GABBY Petito's father has said he "never liked her boyfriends" and revealed the name he used to call her fiancé Brian to "intimidate him."
Speaking before news that a body had been found in the search for his daughter, Joseph Petito said he had a "gut feeling" he was trying to ignore, adding: "If I use my gut feeling I will be on the floor crying."
He told Dr. Phil: "It's too long to not have anyone speak to her.
"When heard he [Brian] wasn't speaking to police…I screamed, I broke down. I thought the worst."
BODY FOUND
A body police believe to be Gabby's was found in a Wyoming national park on Sunday – a week after she was reported missing by her parents.
She had been on a road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie when she disappeared.
Brian returned home alone on September 1 to Florida – where the couple lived with his parents – but he has since gone missing.
Police have named Brian as a person of interest in the case.
Gabby's dad Joe admitted: "I've never actually like any of Gabby's boyfriends…I've never actually called any of them by their real name."
He said he used to call Brian "Brianne", adding: "I always used the female versions of their names, just to intimidate them a little bit."
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…
But he admitted: "Brian was always respectful, I can't say he wasn't.
"There were no red flags that popped out.
"Nothing that stood in my head and said, listen, this boy is not a good boy.
"If there were I would have discouraged going on a trip."
PREVIOUS ROAD TRIP
Joe said Laundrie and his daughter had dated for two and a half years.
During the interview, Petito said the couple had taken a previous road trip to California in her car and there were no problems.
Petito said his family began worrying after several days without hearing from their daughter.
“We called Brian, we called the mom, we called the dad, we called the sister, we called every number that we could find,” Petito said.
“No phone calls were picked up, no text messages were returned.”
Video released by the Moab police showed that an officer pulled the couple’s van over on the same day after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near Arches National Park.
The body-camera footage showed an upset Gabby.
POLICE FOOTAGE
Joe said he "can't bring myself to watch the whole video."
He said he wants Laundrie to be held accountable for whatever part he played in Gabby’s disappearance, along with his family for protecting him.
“I hope they get what’s coming, and that includes his folks,” Petito said. “Because I’ll tell you, right now, they are just as complicit, in my book.”
Joe also said he has alot of questions for Brian – including about the van the couple had been sharing.
He added: "I'm a protective dad, I've got a lot of questions.
"Did you clean [the van]? Did your parents help you clean it? Did they help cover up a crime?
"We called Brian, we called the mom, the dad, the sister, every number we could find. No call picked up, no text returned.
"He [Brian] is sitting there behind his mom like he is four-years-old."
AUTOPSY SCHEDULED
FBI agents on Monday searched the Laundrie family home.
“Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified,” FBI agent Charles Jones said.
An autopsy was set for Tuesday. Police looking for Laundrie resumed their search of a 24,000-acre Florida nature preserve on Tuesday.
Following the news a body had been found Joseph posted on social media an image of a broken heart above a picture of his daughter.
He wrote: “She touched the world."
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