Jim Schmidt paid tribute to his late stepdaughter on Wednesday afterthe FBI confirmedthat the body found over the weekend in Grand Teton National Park matched the victim.
“The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms. Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions,” Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in the FBI’s tweet.
Schneider added that 23-year-old Laundrie is a person of interest, saying, “Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI.”
Joseph posted a photo of his smiling daughter posing with angel wings with the caption, “she touched the world.”
“She’s so artistic. She’s an amazing artist. She loves to draw. She has a great eye with decorating,” he said. “She’s that flower child type of personality. The old soul, you know?”
A search was then conducted in the Wyoming wilderness where authorities believed she last was.
“One minute, they’d be all over each other, the next minute, he’d be like, ‘We’re fighting,'” Laundrie’s friend, Ben Matula, said while describing their relationship when they were teenagers in Long Island, New York. “They always had some drama.”
Matula, who spoke toPEOPLEexclusively for this week’s issue, added: “There was always something below the surface where things weren’t 100% wonderful.”
“When things were good, you’d be like, ‘Why can’t I have a relationship like that?'” she recalled. “When they were bad, you’d be like ‘Oh my God, just break up and spare yourself from the drama and everyone else from having to hear about it.’ "
If you have information on this case, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
source: people.com
