Brian Laundrie’s family ‘furious’ over woman ‘posing as his ex who claims she’s also called Gabby’
BRIAN Laundrie's family is "furious" at a woman who they say is pretending to be their son's ex-girlfriend, The Sun can exclusively reveal.
For months, a woman going by the name of "Gabriella Darling" on social media has been claiming to be Laundrie's girlfriend before Gabby Petito.
She posted claims in September that Laundrie was "narcissistic" and "controlling" and then changed her tune to allegedly play the role of a grief-stricken ex who was in love after his remains were found.
Laundrie's sister Cassie said she and her family do not know who the woman is, according to a family source.
April Valenzuela, who has a mutual friend with the Laundries, told the US Sun that she spoke to the alleged "fake" girlfriend for two hours on the phone last Tuesday.
With a background as a rape crisis counselor who worked with trauma victims, Ms Valenzuela said she believed her at first and wanted to help the woman cope with her grief.
But Internet sleuths doubted and dug into "Gabriella's" claims - most notably Instagram user @exposinganddebunking.
Read our Brian Laundrie live blog for the very latest news and updates...
Ms Valenzuela said the mutual friend she has with the Laundrie family never believed her either, and Cassie was "furious" after seeing stories about "Gabriella Darling."
"It was messed up, and it made Cassie so mad," Ms Valenzuela told the US Sun.
Ms VALENZUELA CONFRONTS "GABRIELLA"
Ms Valenzuela confronted the woman after Cassie said her 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," Ms Valenzuela said.
She hasn't heard from Gabriella since.
"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.
DO POLICE KNOW HER?
North Port police said none of the names are familiar.
Ms Valenzuela told The Sun that the FBI could be involved, but that hasn't been confirmed.
The FBI hasn't responded to requests for comment.
INSTAGRAM POST THAT SPARKED CONTROVERSY
Shortly after news spread that Laundrie's remains were found, the woman posted a long message on Instagram with a side-view photo of her in an unknown location.
In the post, the woman called Laundrie her "eternal flame" and said this is the hardest thing I've ever been through."
"Feels like a part of my heart has been ripped out, and no matter what, no one will be able to fill it," the post begins.
"The only thing to do now is to hold those memories very close to what is left of my heart and make something positive out of this, somehow.
"I get to keep every single thing we lived, every place we went to, every song we listen to, every conversation we had, the tears, and the laughs. I get to keep," the gushing post continues.
"Some people know you as a monster, I 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."
"I'm absolutely heartbroken and even though you would probably say something back then like 'Babe calm down and think for a second, crying won't solve anything...' I'm here to tell you, I'm going to cry. Every single day."
Darling then pledges to grieve for her "flame" every day.
The post reads: "I need to grieve so i can finally heal. I learned very valuable lessons while i was with you and I'm still learning after this tragedy. because that's what this is. A tragedy. For everyone involved.
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"I know you are up there looking down on me probably mad as hell because I'm completely broken inside, I'm sure you want me to start writing again, and laugh and enjoy my life.
"As part of the promise I made to you, I will give it my all and best like I always and like I always will."
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