The search for Brian Laundre, fiance of missing 22-year-old Florida resident Gabby Petito, continues after the discovery of Petito’s remains in an undeveloped camping area at the edge of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Laundrie and Petito had been living together at the North Port, FL home with Laundrie’s parents prior to July 2, when the two embarked on a road trip across western America. Petito’s Instagram posted updates regarding their travels until they abruptly stopped in late August.
Laundrie returned home to Florida without Petito on Sept. 1, according to the police. On Sept. 11, Petito was officially declared missing by her parents while Laundrie’s family has not seen him since Sept. 14 and was declared missing by Sept. 17.
“Laundrie is not a suspect in a crime,” said CNN law enforcement analyst Andrew McCabe. “We think he is likely one of the last people to see Gabby Petito alive, and for that reason he’s a very important witness.”
Authorities were initially searching for Laundrie at Carlton Nature Reserve with drones and bloodhounds, near the home in North Port, but the investigation was halted there temporarily until Tuesday morning, when it resumed. The National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) admitted that foliage and lack of sunlight are impacting the investigation.
“It’s really hard to find people even when they want to be found,” NASAR director Chris Boyer told CNN. “The search area starts to grow every hour he could be in a car or be on foot. It gets pretty daunting, to be honest.”
The FBI, through a court-authorized warrant issued for the case, searched Laundrie’s parents’ home for hours. Investigators removed several items and towed a Ford Mustang convertible belonging to Laundrie’s mother. Laundrie’s parents were escorted away to facilitate the search, then were brought back for questioning. The FBI tweeted the search concluded Monday evening.
The Associated Press then reported as of Tuesday, the hashtag #GabbyPetito has received more than 650 million views on TikTok with Instagram users combing through Petitos account for clues.
An autopsy was scheduled for Sep. 21, which confirmed the body’s identity as Petito. Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said the initial determination is that she died by homicide, but the cause of death is pending final autopsy results as of Wednesday morning.
