NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Authorities are entering their fourth week searching for Brian Laundrie after he was officially reported missing on Sept. 17. Florida’s North Port police are continuing to focus on the expansive Carlton Reserve, as still-unfounded Laundrie sightings have been reported across the country.
Laundrie, 23, has a warrant out for his arrest on debit card fraud charges following the death of his fiancée Gabby Petito. He’s the lone person of interest in her killing.
Here’s the latest:
12:51 p.m., Oct. 9: FORMER FBI AGENT: BRIAN LAUNDRIE LIKELY TO BE FOUND IN ‘COMFORT ZONE’
A former FBI agent told Fox News Saturday that Brian Laundrie will likely be found in his “comfort zone.”
Former agent Terry Turchie said fugitives typically gravitate toward places where they can feel safe.
"People don't change because they become a fugitive," Turchie told Fox News. "They tend to try to figure out how they can land in the comfort zone."
Turchie doubted that Laundrie is hiding out in hazardos or otherwise extreme conditions.
"Clearly he's not out in some camp or some cave somewhere on the hard, cold ground or … snake, gator-infested water. He's somewhere where he's probably being taken care of," Turchie said. "When you see how he came running home after something obviously happened, that kind of tells you what he's probably doing now.”
11:45 a.m., Oct. 8: ‘TOP PRIORITY’ FOR GABBY’S FAMILY IS ‘BRINGING HER HOME’
The lawyer for Gabby Petito’s family, Richard Stafford, said they’re focused on bringing her body home.
“Gabby’s body is still in Wyoming and bringing her home is the family’s top priority,” Stafford told Fox News.
Petito's remains were found near a dispersed camping area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on Sept. 19 and remain with federal authorities.
“The family is also working hard to help other families in their situation,” Stafford said, noting that the family is founding the Gabby Petito Foundation.
The foundation is set to hold its first official fundraiser in Patchogue from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 17.
11 a.m., Oct. 8: ‘NO’ PLANS FOR LAUNDRIES TO JOIN SEARCH FOR SON AGAIN FRIDAY
There are “no” plans for Chris or Roberta Laundrie, the parents of Brian, to take part in search efforts Friday, their attorney Steve Bertolino said.
On Thursday, Chris “accompanied members of law enforcement” as they searched the area of the Carlton Reserve, just north of the family’s home in North Port, Florida.
Chris was involved to “show them the trails and places Chris and Brian have hiked and which Brian was known to frequent,” Bertolino said.
“There were no discoveries but the effort was helpful to all,” he added.
10:30 a.m., Oct. 8: POLICE DID ‘EVERYTHING WE COULD’ BEFORE BRIAN DISAPPEARED
Before Brian Laundrie disappeared back on Sept. 13, North Port Police were “doing everything we could to keep an eye on (him) legally,” the department’s spokesman, Josh Taylor, told Fox News.
Law enforcement has been searching for Laundrie—a person of interest in Gabby Petito’s death who is also wanted on a federal fraud-related charge—since he was reported missing by his parents on Sept. 17. His family believes he went to the Carlton Reserve, where a manhunt has been underway for weeks.
Taylor also said “there was no campsite” found at the 25,000-acre reserve this week, despite a report from CNN’s Chris Cuomo that remnants of a “fresh” site had been discovered there.
Taylor also revealed that “no phones” were found in Petito’s van, which was seized by police after Laundrie returned to Florida in it without his fiancée back on Sept. 1.
10 a.m., Oct. 8: GABBY'S FAMILY BELIEVES BRIAN ‘KNOWS EVERYTHING’
In an interview with Fox News from Long Island, Gabby Petito’s mom, Nichole Schmidt, urged Brian Laundrie to “just turn yourself in” and said her family believes he “knows everything.”
“It’s just getting more and more frustrating as days go on. I don’t know what’s taking so long,” she said.
“He’s our missing piece to the puzzle to find out what happened,” Petito’s stepdad, Jim Schmidt, added. “What happened out there? Until they find him, we won’t know.”
Schmidt also revealed that Gabby and Brian took the road trip after plans for a low-key Florida beach wedding was “put on hold” because of the pandemic.
In the interview, Gabby’s dad, Joseph Petito, said he has “no idea” where Brian is or if he’s even still in the U.S.
Related
