How the search for Brian Laundrie, boyfriend of Gabby Petito, unfolded
Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in the death of his girlfriend.
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
- Police find apparent human remains, personal items belonging to Laundrie
- Cadaver dog team called to scene
- Brian Laundrie's father joins police in search for son: Attorney
- Brian Laundrie left parents’ home to hike day earlier than parents originally told investigators
- Second Moab Police body camera footage shows Gabby Petito claim Brian Laundrie grabbed her face
- FBI ends search at Laundrie residence
- Car Brian Laundrie last used was parked in parents' driveway: Authorities
Search for Brian Laundrie presses on as Petito family plans funeral
As a massive search continued Wednesday for Brian Laundrie in south Florida's Carlton Reserve, the family of Gabby Petito was making arrangements to bring her remains home to her native New York for a funeral.
A large team of law enforcement officers and police K-9 units resumed their search of the roughly 25,000-acre preserve near North Port, Florida, where Laundrie's relatives told police he claimed he was headed to when they last spoke to him on Sept. 14.
Photos posted on Twitter Wednesday morning by the North Port Police Department showed officers from multiple agencies plotting areas to search, along with other images of high-water vehicles and search dogs.
Search ends for another day with 'nothing of note' found
The North Port Police Department said it had ended its search of the Carlton Reserve as darkness closed in with nothing found.
"Search of the Carlton & nearby lands concluded for the evening. Nothing of note," the police department shared in a tweet. "The current plan is to return Wednesday with a similar operation."
Police shared a photo of the search operation's base in the reserve as well as one of the bloodhounds being used to look for the missing person of interest in conjunction with the death of his girlfriend.
Gabby Petito's body was officially identified on Tuesday evening after it was found near Grand Teton National Park on Sunday. The Teton County coroner said Petito died via homicide, but did not yet announce a cause of death.
Sarasota police also later debunked a rumor that Laundrie had been taken into custody. It said on Twitter that they had received several tips about him being seen, but none of them panned out.
Police release video of search for Laundrie in swamp preserve
Police released a YouTube video Tuesday afternoon showing the extensive search going on in the sprawling Carlton Reserve near North Port.
The video showed officers from multiple law enforcement agencies using search dogs, drones and all-terrain vehicles to comb the 25,000-acre preserve.
"The terrain is very difficult. Essentially, 75% of it is under water and other areas that are dry we're trying to clear," a North Port police officer said in the video. "We're expecting to get wet by the end of the day and check the entire area for Brian Laundrie."
Authorities investigating report of man seen in Panhandle matching Laundrie's description
The Okaloosa County, Florida, Sheriff's Office said on Tuesday that it is investigating a report that a man matching the description of Brian Laundrie was captured on a trail camera walking on a property in the Florida Panhandle area.
The individual was purportedly spotted Sept. 20 on an automatic wildlife camera in Baker, which is more than 500 northwest of where authorities have focused their search Laundrie.
"The OCSO did its due diligence in response to this report and is wrapping up an extensive search that took place in this area to include nearby farmlands. No one -- and nothing -- of note was located. The individual referenced in the post below has no known ties to our area," Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon, featuring a blurry image from the trail camera of a man walking with a backpack.
The image was initially posted on Facebook by local resident Sam Bass, who wrote, "I’m not saying this is the guy but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fl strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie." Bass wrote that authorities have been contacted, and advised northwest Florida residents to be on the lookout.