Brian Laundrie search update: ‘Underwater recovery team’ of divers at Carlton Nature Reserve as cops hunt fiancé
AN UNDERWATER recovery team has reportedly been called to the Carlton Nature Reserve as cops hunt for the missing fiancé. The update comes just hours after a preliminary autopsy report identified Gabby Petito’s body and her death was reported as a homicide. Authorities are still searching for Brian Laundrie who remains a person of interest. […]
AN UNDERWATER recovery team has reportedly been called to the Carlton Nature Reserve as cops hunt for the missing fiancé.
The update comes just hours after a preliminary autopsy report identified Gabby Petito’s body and her death was reported as a homicide.
Authorities are still searching for Brian Laundrie who remains a person of interest.
Police, FBI agents, and K9s started searching the 24,000-acre nature reserve during the weekend without success.
However, on Wednesday divers with an underwater recovery team were called to the reserve, Sarasota Sheriff’s Office told a local reporter.
It comes as internet sleuths are peddling a wild conspiracy that Laundrie may be hiding on a boat to evade police.
The theory, which is gaining traction on Twitter, appears to be born out from an unfounded claim that Laundrie went live on Instagram for a matter of seconds on Monday.
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A clip circulating on Twitter appears to show a body of water and the side of a green vessel before abruptly cutting out.
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…
Viewers of the clip are attempting to claim that Laundrie “accidentally” went live on Instagram before realizing and hastily cutting off the feed.
Laundrie and Gabby were roughly two months into a four-month adventure when Laundrie returned to his Florida home with their van on September 1.
The transit was found parked outside Laundrie’s parents’ home, where he and Petito had lived for the past two years.
Following his return to Florida, Laundrie was later reported missing by his family after allegedly telling them that he was going to take a hike in the Mabry Carlton Reserve.
Laundrie’s parents said that they drove his car home from a Florida wildlife reserve after he “failed to return from a hike” – days before they reported him missing.
‘CRIME SCENE’
On Monday, cops searched the home of Laundrie and bundled his parents into a police van after declaring the area a “crime scene.”
The FBI announced a “search warrant” twice before they removed Chris and Roberta Laundrie from the home. The parents were placed in a van on their lawn.
Police also towed away Laundrie’s silver Mustang from his parents’ home.
It’s believed that Laundrie may have driven the Mustang when he allegedly went for a hike in a 25,000 acre nature reserve in the Sarasota area on Tuesday, the last time his family says they saw him.
Laundrie’s parents reportedly told police they realized Brian hadn’t come back from his hike “on Wednesday or Thursday,” and that’s when they went to pick up the Mustang and drove it back to their home.
When asked by local reporter Brian Entin if Laundrie’s parents could be leading them in the wrong direction, police said they are “working to corroborate their story.”
“They did not say ‘we believe the parents or we know for sure that Brian was hiking in this reserve’,” shared Entin.
Cops had previously left a note on the car, which requested it be removed, but the family left the vehicle there until Thursday, hoping Laundrie would return to it, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino told the New York Post.
However, a video appears to show the car parked on the Laundrie’s driveway Wednesday, according to a Crimeonline report.
And footage from reporter Brian Entin appeared to show the Mustang convertible back in the driveway on Wednesday night.
Laundrie’s parents remained at their Florida home as of Tuesday afternoon.
Gabby’s killer, who has not been named, is now listed among the FBI’s Most Wanted as the agency hunts for information on the young woman’s final movements.
GABBY’S FINAL DAYS
They narrowed down her final days to between August 27 and August 30 as they call on the public to contact them if they saw her during this time near the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in Wyoming.
Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue said on Tuesday that Gabby’s official cause of death is still pending final autopsy results but that the initial manner of death is homicide.
“The FBI’s commitment to justice is at the forefront of each and every investigation,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Scheider said in a statement as Gabby’s identification was confirmed.
“The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions.
“Mr Brian Laundrie has been named a person of interest,” he added.
“Anyone with information concerning Mr Laudrie’s role in this manner or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI.”
Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito's disappearance:
- June 2021 – Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 – Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
- July 8 – Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
- July 18 – Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah’s Zion National Park.
- August 12 – Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip. The video receives more than 200,000 views.
- August 24 – Gabby is last spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- September 1 – Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
- September 11 – Gabby’s parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 15 – Florida’s North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 – Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 – Brian’s parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days.
- September 18 – Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 – Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby’s but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
- September 20 – Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie’s home, seizing his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain “evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed.”
- September 21 – Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
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