dr. Phil posed the question of when her mother’s intuition told her that her daughter was gone.

“I didn't want to admit it, but I felt it,” she said. “The night I found out the van was in Florida on the 11th. I felt in my heart that she was gone.”

It was a combination of that, said the family’s attorney, Paul Stafford of Bohemia, adding, that also Laundrie requested to speak to a lawyer and wouldn’t speak to the police department.

Petito, 22, had gone on a cross-country trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, and last had contact with her family when she was in Grand Teton on Aug. 25. Laundrie returned alone to the home he shared with her, as well as his parents in North Port, FL, on Sept. 1. When Petito did not respond to her family, her mother filed a police report with her hometown police department in Suffolk County on Sept. 11.

Petito’s death has been ruled a homicide, but the cause is pending her autopsy results.

The FBI was able to identify Petito by her favorite sweatshirt that was from a local shop, Stafford said.

It was hard for Schmidt when the agents presented the information to him.

“There were at least four people in that area who were missing around the same time,” he said, noting one person has recently been found, but there was another woman out there who might closely match the description of Gabby, “so that's why they wanted to be very careful about saying, ‘We found remains,’ and before the coroner can positively identify [her.]”

Tara Petito said that at first, she could not believe it was true and thinks her body went into shock.

“It took me a minute,” she said, adding that she broke down. “It’s horrible.”

Dr. Phil goes on to ask if the family has any doubt about who killed Petito.

Joseph Petito said he will leave it to the authorities to figure it out, adding that he needs to have his daughter’s death have some meaning so that it is not in vain.

“I'm not gonna let him take her name in vain,” he said. “So, I got to find some good; have some positive things come from this because otherwise, I will go down that rabbit hole. I can’t.”

Nichole Schmidt said she’s angry.

“I know who the last person was that was with her,” she said. “I can't point fingers until we know for sure.”

Laundrie, who has not spoken with police, has been named a person of interest in the case of Petito’s disappearance, but not a suspect. A federal warrant has been issued for his arrest and the FBI is seeking him in connection with his unauthorized use of two bank accounts that did not belong to him. He was reported missing by his parents on Sept. 17, leading to speculation that he was given a couple days head start to evade law enforcement. But the family’s attorney has denied that.

Dr. Phil noted that there was speculation that Laundrie had possibly become distraught and killed himself and asked where they think he is now.

The family told him that they believe he is in hiding.

“Because he’s a coward,” Joseph Petito said.

The family also criticized Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, who have also remained silent, saying that they have not taken their phone calls or texts.

Joseph Petito said that “no normal parent” would not replay if they were texted by someone telling them “they're going to call the cops because you can't find your child.”

Instead, there was no response, Petito said.

Dr. Phil asked if the four if they have anything to say to Laundrie if he was watching to which the four parents replied, “Turn yourself in.”

When asked for comment on the show, Laundrie’s attorney, Steven Bertolino of East Islip, told Patch that he did not see the episode featuring Petito’s family.

“I never watch it,” he wrote in an email, adding, “And, I thus have no comment.”

When pressed and informed of the Petito/Schmidt family’s statements, Bertolino declined to comment.

He has previously said that the Laundries do not know where their son is.

Laundrie’s sister, Cassie Laundrie, called for him to turn himself in on Tuesday.

In the meantime, there is a massive manhunt for Laundrie. In recent weeks, celebrities like John Walsh and Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman have been taking tips and are searching for him. A hiker now claims Laundrie, 23, interacted with him near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina on Saturday.

The FBI is advising anyone with information about Laundrie to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

MORE FROM PATCH:

• Brian Laundrie's Sister Urges Him To Turn Himself In To Police
• Brian Laundrie: Sheriff Slams Investigation, New Bodycam Footage
• Suffolk Detective Who Opened Gabby Petito's Case An 'Angel': Mom
• 'Not Just Gabby Petito' Case Deserves Media Attention: Dad
• Brian Laundrie's Family Camped At Pinellas County Park: Report
• 'Be Inspired': Gabby Petito's Dad At Long Island Memorial Service