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VENICE, Fla. — Search crews spent another day Friday in the Carlton Reserve area of Sarasota County searching for any signs of Brian Laundrie, and North Port police are defending the amount of time spent on the effort.

Laundrie is the person of interest in the Gabrielle Petito investigation and now the subject of a federal arrest warrant.

Meanwhile, Gabby Petito’s father announced that services will be held for her Sunday in Long Island.

In a post on Twitter, he said, “Services for our sweet Gabby will be held at Moloney Funeral Home in Holbrook on Sunday September 26th from 12pm-5pm.  Thank to all for your suppprt and love.”

North Port police continued Friday to search the murky area, with still no sign of Laundrie. They said the search will continue this weekend.

North Port Police Commander Joe Fussell said Thursday’s developments surrounding the warrant “doesn’t change anything for us.”

“We’re working as hard to find him now as we did on day one … these guys, their drive to find him on day one is the same as today, regardless of the warrant,” he said.

He also pushed back on criticism the department has received about the costly and dangerous search.

“We are not wasting our time out here.” Fussell said. “We are doing our due diligence to find Brian in an area that intelligence had led us that he could possibly be in. It’s on us to to make sure that we search this area as best as we can, as massive as it is, with the resources that we have to try and find Brian.”

He added that social media and other data is being used in the search.

“What I would say to the public is there are many, many more resources we are deploying in here other than the search efforts that we’re seeing here today. We have investigative means, we have other technology, agencies that are issuing search warrants for data, whether it be social media or other investigative means and then we do the search.”

WARRANT ISSUED FOR BRIAN LAUNDRIE

On Thursday, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Laundrie, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Denver office announced.

Laundrie has been charged with unauthorized use of a debit card. A federal grand jury indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Wyoming alleges Laundrie used a Capital One Bank card and someone’s personal identification number to make unauthorized withdrawals or charges worth more than $1,000 during the period in which his fiance Gabby Petito went missing.

It does not say who the card belonged to.

He has been identified as a person of interest in the death of Petito, 22.

In a Twitter post, the agency said: “The U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said anyone with information about Laundrie should come forward.

“While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide,” Schneider said.

“We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.”

In response to news of the indictment, Laundrie’s attorney, Steven Bertolino — who said he had spoken to the man’s parents in Orlando Thursday — gave the following statement:

“It is my understanding that the arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie is related to activities occurring after the death of Gabby Petito and not related to her actual demise. The FBI is focusing on locating Brian and when that occurs the specifics of the charges covered under the indictment will be addressed in the proper forum.”

Today’s official #FBIDenver statement and the arrest warrant for Mr. Brian Laundrie are attached. pic.twitter.com/eV1IY4l681

— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 23, 2021

CRIMINOLOGIST: SEARCH’S COSTS, RISKS CONTINUE TO CLIMB

Meanwhile, as law enforcement agencies wrap up day five of the search for Laundrie at Carlton Reserve, a seasoned criminologist believes that the search efforts may have already surpassed the $1 million mark.

On Thursday, 16 different law enforcement agencies and the FBI were back out at the preserve completing a grid search of the area. They also had the help of swamp buggies, airboats, drones, ATV’s and police K-9’s.

Peter Massey, a criminologist at the University of South Florida, says he believes just the cost of manpower, fuel and overtime needed for this search has wracked up a huge bill.

“With the amount of days that have been spent, we have to be up in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars at this point,” he said.

The big equipment, like swamp buggies and ATVs have already been paid for and wouldn’t be part of the expense, but each agency is also taking a risk being in this environment.

“God forbid, what if one of these officers gets bit by a snake or gets hurt in there? What is the cost going to be long term?” he explained.

As of Thursday afternoon, Laundrie hasn’t been seen in over a week. He remains the sole person of interest in Gabby Petito’s death. 

“If this was five years ago he’s a suspect,” Massey said. “But because of media, because of lawsuits, because of 2021 political correctness, he is a person of interest and he is the only person of interest.”  

Robert Sullivan, a professor of criminal justice at Saint Leo University, has 25 years experience conducting manhunts like the one currently underway. He said locating a single person in a nearly 25,000 acre reserve is no easy task, and there’s a reason it has taken so long to find Laundrie.

“They’ve got about 75 officers per day, sun up to sundown, out in just a terrible area,” Sullivan said. “Just mosquitoes alone will scare you away.”

And then there’s the psychological toll it takes on investigators, he said.

“The mental and emotional is huge,” Sullivan said. “Because they don’t know if they’re looking for a dead body, or they don’t know if they’re looking for someone that may be armed that is a murder suspect that might wanna do harm to them. So they are constantly on guard.”

Sullivan posited that it is likly one of two things has happened to Laundrie: Either he is dead and finding his body in the Carlton Reserve will be like finding a needle in a haystack, “or after day one did he go down a side trail, go to an exit gate, get picked up by some accomplice and now he’s planning on assuming a new identity somewhere else. So it’s tough.”

On Thursday morning, the Mustang known to be Laundrie’s was back at the Laundrie home. His parents left together, in their red truck, escorted by a trail of unmarked police vehicles. It’s unclear where they were going. Before 5 p.m. they had returned home.

Massey believes the longer the Laundrie family waits to corporate with police, the harsher the penalties could be.  

“I think the longer that this goes on, the more I think law enforcement is going to lean towards prosecuting the family,” he said. ​

UTAH POLICE AGENCY UNDER INVESTIGATION

The Utah law enforcement agency that handled an August 12 incident with Petito and Laundrie is being investigated. Laundrie said on video the couple got into a minor scuffle. Ultimately Moab police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.

In a statement Thursday, the Moab City Police Department said:

“An outside party filed a request with the Moab City Police Department asking for a formal investigation into the Aug. 12 incident in Moab involving Gabrielle Petito and Brian Laundrie. We take all complaints seriously and we are committed to fully addressing these concerns.

“In compliance with police department policy, we will conduct an investigation. The police department will identify an unaffiliated law enforcement agency to conduct the formal investigation on our behalf.

“We look forward to the investigation. Should the investigation identify areas for improvement we will take that information to heart, learn from it, and make changes if needed to ensure we are providing the best response and service to our community.”

LAW FIRM OFFERING $20,000 REWARD

A Bay area law firm says it’s offering $20,000 for information that leads to Laundrie’s location.

Boohoff Law made the announcement Thursday on Facebook. 

PREVIOUS DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASE

Petito, 22, was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after she did not respond to calls and texts for several days while the couple visited parks in the West. Her body was discovered Sunday at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Teton County Coroner Brent Blue classified Petito’s death as a homicide — meaning her death was caused by another person — but did not disclose how she was killed pending further autopsy results. Laundrie, 23, is not charged with any crime.

Petito and Laundrie grew up together in Long Island, New York, but moved in recent years to North Port, where his parents live. Their home, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota, was searched by investigators earlier this week and a Ford Mustang driven by Laundrie’s mother was towed from the driveway. Authorities believe Laundrie drove that car to the Carlton Reserve before disappearing

The couple documented online their trip in a white Ford Transit van converted into a camper, but got into a physical altercation Aug. 12 in Moab, Utah, that led to a police stop for a possible domestic violence case. Ultimately, police there decided to separate the quarreling couple for the night but no charges were filed and no serious injuries were reported.

The FBI is seeking information from anyone who may have seen them in the Grand Teton area as well as any other tips nationally.

“We join the FBI in asking for continued public assistance by sharing any information through the tip lines 1-800-CALL FBI or tips.fbi.gov,” Taylor said.