EXCLUSIVE: Parents of missing van-life girl's fiancé REFUSE to let cops speak to him about her disappearance: Police tow Ford Transit away for forensic examination and admit 'the circumstances are odd'

 The family of a missing van-life woman's fiancé refused to let authorities interview their son when the van that the couple had traveled in before she disappeared was seized from their property late on Saturday night.

Gabby Petito of Long Island, 22, was reported missing by her family on September 11 after they hadn't heard from her in 13 days. She had been traveling on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie since July. She last spoke to her family on August 25, and her last known location was at Grand Teton National Park.  

Laundrie returned to their home in North Port, Florida, where the couple moved two years ago, driving the couple's 2012 Ford Transit van, which police confirmed recovering late on Saturday night. 

He has remained mum on her whereabouts, reportedly hiring an attorney and refusing to speak publicly about what happened. Asked about Laundrie at the press conference, however, both parents said, 'We can't comment on that.'

North Port police also told Dailymail.com that officers have tried to speak with missing Gabby Petito's fiancé at the house – but his parents refused to let them.

Forensic experts are now poring over the 2012 model van for fingerprints and any other possible clues.

'We have the vehicle, we took it away very late Saturday night into Sunday,' said North Port Police spokesman Josh Taylor. 'We take it, we process it for evidence – fingerprints, any evidentiary value that we think is possible.

'So we have that vehicle. We are continuing to try to piece the things together. The situation is obviously very fluid.'

He confirmed Laundrie has still not talked with police. 'We have not talked with him, we would love to talk to him,' said Taylor.

'He is under no obligation to talk to us – and he has not. And we don't even know yet if a crime happened.'

Asked if police had turned up at the home of Laundrie's parents to speak with him, Taylor replied: 'Of course.'

He added: 'We did not actually talk to him. We talked to his parents. And they did not want to make him available to do that.'  

The North Port police said in a statement they are 'actively assisting in this case in conjunction with the Suffolk County Police Department where she was reported missing'.

A statement added: 'We currently have no definitive information that a crime took place here in North Port. With that said, the circumstances are odd.

'The vehicle she was traveling in was located here in North Port. So, we are actively gathering local details and any evidence to assist in finding needed answers. If you know anything about this case please contact us at 941-429-7382.'    

Laundrie's father, 62-year-old Christopher Laundrie, was seen mowing his lawn on Monday, and refused to comment on his son's whereabouts. 

Gabby Petito's parents are trying to stay optimistic as they broke their silence Monday, with the mom saying 'I believe she's gonna come home.'

Nicole Schmidt, of Long Island, New York, gave a teary-eyed interview to reporters on Monday afternoon as she held a picture of her daughter and said: 'We are looking for her. We are not focusing on anything else, but finding her... I believe she's gonna come home.' 

Petito's stepfather, James, added: 'If anyone else has any information, if anyone has seen her, we ask that they call the tip lines and just please, just give any information you have,' as he joined his anguished wife at the press conference in Bohemia, Suffolk County. 

'We just want her home safe with us.'   

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Fiancé Brian Laundrie (pictured left) has since returned home to Florida with the pair's camper van, according to missing Gabby Petito's father Joseph Petito, and is not cooperating with police in their investigation

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Laundrie's father, 62-year-old Christopher Laundrie (pictured), was seen mowing his lawn on Monday, and refused to comment on his son's whereabouts

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Above is the Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida, where Brian Laundrie returned in the couple's van without Petito after their trip 

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'I can't say much, but she's no longer with the van,' Schmidt told Fox News of her daughter. 'I don't want to say anything more than that but for people looking for her, I want them to look for her now, not look for that van anymore'

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Nicole Schmidt, of Long Island, New York, gave a teary-eyed interview to reporters in Bohemia on Monday afternoon about her daughter Gabby Petitio, who has been missing since August 24

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Schmidt says that she believes her daughter will return home 

 Schmidt said the last time she spoke over the phone with her daughter was on August 25 - and cast suspicion on the texts received from her adventure-seeking girl over the next five days. 

She said she texted Petito on August 27 and 30, but now says she isn't sure if her daughter was on the other end of the exchange because it wasn't verbal and she didn't share any photos of herself, Schmidt told Fox News.    

She said, 'It was just a text. I did not verbally speak to her,' she said. 'I can't say much, but she's no longer with the van. I don't want to say anything more than that but for people looking for her, I want them to look for her now, not look for that van anymore.' 

Asked about her doubts over the texts at the press conference, Schmidt again said, 'I can't comment on that.' She also declined to share the content of those texts.   

Schmidt said Petito would contact her at least three times a week. 'We would FaceTime, call, text, frequently. She kept me updated on this whole trip... The first couple of days [she went missing], I believe she was in a place with no service. It was day 8 and 9 that I really became concerned and figured she couldn't be off the grid for that long.'  

She added: 'I don't know if I believe she's in danger for a particular reason, I just believe she's in danger because she's not in touch with us and she could be alone somewhere, she could be stranded somewhere in the wilderness. 

'And she needs help. And I know we're not out there, but I hope everyone's looking for her. I hope that the hikers and the rangers and the campers and everybody has her face and they're looking for her actively.' 

Petito's father Joe, who lives in Vero Beach, Florida, is also pleading for help bringing his daughter home and addressed the public on Monday when speaking with the New York Post. 

He said to 'focus on finding her. I can't implore that enough. All of the crap afterward will sort itself out. Please find her. I beg you.'

He added that on August 21, she let him know on FaceTime that they had lost power during a stop in Salt Lake City.

'Everything was good. She had lost power to wherever she was at. She couldn't get on the WiFi for whatever reason,' Petito said.

Throughout the past week, neither parent heard from her and so 'we got pretty alarmed and tried to do the missing-person report,' he said.

He urged people across the country to be on the lookout for anything that seems 'fishy.'

'The hard part is that it's the van life. They can go anywhere they wanted, unfortunately, in this situation. It's the entire damn country,' he said.

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Gabby Petito of Blue Point, 22, and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, set out on their road trip in early July, first driving from Laundrie's home state of Florida to Petito's in New York. Then, the pair set out West toward Salt Lake City. She was reported missing by her family on Saturday, and last posted on her Instagram account in Ogden, Utah, two weeks ago (photo picture

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The above map illustrates the places Petito and Laundrie visited since the start of the trip leaving New York on July 2 to when she last spoke to her family on August 25 from Grand Teton National Park

Petito, 22, who grew up in Blue Point, New York, was last seen on August 24 checking out of a hotel with Laundrie in Salt Lake City, Utah. The following day she made her final call to her family, telling them that she and Laundrie had traveled to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.  

Her last Instagram, posted on August 25, shows her visiting the Monarch Wall in Ogden, Utah with the caption 'Happy Halloween'. The pair were heading from Ogden to Yellowstone National Park, just north of Grand Teton. 

The couple embarked on their trip on July 2 from Blue Point, where they traveled for Petito's brother's graduation on June 17. She was reported missing by her mother to New York authorities on Saturday night. 

'[It's like] drowning with your hands tied behind you,' Petito's father, Joseph Petito, told Newsday of his daughter's disappearance. 'You can't describe it. There's nothing you can do. You can't control anything.'

The Suffolk County Police Department opened an investigation after her Schmidt filed a missing persons report just before 7pm on Saturday, the agency wrote in a press release.  

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The Suffolk County Police Department opened an investigation after her mom Nichole Schmidt reported her missing just before 7pm on Saturday, the agency wrote in a press release

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Petito was seen in a YouTube video having a snack in the van as they made way on their cross-country journey 

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The couple started their trip on July 2 after Petito attended her brother's graduation in New York on June 17. They planned to reach Portland, Oregon, and visit a family friend for Halloween

Neither Petito's family nor her boyfriend Laundrie could be reached for comment. 

Petito was described as 5-feet5, around 110 pounds, with several tattoos, including one on her forearm reading 'let it be'. 

She and Laundrie moved to North Port, Florida, two years ago from Blue Point, where she grew up and attended Bayport-Blue Point High School. Neighbor Keith Graves, 52, said Petito had moved in eight months ago.

'I've never seen anything out of place with those two,' Graves told MailOnline. 'The only thing that stood out was that a tow crew came and took the white van away.'

Her dad moved to Vero Beach, Florida, in June to be closer to his daughter. He described her as 'very, very free spirited'.

'Clothes didn't impress her. Cars didn't impress her. Experiences - that's what impressed her.'  

The couple started their trip on July 2 after Petito attended her brother's graduation in New York on June 17. They planned to reach Portland, Oregon, and visit a family friend for Halloween.   

The pair had documented their conversion of a 2012 Ford van into a camper and their life traveling in it on YouTube and Instagram, and were developing a social media presence under the name 'Nomadic Statik.'

Per their Instagram accounts, the pair began their trip on July 2 and traveled to Kansas' Monument Rocks, Colorado Springs, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Zion National Park and Bryce National Park in Utah and Canyonlands National Park since July 2.

'Downsizing out life to fit into this itty bitty van was the best decision we've ever made,' Laundrie wrote on Instagram in early July. 

'Sacrificing space to wake up in nature everyday has been no sacrifice at all.' 

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Neither Petito's family nor her boyfriend Laundrie could be reached for comment at press time. The Suffolk County Police Department opened an investigation after her family reported her missing just before 7 pm on Saturday, the agency wrote in a press release

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'[My daughter] was last physically seen on August 24th when she checked out of a hotel with her boyfriend salt Lake City, Utah,' said Gabby Petito's father, Joseph Petito, on Facebook. '[Brian Laundrie] has since returned home and retained a lawyer, and is uncooperative currently.'

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The engaged couple had documented their conversion of a 2012 Ford van into a camper and their life traveling in it on YouTube and Instagram

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Neither Petito's family nor her boyfriend Laundrie could be reached for comment at press time. The pair are pictured together in Canyonlands National Park in Utah

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The Suffolk County Police Department opened an investigation after her family reported her missing just before 7 pm on Saturday, the agency wrote in a press release.

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In an Instagram post on July 16, Petito wrote, 'The past two nights camping in Zion have been so cool, literally. We hiked up here in about 100° and it was so nice coming back to our campsite, watching the sky fill with dark clouds, and view the lightning storm in the nice cool air of the light rain.' 

Petito and Laundrie had turned back from Utah in late August to evade wildfire smoke, Nicole Schmidt said, and had planned to go to Yellowstone National Park next. 

Schmidt said she would remain vigilant and keep up the search for her daughter. 

'I just want people to keep looking and not stop until we find her,' Schmidt told Newsday. 'She's out there somewhere... We won't stop until we find her.' 

Schmidt's husband and son TJ have posted two missing persons posters on their Instagrams as well as a picture of Petito, appealing for her safe return. 

Both warned they were unable to 'comment any further because there is an active investigation.'

Since Petito's disappearance, her family has launched a GoFundMe that has accrued $5,000 in just six hours. They have also started a social media campaign on Facebook, simply called 'Find Gabby,' where a number of national park visitors have claimed to recognize the pair's van. 

'While we are working with the FBI, multiple law enforcement agencies, and outside resources to pursue any and all leads the family will need funds and resources to travel and pay for expenses related to an investigation and search on the other side of the country, any help is appreciated,' reads the body of the fundraiser.

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Laundrie's father Chris was seen sweeping outside the home on Monday

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'Downsizing out life to fit into this itty bitty van was the best decision we've ever made,' Laundrie wrote on Instagram in early July.

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Petito is an artist, a vegetarian and a yoga enthusiast, according to her Instagram page. She was reported missing on Saturday evening, and her family has not heard from her since August 25

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'I love the van,' Petito said in the couple's YouTube video, which was posted three weeks ago

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Since Petito's disappearance, her family has launched a GoFundMe that has accrued $5,000 in just six hours. They have also started a social media campaign on Facebook, simply called ' Find Gabby ,' where a number of national park visitors have claimed to recognize the pair's van