Brian Laundrie Family 'Furious' at Woman Claiming to Be Ex-Girlfriend of Gabby Petito's Fiance
Brian Laundrie's family was not happy with a woman claiming to be the ex-girlfriend of Gabby Petito's fiance. They said she's nothing more than an imposter.
The woman, who has been going by the name of Gabriella Darling on social media, has been claiming to be Laundrie's girlfriend before Petito for months.
At first, Darling reportedly shared on social media about Laundrie being "narcissistic" and controlling ways. But after Laundrie's remains were found on October 20, Darling suddenly played the role of a woman who grieves over the death of a man she once loved, Radar reported.
She even posted a lengthy post on Instagram after Laundrie's remains were found. But a source close to the Laundrie family told The Sun that Brian's parents and her sister, Cassie, have no idea who Darling was.
Source Talks to Brian Laundrie's 'Ex-Girlfriend'
April Valenzuela, who has a mutual friend with the Laundrie family, told The Sun that she spoke to Gabriella Darling for two hours over the phone last Tuesday.
Valenzuela, who has a background as a rape crisis counselor who worked with trauma victims, said she believed the woman at first and wanted to help the woman cope with her grief.
And then she learned that the Laundries had never met Darling. Valenzuela said it was not only her mutual friend with the Laundrie family who does not believe in Darling's stories but also Cassie, who was "furious" over the stories of the alleged "fake" girlfriend before Gabby Petito.
"It was messed up, and it made Cassie so mad," Valenzuela said. Valenzuela further noted that Darling suddenly ignored her after confronting her with Cassie's claims that the Laundrie family had never met her.
"She never called me. She messaged me and told me that her family's attorney told her not to talk to anyone," Valenzuela said.
"I thought she needed to be left alone, and I stood up for her right to grieve privately, but from reading what Cassie was saying about it upsetting her and her family and making videos to get people to believe she and Brian were closer than they really were and abusing my sympathy for those close to the case is just wrong," she added.
Aside from the Laundrie family, the North Port police said they were also not familiar with Gabriella Darling. Many Internet sleuths also doubted and probed into Darling alleged ties to Laundrie, most notably, Instagram user @exposinganddebunking.
Brian Laundrie's 'Ex-Girlfriend' Heartfelt Instagram Post
Gabriella Darling earlier posted a lengthy tribute to Brian Laundrie, whom she calls her "#eternalflame." Darling's eulogy has surfaced a week after Laundrie's skeletal remains were discovered in a swampy area of the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
Darling's lengthy post did not mention Laundrie's name and did not include any images of him. But she claimed in her previous posts that she was in a previous relationship with Petito's fiance.
"The hardest thing I've ever been through. Feels like a part of my heart has been ripped out, no matter what, no one will be able to fill it," Darling said in her tribute.
The woman noted that most people knew his ex-boyfriend as a monster but said she "do not know that person."
"I know the person that I had ups and downs with, the person that I shared occasional arguments over some things, and the person I eventually left for other reasons... But all in all was not a monster," Darling noted.
The woman, who claims to have children, wished she could wake him up "because this seems like a nightmare." Darling noted that she's "absolutely heartbroken" and will cry "every single day" as she vowed to grieve for her "flame" daily.
Darling said she's not sure if she'll be able to ever "move on" as she does not want to "let go." The woman noted that she would keep his memory alive by cherishing the wonderful moments they had together and making new memories "for him to enjoy above."
"I loved you then, and I will love you until the day God decided its my time to go and meet you there... Until then, our flame is eternal #eternalflame," Darling concluded.
Laundrie's "ex-girlfriend" accompanied her tribute with a photo of a woman standing by a pool, looking away from the camera.
Brian Laundrie was named a person of interest by North Port police after returning home on September 1 or 10 days before Gabby Petito was reported missing by her family.
Petito disappeared on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when the YouTuber stopped communicating with her family in Wyoming in late August.
Gabby Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19.
A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said the YouTuber was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Joshua Summers
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