The FBI continued their search this week at the Carlton Reserve for Florida fugitive Brian Laundrie, but a missing persons expert explains why she thinks Laundrie is long gone.
“It seems unlikely that he’s still in that reserve. They did not find any trace of him so far. It’s been weeks,” former FBI agent Bryanna Fox said.
Fox added that at this point, Laundrie has likely fled the state with assistance.
“The idea that nothing has been said reinforces to me that he was likely getting help,” Fox said. “Obviously, that person would have to be very loyal and very close to him … to not compromise his identity.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Laundrie is wanted on a felony warrant following the death of his girlfriend, 22-year-old Gabby Petito. Laundrie and Petito embarked on their cross-country trip in July, but by September 1, Laundrie returned to his parents’ North Port, Florida, home with Petito’s van, sans Petito.
On September 19, authorities found Gabby’s deceased body in a remote area at the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Officials confirmed that the manner of death was a homicide but the cause of death is still pending.
Authorities issued a federal warrant for Laundrie for allegedly using a Capitol One Bank debit card without permission after Gabby passed away. Laundrie is said to have used the card between August 30 and September 1, “knowingly and with intent to defraud.”
Laundrie’s parents have insisted they have no clue where he is. They claimed he left their residence with a backpack on and headed to the Carlton Reserve on September 13. They reported him missing four days later.
On October 7, Laundrie’s father went along with the FBI to search for his son at the reserve.
Dr. Fox told Fox 59 that it was an unusual move to bring a parent in to help with the search. She surmises authorities may have needed help identifying something and likely wanted alone time with the father, who has not spoken publicly about his son’s disappearance.
“One is if they think that there’s something there that is very difficult to move, to have him identify it as perhaps being Brian Laundrie’s,” Dr. Fox said. “It could be something like a tent or the manner in which he arranged his campsite.”
Anyone with information on Laundrie’s whereabouts should contact the FBI at: tips.fbi.gov, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or 303-629-7171. Upload photos and videos to: fbi.gov/petito.
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