Gabby Petito - live Police note found on Brian Laundries car as officers under fire for investigation

Fox News reports family found note on Brian Laundrie's car

A major search is still underway in Florida for ‘person of interest’ Brian Laundrie, after the FBI announced they found a body believed to be missing van-life blogger Gabby Petito in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.

The body was found close to the site where a couple claimed to have seen the van Ms Petito and her fiancé had been travelling in together.

The couple said they saw the van on 25 August, which narrowed the potential search area for investigators. They did not see Ms Petito or her fiancé. However, Ms Petito did tag numerous potential campsites on an app called The Dyrt, which may provide insight into the general area she planned to explore on her trip.

In Florida, protesters gathered outside Mr Laundrie’s house late this week, hoping to pressure him into cooperating with law enforcement. Ms Petito’s family called on Mr Laundrie’s family to help them find their daughter.

However, it came to light that Mr Laundrie had left the house on Tuesday and was last seen in a vast swampy nature reserve near the city of North Port. Local police and the FBI are currently searching for him in the park.

On Wednesday, the North Port Police Department in Florida announced they were treating Ms Petito’s fiancé as a person of interest in their investigation. He has thus far refused to cooperate with law enforcement.

The family of Ms Petito have also revealed they do not believe her final text message on 30 August actually came from her.

Ms Petito and her fiancé were reportedly arguing and hitting each other, according to a police report from Utah. The couple, who were on a road trip in Ms Petito’s van, were spotted having an argument in Moab City, Utah on 12 August.

Bodycamera footage of a police encounter with the couple shows Ms Petito crying over the argument she and Mr Laundrie had been having during their trip.

Ms Petito disappeared while on a road trip with her fiancé, Mr Laundrie, who returned without her, prompting a frantic search for the 22-year-old woman that began on 11 September.

Sign up to our free breaking news email to follow this story.

Show latest update 1632142537Search for Brian Laundrie expected to intensify as it resumes

The search for Brian Laundrie is expected to intensify when it resumes today, after a body matching the description of 22-year-old Gabby Petito was discovered at Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming on Sunday.

It is believed Mr Laundrie could be in Carlton Reserve - a vast alligator-infested swamp in Florida where he is understood to headed to on Tuesday.

An autopsy for the body believed to be that of Gabby Petito has been scheduled for tomorrow.

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 13:551632141037Everything we know about YouTuber’s mysterious disappearance on road trip

As the investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old YouTuber Gabby Petito gathers pace, here’s everything we know so far:

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 13:301632139237Brian Laundrie could survive in Carlton Reserve ‘for months’ without being located, say police

North Port Police Department public information officer Josh Taylor told Fox 13 Laundrie could survive in the huge Carlton Reserve "for months" without being located.

"I don’t know how frequently if he would come out here and do day-long hikes or whatever, you could be out here for months if you wanted," he said.

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 13:001632137137‘My heart is shattered’: Brother pays tribute to Gabby Petito

Gabby Petito’s younger brother, TJ Schmidt, reacted to news a body matching her description had been found at a campsite in a Wyoming national park.

Sharing an image of the 22-year-old standing in front of a mural of angel wings, he wrote on Instagram: “I don’t even know what to say. I’m at a total loss. My heart is shattered #justiceforgabby”.

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 12:251632135848Police note found on Brian Laundrie’s car after disappearance

The family of Brian Laundrie, who has allegedly been missing for a number of days amid the search for his girlfriend Gabby Petito, have said they found a note on his vehicle from police asking it to be removed.

The 23-year-old, who police in North Police, Florida, last week named as person of interest in the disappearance of Ms Petito, 22, was said to have gone missing last Tuesday or Wednesday.

An attorney for the Laundrie family reportedly told ABC7 and Fox news that he told them he was going on a hike in the nearby Carlton Reserve, and failed to return to his parents’ home.

Read more on this story:

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 12:041632134952New details in Brian Laundrie disappearance as note found on car

New details have emerged about the apparent last known whereabouts of Gabby Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie.

Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family’s attorney, claimed Mr Laundrie left home with a backpack on Tuesday morning, saying he was going for a hike.

In a statement seen by ABC7 and Fox 13, the lawyer said the family went out to look for him on Wednesday after he failed to return and found his car near the Carlton Reserve with a note from North Port Police Department saying it needed to be removed.

Mr Bertolino said the family left the car where it was so Mr Laundrie could drive home when he returned, but eventually went to retrieve the vehicle on Thursday when he didn’t come home.

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 11:491632133785Opinion: Let’s not forget the human reality behind the Gabby Petito tragedy

Victoria Richards, a senior commissioning editor for Indy Voices, has called for caution in this piece as she says it’s possible some have lost sight of the fact a young woman is dead.

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 11:291632130827Police in hometown of Gabby Petito’s boyfriend ‘saddened and heartbroken’ to learn body found

The police force in North Port, Florida, where Gabby Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie lived with his family, said it was “saddened and heartbroken” to learn a body matching the missing YouTuber’s description had been found.

North Port Police tweeted: “Saddened and heartbroken to learn that Gabby has been found deceased.

“Our focus from the start, along with the FBI, and national partners, has been to bring her home.

“We will continue to work with the FBI in the search for more answers.”

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 10:401632129422Police comb 25,000-acre wilderness for boyfriend after family takes three days to reveal he is missing

Gabby Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie has been named a “person of interest” in the case but has not been seen since leaving his family’s home in North Port, Florida, last Tuesday.

North Port is on the west coast of Florida, some 70 miles (112 km) south of St Petersburg.

North Port police said they learned from Mr Laundrie’s family only on Friday that he had been missing for three days.

They have since been combing a nearly 25,000-acre wilderness preserve near North Port for him, without success.

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 10:171632127069Police face criticism for failing to interrogate YouTuber’s boyfriend

Police have been criticised for failing to interrogate Gabby Petito’s boyfriend after the Youtuber was reported missing.

Pat Diaz, a former Miami-Dade homicide detective, questioned why police did not obtain a search warrant for Brian Laundrie.

My colleague Holly Bancroft has more details:

Chiara Giordano20 September 2021 09:37

Share this post