are you going to do? [ laughter ] "nightline" is next, thanks for watching, good night, everybody. this is "nightline." >> tonight, inside the search. where is brian laundrie? his sister demanding answers. >> i don't know if my parents are involved. i think if they are, then they should come clean. >> his father today joining the manhunt. weeks after gabby petito's body was found. >> someone knows something, and they aren't telling us. >> where does the investigation go from here? plus -- >> i really, really want to get high right now. >> breaking the cycle. an intimate portrait of one family across generations trying to heal from addiction and trauma. >> i've been able to, like, find my recovery literally within the center of my soul. and honoring a hometown hero.

rinsing the dishes before they go in the dishwasher? well, cascade platinum has 50% more cleaning power, so you don't have to. its food-seeking enzymes break down food into particles so small they can flow right down the drain. plus, it's powerful enough for the quick-wash cycle. cascade platinum with 50% more cleaning power! babe? ooh... oh! ooh! ooh... yeah? oh, yeah! there are many ways to say it... sí. yes. ...but when you find the best bargains ever at ross, you'll say yes for less! every day in business brings something new. .. so get the flexibility oft the new mobile service designed for your small business. introducing comcast business mobile. you get the most reliable network with nationwide 5g included.

and you can get unlimited data for just $30 per line per month when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. you know when you're at ross, ooh! and the fall finds are everything? and those brands at those prices are everywhere? okay, yes! that's yes for less! bring on the fall looks you've been waiting for with the best bargains ever... ...at ross. yes for less! thanks for joining us, i'm sarah haines. it's the story fueled by internet sleuths and social media obsession. today a new twist in the manhunt for gabby petito's boyfriend. here's abc's trevor ault.

>> reporter: nearly three weeks of searching in unforgiving land. possible sightings on the appalachian trail. >> i'm 99.99% sure that was him. >> reporter: twisting timelines. >> we're following several developments in the gabby petito case. >> laundrie's parents have changed their story about when they last saw brian. >> i would tell my brother to just come forward and get us out of this horrible mess. >> reporter: and still no brian laundrie, missing boyfriend of gabby petito. >> gabby petito never goes outside. >> reporter: the young couple documented their love story and summer road trip through the american west in videos on social media. >> me and brian just got up and got ready, making the bed in the tent. >> reporter: until late august when the videos stopped and 22-year-old gabby vanished. >> remains found near grand teton national park in wyoming are consistent with the

description of the missing woman. >> since we left >> reporter: her 23-year-old boyfriend, brian, on the run and a person of interest in her murder. he's also been charged in a debit card fraud investigation. >> so there's two major things going on. one is trying to find brian laundrie. and the other is trying to solve gabby's murder. and are brian and the murder connected? >> reporter: this week the families of both brian and gabby taking to the airwaves. >> i have no idea where brian can be at this point. i've got nothing. >> reporter: gabby's family on "dr. phil." >> do you believe he's hiding somewhere? >> i do. >> why do you believe that? >> because he's a coward. >> reporter: tonight we go inside the saga. >> we want to know the truth, if he actually hit you. because you know -- >> i guess, yeah, but i hit him first. >> reporter: unraveling new details about the couple's last days together. >> look at the different twists and turns in this case. the thing that keeps coming to

mind is, someone knows something and they aren't telling us. >> gabby is the most amazing person i've ever met. >> reporter: gabby's grieving family recently held a funeral for her near the long island, new york community where she grew up. >> i want you to be inspired by gabby. if there's a relationship you're in that might not be the best thing for you, leave it. now. >> reporter: the same day of the funeral, across the country, authorities in florida returned to the laundrie family home to get dna evidence, one of multiple trips they made. >> in the case of brian, they may have been looking for more recent items that he had on to get a better scent so the dog could potentially smell this, quote-unquote, new scent and move in various directions around these wooded areas. >> reporter: investigators have been scouring the carlton

reserve, a treacherous marshland where brian's family initially said he left to go camping on september 14th. but that timeline changed. his parents now telling authorities brian left a day earlier. >> so in terms of the laundrie family facing potential charges, it all depends on what they knew and when they knew it, and what they conveyed to the investigators in this case. >> no, i do not know where brian. i'd turn him in. >> reporter: brian's sister cassie laundrie earlier this week describing her last interaction with her brother before he disappeared. >> the last time i physically saw and the last time i physically spoke to my brother was on the 6th. i have tried to get in touch with him, phone went to voicemail. >> reporter: cassie accompanied her parents and brother on a camping trip in florida's ft. de soto park on september 6th, five days after brian had returned to florida without gabby. cassie shared this photo showing brian and her 5-year-old son on that trip.

>> there was no feeling of grand good-bye, there was no nothing. i'm frustrated that, in hindsight, i didn't pick up on anything. it was just a regular visit. >> reporter: before their road trip, gabby had been living with brian at his parents' home. in that conversation with dr. phil this week, gabby's parents describe those harrowing first few days when they couldn't get in touch with her. they said they reached out to brian's parents multiple times but never heard back. >> a normal parent, when you text someone that they're going to call the cops because you can't find your child, they would reply. >> nothing. >> no response, no nothing. >> reporter: and cassie laundrie says her parents have stopped talking to her. >> i don't know if my parents are involved. i think if they are, then they should come clean. >> reporter: today brian's dad, chris, joined investigators on the ground at carlton reserve to help in the search. the family's lawyer saying brian's parents have been

cooperating since the search began. >> brian's stretching, doing some morning yoga. >> reporter: investigators continue to piece together the details of the couple's whirlwind trip that started july 2nd in new york. >> we are right outside capitol reef right now in a free dispersed campsite. >> reporter: social media accounts filled with pictures and videos of their travel. behind those picture-perfect images, there was trouble. officers responding to a 911 call from a passerby allegedly witnessing the couple having a fight near arches national park. body camera footage capturing gabby in distress. >> what's going on, how come you're crying? >> i'm crying, we've just been fighting this morning, some personal issues. >> reporter: according to the police report, at one point gabby went to slap her boyfriend, he pushed her away, catching gabby off balance, she then scratched him in the face. >> sometimes -- i have ocd, sometimes i think i really

frustrate him. >> reporter: now a second angle of the same incident has surfaced. in it, gabby reveals that brian had grabbed her after she slapped him. >> where did he hit you? don't worry, just be honest. >> he grabbed my face, like -- like this. he didn't hit me in the face, he didn't punch me in the face or anything. >> did he slap your face or what? >> well, like he grabbed me, like with his nail, and i guess that's why it looks -- it was cut right here, i touch it, it burns. >> reporter: in their last posted video on youtube, august 19th, the two talk about downsizing their lives. >> i love the van. >> since we left new york, i've only set up my hammock once, now we're all the way in utah. >> reporter: september 1st, brian returns to florida with the van but without gabby. weeks later, gabby's body is ultimately found near a campsite in grand teton national park, cause of death has not been publicly revealed. >> not releasing the cause of death is an absolutely -- a

strategy for the investigation and law enforcement aspect of this case. the reason being is because they want brian laundrie at the very least to come to them and sit down and have a conversation. and they don't want that conversation or interrogation, depending how it goes, to be colored by any information brian laundrie may get in the media. >> reporter: pursuit ongoing. a possible sighting on the appalachian trail. >> he was talking wild. he said that his girlfriend loved him and he had to go out to california to see her. >> reporter: so far, none of these sightings have been substantiated. >> you try to, if you're a fugitive, minimize contact with people. but it becomes tough as the days and weeks move on. >> reporter: police say they're factoring in brian's reported skills living off the grid in their search, but his sister says it's unusual for brian to be gone for this long. >> i'd say brian's a mediocre survivalist. it wouldn't surprise me if he

could last out there a very long time. i hope my brother is alive, because i want answers just as much as everybody else. >> everyone knows who brian laundrie is. someone's going to stumble across him, hopefully, and he's going to be brought before the fbi, and we can get some answers. the hope is that it brings back some sort of comfort for the petito family. >> our thanks to trevor. up next, trauma across three generations. how one family is trying to heal.

don't settle. start your day with secret. secret stops odor-causing sweat 3x more. and the provitamin b5 formula is gentle on skin. with secret, outlast anything! no sweat. secret. ♪ all strength. no sweat. ♪ people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. with rybelsus®. with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® is a pill that lowers rybelsus® is a pill that lowers rybelsus® is a pill that lowers blood sugar in three ways. increases insulin when you need it... increases insulin when you need it... increases insulin when you need it... decreases sugar... decreases sugar... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family don't take rybelsus® if you or your family don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction.

serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea ornsul increasesrw blood ria ood r ri sideects lea, vomiting, side effects like nausea, ria vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. wake up to what's possible with rybelsus®. wake up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ you may pay as little you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. ask your healthcare provider ask your healthcare provider ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today. about rybelsus® today.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ hey google, turn up the heat. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪

a mother's love for her daughter is a powerful force. so too is the disease of addiction. a new abc news documentary paints an intimate portrait of three generations trying to break the cycle. here's "nightline's" ashan singh. >> you leaving, babe? >> give me a kiss. i love you. >> love you. >> reporter: that monday morning routine. mundane to most of us. but for jacinta hunt, it's a blessing. the structure and peace a far cry from the world jacinta once knew. >> good morning, sweet pea. >> reporter: the stability keeping her not just hopeful but accountable after a longtime battle with trauma and addiction. >> i know where i'm comfortable in the world now. every time i tell myself in the mirror, today is going to be a good day. >> reporter: she's the namesake of a documentary on hulu about her journey, "jacinta." >> i really, really want to get high right now.

i'm never going to be a mom. >> reporter: filmed over the course of three years, the documentary looks at jacinta's journey through recovery and the prison system, unpacking the harsh realities of addiction and the impact it has on family. >> my mother, she always dressed so fancy, her hair was always done. i wanted to be like her. >> reporter: from jacinta's relationship with her mother, rosemary, who also struggled with addiction and was incarcerated at the same maine correctional center. >> what are you doing, mom? i don't want to get caught at your window. i love you, mom. >> i love you. >> reporter: to that of her daughter kaylin, now almost 16 years old. i met up with jacinta at her new home in portland, maine. it's been a little over a year since she's been released. how are you doing? what's this past year been like for you? how is jacinta today? >> i'm great today. not to say that it hasn't been a struggle getting here. but i'm comfortable with my

life. and my daughter's safe. and i'm doing well, and i appreciate it. >> you're actually celebrating an anniversary, right? >> yeah. it's been six months. it's been six months since i've used. and it's not -- it's an honest recovery. i stayed true to myself and my morals, and i don't bend them for anything. >> so empowering a feeling. >> yes. >> reporter: you have no idea the heart-wrenching path it took for her to get here. >> my first time being incarcerated, i was 15. and there hasn't been many breaks. >> reporter: a childhood marred by crime and abuse. her path to addiction was a slippery slope after following in the footsteps of her mother. >> she knows about addiction. she knows about incarceration. she knows about everything. >> reporter: the film gives an intimate look into the devastation brought by addiction.

>> a lot of shame and guilt and resentment, living in all that, you can never move forward. >> reporter: the cameras rolling as jacinta relapses. was it easy for you to sit down and watch that doc the first time? >> no. i also didn't know what was going to be in it. what was shown made me proud. and thankful to jessica that, you know, she cared about how i felt. >> reporter: first-time director jessica earnshaw. one of the biggest challenges was watching jacinta go to those dark places while still needing to remain a filmmaker. how hard was it to watch, as someone who had built this personal relationship with someone and they had to keep the camera rolling? >> that was really tough. i think when she first started to use, i mean, i really struggled with whether or not i could continue filming this. because it felt -- it was just so heartbreaking. but ultimately if someone has made the decision, like jacinta had, and she didn't want help,

you know, it kind of went nowhere, my pleas for her not to. there was a conversation, you're not in recovery anymore, now it's this. >> reporter: but what kept jacinta going strong while incarcerated was her daughter kaylin waiting outside. >> i called kaylin, my first call from the jail. i had said to her, i'm really sorry. she said, mom, i don't want you to be sorry, it's been your way for 11 years. it's going to be my way now. i was already exhausted, but that was all the encouragement that i needed. >> kaylin held you accountable? >> absolutely, yeah. >> i think i'm leaving the sober. >> reporter: jessica's camera, a fly on the wall for truly raw moments between a mother and her daughter, who bore the emotional brunt of her mother's addiction. >> what if the sober house is the only thing that's keeping you going the way you're supposed to? >> reporter: it's a relationship that's a work in progress.

it wasn't until kaylin saw the doc herself that she felt she understood her mom's struggle. what was this past year like, though, actually building that trust up back with your mom? >> it's treating trauma, a bunch of unresolved stuff with yourself and your family. it's not just addiction, it's a lot deeper than that. realizing she's waking up every day and continuing to choose sobriety every single morning. it restored a lot of trust with her. >> i see your mom getting emotional right now. what's it like hearing that? >> she cries all the time. >> what's it like for you, hearing that? >> rewarding. it's great. >> reporter: a story in many ways about unconditional love and breaking the cycle. now it's not just about being there for her daughter, but also paying it forward. jacinta now works three jobs. one of them in advocacy. she was able to help propose a new bill focusing on aiding incarcerated women and their

children. >> what hasn't changed in 100-something years is how inmates are treated for criminal addictive thinking, but they're not treated for sex trauma or children don't get to express, i do or don't want to see my mom. everything is just kind of held to the same standard, that you're an inmate and this is how it is. and it really shouldn't be that way, because a whole family is incarcerated when one individual from that family is incarcerated. >> reporter: a busy schedule, but also a purpose. now in recovery, jacinta is not taking a single day for granted. what are the good days like now? >> you saw it. i ove being with my daughter.

it's a painful feeling. being a mother for 15 years and never being a mom. so being able to have kaylin be proud of me and show up is a lot. >> it's like this is a second chance. >> absolutely. >> the abc news documentary "jacinta" begins streaming tomorrow on hulu. up next, a tribute to a hometown hero. ♪ ♪why do you build me up (build me up)♪ butter... cup... baby... up would be the operative word there pal.

oh, yeah, yeah. sorry, have a good day! if you ride, you get it. - come on in! oh wow, we're really backed up. geico motorcycle. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. you try to stay ahead of the mess but scrubbing still takes time. geico motorcycle. now there's dawn powerwash dish spray. it's the faster way to clean as you go. just spray, wipe and rinse. it cleans grease five times faster. dawn powerwash now available in free & clear. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. start your day with crest 3d white and from mochaccinos to merlot, your smile will always be brilliant. crest 3d white brilliance. 100% stain removal, 24 hour stain resistance to lock in your whitest smile. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america.

psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen, painful. tremfya® is approved to help reduce joint symptoms in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. some patients even felt less fatigued. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. janssen can help you explore cost support options. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. more love, more adventure, more community. but with my hiv treatment, there's not more medicines in my pill.

i talked to my doctor and switched to fewer medicines with dovato. dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with just 2 medicines in 1 pill, dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit hiv through sex. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients or if you take dofetilide. taking dovato with dofetilide can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. hepatitis b can become harder to treat while on dovato. don't stop dovato without talking to your doctor, as your hepatitis b may worsen or become life-threatening. serious or life-threatening side effects can occur, including allergic reactions, lactic acid buildup, and liver problems. if you have a rash and other symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop dovato and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, or if you are, may be, or plan to be pregnant.

dovato may harm your unborn baby. use effective birth control while on dovato. do not breastfeed while taking dovato. most common side effects are headache, nausea, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, tiredness, and anxiety. so much goes into who i am. hiv medicine is one part of it. ask your doctor about dovato-i did. ♪

♪ finally tonight, gymnast suni lee has reached the top of her sport. and now the height of about two stories with the new mural painted by a local minnesota artist. the work graces the side of her grandparents' business in st. paul. they commissioned it hoping to inspire other young people. that's "nightline." you can watch all of our episodes on hulu.

we'll see you right back here at the same time tomorrow. good night.