Gabby Petito update - latest FBI issue Brian Laundrie arrest warrant as second woman says she gave him a lift

Police continue search for Brian Laundrie

Thursday marked the sixth day in the search for Brian Laundrie and the FBI announced that a federal arrest warrant had been issued in relation to the death of Gabby Petito.

“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,” said Special Agent in charge Michael Schneider.

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

Meanwhile, a second woman has come forward to say that she gave Mr Laundrie a lift on 29 August in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, two days after Ms Petito was last sighted.

Earlier, a local law firm issued a press release offering a $20,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the exact location of Mr Laundrie. Co-workers of Mr Laundrie’s claimed he was well versed in outdoor survival, though there is little beyond anecdote to substantiate those claims.

Funeral services for Gabby Petito are up in the air as the Teton County Medical Examiner has yet to release her remains to her family. The family’s lawyer said once Ms Petito’s body is back in New York with her family they will determine specifics for her funeral service.

Authorities have not said why they are convinced Laundrie, who police call a “person of interest” in the case, may still be somewhere inside the more than 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve near his home in North Port, Florida, more than a week after he told family members he was headed there to hike alone. The Carlton Reserve has more than 80 miles (128 km) of hiking trails but is dominated by swampy water.

Also on Wednesday, a witness came forward to describe a stand-up argument between Laundrie and a waitress at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, around the time Ms Petito is believed to have sent her final text to her mother.

If confirmed, it would be one of the last sightings of Ms Petito alive.

Show latest update 1632487821Gabby Petito: A timeline of the social media star’s death

Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old YouTuber and Instagram star, went missing in late August, having embarked on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie, 23, that she was documenting on social media.

The couple grew up in Blue Point on Long Island in New York but lived together in North Port, Florida, setting out on a dream road trip from the Big Apple on 2 July in Ms Petito’s Ford Transit van and hoping to reach a friend’s house in Portland, Oregon, by Halloween.

However, Ms Petito’s family have not heard from their daughter since receiving text messages towards the end of last month that they have suggested may not have been written by her.

Read more:

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 13:501632485850Where could Laundrie be?

In the ten days since Brian Laundrie vanished, there has been growing speculation over where he might be.

Police and FBI have been searching the Carlton Reserve in Florida, near to Mr Laundrie’s parents’ home, but with no trace of him reported thus far, some are suggesting that he could have fled.

“I don’t think he killed himself,” said Pat Diaz, a retired Miami-Dade homicide detective, reported Fox News. He added: “I think he’s just going to disappear.”

Dan Riemer, who is a West Palm-based private investigator, agreed.

“That search in the swamp is leading everyone to believe Brian is in the swamp, and no civilians are paying attention to who is around them,” Mr Riemer said.

“[The] focus needs to be on people being aware, [and] someone will see something, just like the campers who saw the van.”

There has been speculation that Mr Laundrie could have fled as far away as Mexico and some internet sleuths think he may be in Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile, Mr Riemer said there’s a possibility that Mr Laundrie could have made it to South Florida. If this is the case, the private investigator suggested that he could try to hide in plain sight.

“They send their kids down here for rehab, then the kids leave rehab, and they hire me to find them,” he told Fox News on Thursday. “It’s amazing how they survive. No credit card, no physical signs of income, and they just make do.”

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 13:171632482889Laundrie and Petito’s relationship had ‘very high highs and very low lows’ say school friends

School friends of Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito said that the pair experienced “highs and lows” during their relationship, suggesting that there was “always some drama.”

Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie met whilst at high school in New York but broke up in 2016, after Mr Laundrie graduated.

They restarted their relationship just one year later when Ms Petito finished school, with friends saying that although the couple fell in and out of love, they didn’t see anything “concerning” between them.

Alyssa Chen told People magazine: “They had very high highs and very low lows. But she always said he was a good boyfriend.”

Meanwhile another school friend, Ben Matula said: “One minute, they’d be all over each other, the next minute he’d be like ‘We’re fighting. They always had some drama.”

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 12:281632480836Gabby Petito death: Arrest warrant for bank fraud issued for missing Brian Laundrie

A federal court has issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, the missing fiancé of Gabby Petito, the FBI has announced.

According to the bureau’s Denver, Colorado division, the warrant was issued on Wednesday.

“On September 22, 2021, 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 Denver said in a tweet.

Read more here:

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 11:531632478182Laundrie’s warrant not for Petito’s death, says attorney

An attorney for Brian Laundrie’s family was keen to emphasise that the arrest warrant for Mr Laundrie is not for Gabby Petito’s death, but is related to activities that took place afterwards.

The US District Court of Wyoming issued an arrest warrant for Mr Laundrie, said the FBI’s Denver field office, after he was indicted by a grand jury for “use of unauthorised devices,” following Ms Petito’s death.

According to the indictment, Mr Laundrie illegally used a debit card and PIN number for charges totaling more than $1,000 (£730). The accounts which he used did not belong to him, while the transactions took place between the dates of 30 August and 1 September.

“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,” Steve Bertolino, an attorney for Mr Laundrie’s family said in a statement.

“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.”

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 11:091632475564Laundrie could have been eaten in Carlton Reserve

Brian Laundrie may have been eaten by alligators in Carlton Reserve, says a survival expert.

Speaking to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Mark Burrow said that it was possible that Mr Laundrie could have been eaten by an alligator if he had become injured or was particularly exhausted.

Mr Burrow told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: “They like to put a carcass under a log, and let it get all rotten.

“Then the gator would eat you slowly.”

Mr Burrow also suggested that coyotes or bobcats could pray on Mr Laundrie.

He added: “If he’s down there in the Carlton Reserve, he’s living in hell.

“People have been making a big deal of the alligators and the snakes, but it’s dehydration that’s the real danger.”

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 10:261632472474Former co-worker says Petito and Laundrie were ‘couple goals’

A former co-worker of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie said that she “never would expect this” from either of the pair and suggested that they were “couple goals.”

Nicole Kalanich, who worked at a local Publix Supermarket with the couple, told NBC 6: “The only thing I could say is they were ‘couple goals,

“They were very happy, never would expect this from Brian or Gabby.”

Ms Petito worked in the pharmacy of Publix Supermarket to save up for her travels, while Mr Laundrie worked in the grocery department.

“They were saving up for this trip, I guess because he got her in to work at Publix,” Ms Kalanich said.

She added: “She [Ms Petito] was very happy never sad honestly. She always had energy to travel. She was very excited for this trip.”

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 09:341632470244What is ‘Missing White Woman Syndrome’?

In the wake of Gabby Petito’s homicide, a number of experts have said that America is facing so-called “Missing White Women Syndrome,” defined by the heavier attention that white women and girls receive from the media, should they go missing, compared to anyone outside this demographic.

This is according to a study published by the Northwestern University School of Law in 2016. It highlights how black people are less likely to gain attention from the media than other groups, should they go missing. The study also noted that when these groups do make the news, they tend to receive a lower intensity of coverage.

According to 2020 FBI data, black people make up 35 per cent of missing persons reports, but only account for 13 per cent of the US population. Meanwhile, white people constitute 54 per cent of those reported missing and 76 per cent of the US population.

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 08:571632469140Second woman reveals she picked up hitchhiking Brian Laundrie

Amid the ongoing manhunt for Brian Laundrie, a second woman has come forward to say that she gave him a ride while he was hitchhiking in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park on 29 August.

His fiancé, YouTuber Gabby Petito, was last seen in the region on 27 August at a Tex-Mex restaurant, where they allegedly had an argument.

Norma Jean Jalovec, a resident of Florida, said that she realised that she had picked up Mr Laundrie and dropped him off at the Spread Creek dispersed camping area after seeing a TikTok video.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 08:391632468358Gabby Petito’s stepfather leaves stone cross at site where she was found

Gabby Petito’s stepfather James Schmidt, who is married to Ms Petito’s mother, left a stone cross in her memorial in Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Eleanor Sly24 September 2021 08:25

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