What you should know
- A county coroner confirmed that the human remains found in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park are Gabby Petito and ruled her death a homicide. It is not yet clear how exactly he died; which is pending further analysis.
- The FBI’s main person of interest in Petito’s disappearance, her fiancé Brian Laundrie, has been missing for more than a week since he told his family he was going for a hike in a Florida nature preserve.
- Cops returned to that 25,000-acre swampy area on Friday for the fourth day in a row as they continue their search for Laundrie, who has now been indicted by the FBI on one count of debit card fraud.
—
NEW YORK – Law enforcement officers and specialty dive teams returned to a Florida nature preserve for the fourth day in a row Friday with renewed urgency in their search for Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito’s fiancé who is now officially a wanted man for the FBI.
The federal arrest warrant does not implicate Laundrie in the death of Petito, whose case has been declared a homicide, but it does ensure that the police have the power to detain him on any charge; in this case, one related to debit card fraud: if they ever find the 23-year-old man, who has been missing for 10 days.
Laundrie has not been seen since last Tuesday, September 14, when he told his family that he was going for a hike to the sprawling Carlton Preserve.
Investigators searched for him there over the weekend, temporarily suspended operations on Monday, and returned to the field on Tuesday. Friday marks the last day in the renewed search effort. Nothing has been found yet.
About 75 staff members from 16 different agencies were on the ground Thursday searching the 25,000-acre preserve, a swampy subtropical terrain teeming with alligators, snakes, lynxes and other wildlife. There are over 100 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, plus multiple camping areas and rivers.
Drones were also dispatched to assist in Thursday’s aerial search to find Laundrie. The off-road searches were expected to continue until dark, as has been the case in recent days.
It’s unclear how long researchers plan to keep looking for Laundrie in this particular area, or where they might be looking for him next if they don’t find him there.
Laundrie and Petito had boarded a white van in July on a road trip to visit US national parks. Laundrie returned home to Florida in that truck on September 1.
He was alone.
It wasn’t until 10 days later, on September 11, that Petito’s family became concerned they hadn’t heard from her for a few days and filed a missing persons report. Turns out, his cell phone had been turned off for much longer, since Aug. 27, records show.
Petito’s remains were found in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park on Sunday. His death was ruled a homicide, an autopsy found, although more forensic analysis is needed to determine exactly how he died.
A vigil will be held in the young woman’s hometown on Long Island on Friday night.
Federal and local law enforcement continue to ask the public for clues. Anyone with information can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito. pic.twitter.com/SSrBVbAeBs
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 23, 2021
– .
