Search underway at ‘vast’ Florida wildlife reserve for missing Florida woman’s fiancé

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Police searched a immense Florida wildlife reserve connected Saturday for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, a idiosyncratic of involvement successful the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, portion crossed the state the FBI hunted for clues astir the missing pistillate successful a mountainous nationalist parkland successful Wyoming.

More than 50 North Port constabulary officers, FBI agents and members of different instrumentality enforcement agencies searched the 24,000-acre (9,712-hectare) Carlton Reserve successful the Sarasota, Florida country of the Gulf Coast.

Authorities utilized drones, scent-sniffing dogs and all-terrain vehicles successful the reserve, which has much than 100 miles (160 kilometers) of trails, arsenic good arsenic campgrounds. Investigators took immoderate of his covering from his parents' location Friday nighttime to supply a scent for the hunt dogs.

“His household says they judge helium entered the country earlier this week," North Port Police tweeted Saturday.

Meanwhile, the FBI successful Denver said Saturday that agents were conducting crushed surveys astatine Grand Teton National Park successful Wyoming, with assistance from the National Park Service and section instrumentality enforcement agencies, seeking clues to Petito's disappearance. Her past known interaction with household members was from the nationalist parkland known for its mountainous terrain.

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Laundrie and Petito, 22, near successful July connected a cross-country trek successful a converted van to sojourn nationalist parks successful the U.S. West. Police said Laundrie was unsocial erstwhile helium drove the van backmost to his parents’ location successful North Port, Florida, connected Sept. 1. Petito’s household filed a missing persons study Sept. 11 with constabulary successful Suffolk County, New York.

Investigators successful Florida were hopeful Laundrie was determination successful the wildlife reserve adjacent Sarasota. Depending connected his skills, helium could past retired successful the reserve for immoderate time, said constabulary spokesperson Josh Taylor astatine a quality conference.

“Certainly, we hole for each antithetic possibilities, but you know, our extremity is to find him and bring him backmost to North Port,” Taylor said.

Laundrie's household earlier told officers that they haven't seen him since Tuesday. Police said the speech Friday evening was the archetypal clip they'd spoken with the Laundries successful item astir the case, and that the gathering came astatine the family's request. An lawyer for the household called FBI investigators and said they wanted to speech astir Laundrie's disappearance, constabulary said.

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Investigators were trying to verify the communicative told by Laundrie's household members that they judge the reserve is wherever helium went with lone a backpack, Taylor said. One enigma is however Laundrie got to the reserve. Family members told investigators helium took his car, but the conveyance was recovered backmost astatine his family's home, not astatine the reserve.

Earlier, the North Port Police said successful a connection that they understood the community's vexation implicit the deficiency of advancement successful uncovering the missing woman.

“We are frustrated too," the connection said. “For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI person been pleading with the household to interaction investigators regarding Brian's fiance, Gabby Petito. Friday is the archetypal clip they person spoken to investigators successful detail."

Laundrie has been identified arsenic a idiosyncratic of involvement successful the case.

“It is important to enactment that portion Brian is simply a idiosyncratic of involvement successful Gabby's disappearance, helium is not wanted for a crime,” North Port constabulary said successful Friday's statement. It added that the probe is present a “multiple missing person” case.

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An lawyer for Brian Laundrie, Steven Bertolino, did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from The Associated Press connected Friday night.

Attorneys for the Petito household released a connection saying Laundrie was not “missing.”

“All of Gabby's household privation the satellite to cognize that Brian is not missing, helium is hiding. Gabby is missing,” the connection from the instrumentality bureau of Richard B. Stafford said.

Earlier successful the week, Petito's household pleaded for the Laundrie household to archer them wherever their lad past saw her. Petito and Laundrie were puerility sweethearts who met portion increasing up connected Long Island, New York. His parents aboriginal moved to North Port, astir 35 miles (55 kilometers) southbound of Sarasota.

The couple’s trek successful the Fort Transit van began successful July from Long Island. They intended to scope Oregon by the extremity of October according to their societal media accounts, but Petito vanished aft her past known interaction with household successful precocious August from Grand Teton National Park successful Wyoming, authorities said.

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Police video released by the Moab Police Department successful Utah showed that an serviceman pulled the van implicit connected Aug. 12 aft it was seen speeding and hitting a curb adjacent the entranceway to Arches National Park. The assemblage cam video showed an affectional Petito, who sat wrong a constabulary cruiser portion officers besides questioned Laundrie.

Ultimately Moab constabulary decided not record immoderate charges and alternatively separated the mates for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.

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