NEW drone footage reveals the huge Brian Laundrie search as Dog the Bounty Hunter and bloodhounds also try to track him down. The TV star said his “heart goes out” to the family of homicide victim Gabby Petito, and he “wants to help bring justice for her death”. Petito’s boyfriend Laundrie, 23, was charged last […]
NEW drone footage reveals the huge Brian Laundrie search as Dog the Bounty Hunter and bloodhounds also try to track him down.
The TV star said his “heart goes out” to the family of homicide victim Gabby Petito, and he “wants to help bring justice for her death”.
Petito’s boyfriend Laundrie, 23, was charged last Thursday with fraudulently using her bank debit card.
Police have sought him for seven days in connection with the 22-year-old travel blogger’s death during their cross-country road trip.
He remains missing after returning to his home in North Port, Florida on September 1 without his partner.
Drone footage shows dozens of local and federal officers searching for Laundrie in a swampy Florida nature reserve.
Police and FBI agents using divers, tracking dogs and helicopters have been hunting for the missing man in the Carlton Reserve wilderness area near North Port since Friday, when his parents told them that he had gone there to hike three days earlier.
Search teams have been searching through the alligator-infested wilderness with costs reportedly spiralling to $200,000 a day.
And Fox News revealed today that Dog the Bounty Hunter is also trying to locate Laundrie.
Dog – real name Duane Chapman – and his new wife Francie Frane “have experienced extreme loss themselves,” his team said in a statement.
Read our Brian Laundrie live blog for the very latest news and updates…
“Their hearts go out to Gabby’s family for what they’re going through and want to help bring justice for her death.”
The couple are searching where Laundrie was allegedly last seen by his family on September 14, when he told his parents he was going for a hike in Carlton Reserve, near Venice, but never returned.
Dog the Bounty Hunter asked for “anyone with information on Brian Laundrie’s whereabouts to call me at 833-TELLDOG” and added that “all information will be kept confidential”.
Just a few days ago the TV bail bondsman suggested how he would track down Laundrie.
He advised investigators to start with the missing man’s family and friends before looking into his connection to the Florida reserve.
Dog said Laundrie “isn’t an experienced runner or criminal” and it’s possible “he’s right there in his hometown”.
But he added: “Suicide is a very likely possibility.”
A search warrant was issued for Laundrie after a grand jury in US District Court in Wyoming recently indicted him on a single count of unlawfully using the Petito’s debit card and her personal identification number.
He was not charged in her death.
The indictment accuses Laundrie of spending $1,000 or more on the card between August 30 and September 1.
“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,” FBI Denver special agent in charge Michael Schneider said.
“We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI No piece of information is too small or inconsequential to support our efforts in this investigation,” he added.
Laundrie’s neighbor Gary Coble told WFLA: “Turn yourself in. They’re hunting. They’ll find you.”
Petito was last seen alive on August 24. Investigators appear to believe she was killed sometime between August 27-30.
Her remains were discovered near the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground – an area crawling with bears, wolves and other wild animals – and the coroner said it was a homicide, without revealing how she died.
Petito’s funeral is scheduled for Sunday, September 26, from noon to 5pm, at Moloney’s Holbrook Funeral Home in Holbrook, New York.
The service will be open to the public, and could also be streamed online as her death has made international news.
It comes as internet sleuths are peddling a wild conspiracy that Laundrie might be hiding on a boat to evade police.
The theory, which has been gaining traction on Twitter, appears to be born out from an unfounded claim that Laundrie went live on Instagram for a matter of seconds on Monday.
The FBI has said it wants to speak with anyone who may have seen Gabby at Spread Creek – where her body was found – between the dates of August 27 and 30.
