When the couple got together in high school, “it seemed like an immature love,” friend Ben Matula tells PEOPLE in its latest issue. “One minute they’d be all over each other, the next minute he’d be like, ‘We’re fighting.’ They always had some drama.”
But Matula didn’t think that the teenage angst would ever lead to violence. “Before this, I thought Brian was a dependable, ambitious normal guy who wanted to be a good friend,” Matula says. “I didn’t see a dark side with him.”
By the end of August, Petito went missing. Laundrie drove the couple’s white van to his home in North Port, Florida, without her.
On Sept. 11, after being unable to reach her for several days, Petito’s family reported her missing — and held out hope for her safe return. But on Sunday, Sept. 19, the FBI confirmed theydiscovered a body in Wyomingmatching Petito’s description. An autopsy later confirmed it was her, and classified her death as a homicide.
Laundrie wasidentified as a person of interestin the case after he refused to sit down with investigators to discuss Petito’s whereabouts. He has alsosince gone missing, with authorities in Florida currentlyconducting searchesfor him.
While Laundrie has not been named a suspect at this time, but Petito’s family has been vocal in their criticism of him.
“We want the world to know that Brian is not missing,” Petito’s family wrote in a statement. “He is hiding.”
Laundrie’s lawyer has not responded to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
The latest developments have shaken those who knew the couple, who are now processing the last days of Petito’s life. “I was jealous of them, and I know I wasn’t the only one,” says Matula. “It seemed like they were seeing the world with the person they loved. They were living the dream.”
source: people.com
