VENICE, Fla. — A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Brian Laundrie, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Denver office announced Thursday afternoon.
What You Need To Know
- Authorities continue search Thursday in Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie; federal arrest warrant issued
- FBI confirmed Gabby Petito was the victim of a homicide
- Gabby Petito, 22, and Brian Laundrie, 23, left in July for a cross-country trek in a converted van
- Laundrie returned in the van alone to Florida on Sept. 1
- Laundrie, a “person of interest” in her disappearance, has also gone missing and was last seen by his family on Sept. 14
- RELATED stories:
He has been identified as a person of interest in the death of his girlfriend, 22-year-old Gabrielle Petito.
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.”
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, Brian 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.”
On Thursday morning, the Mustang known to be Brian’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. 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.
