(Trends Wide) — A source close to Brian Laundrie’s family told Trends Wide’s Chris Cuomo on Thursday that Gabby Petito’s fiancé, who is now the subject of a federal warrant, left his parents’ Florida home last Tuesday without his cell phone and wallet.
Laundrie’s parents were concerned that he might hurt himself, the source said. Laundrie has not been seen since Tuesday and authorities have been searching a nature preserve in Venice, not far from the parents’ home in North Port.
A North Port police spokesman declined to comment on the report.
“I cannot give any statement on a timeline at this time. That investigation is being carried out by the FBI,” North Port Police Public Information Officer Josh Taylor told Trends Wide.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Wyoming District Court issued a federal arrest warrant for Laundrie, according to the local FBI office in Denver, after a grand jury charged him with “using unauthorized devices” after Petito’s death.
“While this arrest warrant allows police to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s murder,” said the FBI Special Agent in Charge , Michael Schneider, in a statement posted on Twitter.
According to the indictment, Laundrie used a debit card and PIN number on accounts that did not belong to him and made charges in excess of $ 1,000 between the dates of August 30 and September 1.
The news comes as investigators again searched a 10,000-acre Florida nature preserve for any sign of Laundrie, who returned home Sept. 1 from a road trip without Petito.
Laundrie’s family told police that he left home on September 14 with his backpack and told them he was heading to the nature preserve near his home. On Thursday night, North Port Police announced through a tweet that he had stopped the search for Laundrie in the reservation and that search teams would return on Friday.
Petito’s remains were found Sunday in an undeveloped camping area in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest, on the eastern edge of Grand Teton National Park. His death was ruled a homicide Tuesday in preliminary findings. His family reported him missing on September 11.
“We urge people who know of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI,” Schneider said Thursday. “No data is too small or inconsequential to support our efforts in this research.
An attorney for Laundrie’s family emphasized in a statement that the arrest warrant was not for Petito’s death, but related to activities that occurred afterward.
“I understand that Brian Laundrie’s arrest warrant is related to the activities that occurred after Gabby Petito’s death and not her actual death,” said Steve Bertolino. “The FBI is concentrating on locating Brian and when that happens, the details of the charges covered by the indictment will be addressed in the appropriate forum.”