How the search for Brian Laundrie unfolded

Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in the death of his girlfriend.

ByBill Hutchinson, Ivan Pereira, Marlene Lenthang, Meredith Deliso, and Emily Shapiro
Last Updated: October 22, 2021, 6:22 AM EDT

A massive search for Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of slain 22-year-old travel blogger Gabby Petito, took a dramatic twist Thursday with the announcement that human remains found in a Florida nature preserve are those of the wanted fugitive, according to the FBI.

The remains were recovered Wednesday, nearly five weeks after Petito's body was recovered in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. The Teton County Coroner ruled her death a homicide by strangulation.

The search for the 23-year-old Laundrie was centered around North Port, Florida, where investigators said he returned to his home on Sept. 1 without Petito but driving her 2012 Ford Transit.

Laundrie had been named by police as a "person of interest" in Petito's disappearance and a federal warrant had been issued for him alleging unauthorized use of Petito's credit card.

He refused to speak to the police and vanished on Sept. 13. His parents told investigators they believed he was headed to the Carlton Reserve in North Port.

The case grabbed national attention as Laundrie and Petito had been traveling across the country since June, documenting the trip on social media. Petito's parents reported her missing on Sept. 11 after not hearing from her for two weeks.

Here is how the weekslong search for Laundrie unfolded:

Key events

All times Eastern.
Sep 29, 2021, 5:34 PM EDT

Laundrie left behind new cellphone before going on hike, family attorney says

Brian Laundrie left a new cellphone at home before he went for a hike in the Carlton Reserve on Sept. 14, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino confirmed to ABC News.

The phone was purchased on Sept. 4, Bertolino said, three days after Laundrie returned to his home in North Port from a cross-country trip. Laundrie opened an account with AT&T and the phone wasn't a burner, Bertolino said.

The FBI now has the phone, according to Bertolino. The FBI had no comment to ABC News. 

-ABC News' Kristin Thorne and Whitney Lloyd

Sep 29, 2021, 11:00 AM EDT

Brian Laundrie and parents went camping after he returned home without Gabby Petito

The nationwide search for Brian Laundrie has turned to a Florida campground, where the wanted fugitive's family attorney confirmed to ABC News he went camping with his parents about a week after returning home from a cross-country trip without his girlfriend, Gabby Petito.

Steven Bertolino, the attorney for the Laundrie family, said Brian Laundrie, his father, Christopher, and mother, Roberta, all went camping in early September at the Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County.

Bertolino confirmed the family went on the camping trip after ABC affiliate station WFTS in Tampa obtained the Fort De Soto Park reservation log under the Freedom of Information Act, which showed Roberta Laundrie checked in on Sept. 6 and checked out on Sept. 8.

A Pinellas County Sheriff's Office helicopter was spotted circling Fort De Soto Park Monday night between 11:40 p.m. until 12:40 a.m., WFTS reported. The sheriff's office only said the helicopter search of the park was part of an active investigation.

Bertolino said Laundrie returned to his family's home in North Port, Florida, following the camping excursion. The parents, through their attorney, denied doing anything to help their son elude the FBI.

Sep 27, 2021, 6:25 PM EDT

Laundrie family reiterate they do not know son's whereabouts

The Laundrie family issued a new state Monday evening through their attorney reiterating they do not know Brian Laundrie's whereabouts.

"They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him," the statement reads. "The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong."

-ABC News' Alondra Valle

Sep 26, 2021, 2:50 PM EDT

FBI returned to Laundrie's house for additional items

The attorney for Brian Laundrie’s family released a statement Sunday afternoon and provided an update on the FBI's investigation into Gabby Petito's death.

He said the FBI returned to the Laundrie house and requested "some personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie to assist them with DNA matching."

"Brian’s parents provided the FBI with what they could," the attorney said in a statement.

-ABC News' Alondra Valle and Kristen Thorne

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