(Trends Wide) — Since Brian Laundrie’s parents informed them a week ago that they hadn’t seen him in days, dozens of local and federal agents have searched everywhere in a swampy Florida wilderness preserve for the 23-year-old after the disappearance and then the discovery of the body of his fiancee Gabby Petito in Wyoming.
The search of the Carlton Reserve resumed on Saturday, authorities said.
Laundrie, who according to her parents left her home Sept. 14 with her backpack and told them she was heading to the reservation, left her cell phone and wallet, a source close to the family told Trends Wide on Thursday. His parents informed police of Laundrie’s departure on September 17, authorities said.
A crowd searched the area this week, using drones and bloodhounds as part of the search, North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor said.
A dive team from the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office who are “called in to search for evidence of crimes and victims of drowning and water accidents” was also brought in midweek, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We searched through wooded areas, we searched through bodies of water, we searched swampy areas,” North Point Police Commander Joe Fussell said in a video shared online Friday. “And we deploy the resources to be able to do that. We have air units, drones, swamp buggies, airboats, multiple law enforcement agencies, we have all-terrain vehicles, we have UTVs and we have agents on foot as well.”
Petito, 22, and Laundrie embarked on a cross-country trip in June and were visiting national parks. The couple regularly posted online about their travels with the hashtag #VanLife, but those were abruptly stopped in late August.
Laundrie returned home with his truck on September 1. Petito was reported missing on September 11 after her family was unable to communicate with her. She was found dead eight days later near a camp in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest.
According to an arrest warrant issued Thursday, Laundrie is wanted for the alleged use of “unauthorized devices” in the period after Petito’s death.
The order “doesn’t change anything for us,” Fussell said. “We work hard to find him now like we did the first day.”
Conditions are challenging with cloudy water, muddy roads and thick vegetation, according to videos shared by North Port Police. “Difficult falls short,” Taylor said Thursday of conditions at the reserve.
He commented that the efforts on Saturday and Sunday will focus on “areas of higher probability.”
Someone else says Laundrie offered him transportation in August
Moab Police Department body camera footage showing officers talking to Brian Laundrie.
With law enforcement reviewing the reservation, more stories are emerging of interactions involving Laundrie prior to his return to Florida.
Norma Jean Jalovec, a seasonal Wyoming resident, told Trends Wide that she picked up Laundrie not far from Jackson Lake Dam on Aug. 29 at around 6:15 p.m. and drove him to the Spread Creek campsite where the remains of Gabby Petito.
Laundrie was hitchhiking, Jalovec said, and sat in the passenger seat of his Toyota 4-Runner SUV.
According to Jalovec, Laundrie told him that he and his fiancée had a travel blog, that she was in her truck at the campground working on the blog, and that he had been walking the Snake River embankment for a few days.
Jalovec said that when they reached Spread Creek, he dropped Laundrie before the gate at the entrance to the camp area. She said she offered once or twice to drive him further, but he insisted that they drop him off at the entrance.
Laundrie later offered her gas money, but she refused, he said.
Jalovec said that as soon as he saw a series of videos posted on TikTok by Miranda Baker, who said she hitchhiked Laundrie up and dropped him off at Jackson Lake Dam, he called the FBI and shared all the information he had.
Baker had said he dropped Laundrie near the dam at 6:09 p.m. and Jalovec says he picked him up a few minutes later.
“I’m glad I was able to assist in the investigation that placed him in Spread Creek at a definite time on August 29,” Jalovec told Trends Wide.
Trends Wide has not been able to independently verify Baker’s claims. North Port Police confirmed to Trends Wide that Baker spoke with the department before posting the videos on TikTok.
Remembering Gabby
Photos of Gabby Petito before her disappearance
Petito’s disappearance, and the subsequent search for Laundrie, has received a wave of national interest and has drawn increased attention to other people who have disappeared in the United States.
Since Petito’s discovery, vigils have been held from Salt Lake City to the east coast.
On Friday, residents of Blue Point, New York, Petito’s hometown on Long Island, lit candles at a memorial to show support for his family.
Organizers of “Light the Night For Gabby Petito” hope similar demonstrations will spread beyond Long Island, according to Trends Wide affiliate WABC.
Candles were provided along with a request for a $ 20 donation and proceeds went to the Petito family, WABC said.
A candle lighting and butterfly release commemoration is scheduled for Saturday night in North Port across from City Hall, according to The Daily Sun.
A visit in memory of Petito is planned for Sunday afternoon in Holbrook on Long Island, according to Holbrook Funeral Home in Moloney. It will be open to the public.
Richard Stafford, an attorney for Petito’s family, confirmed in a statement Friday that his funeral would take place on Sunday, adding that the family has asked that instead of sending flowers, donations be made to the future Gabby Petito Foundation.
Trends Wide’s Randi Kaye, Leyla Santiago, Dakin Andone, Steve Almasy, Kate Conerly, Christina Maxouris, Rebekah Riess, Gregory Lemos and Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.
