Gabby Petito: Search for Brian Laundrie at Carlton Reserve enters fifth day: LIVE UPDATES
Authorities in Florida are now in their fifth day of searching for Brian Laundrie -- the person of interest in Gabby Petito's disappearance -- inside the Carlton Reserve in Venice.
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EXCLUSIVE: A second woman has come forward to say she gave a hitchhiking Brian Laundrie a ride in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Aug. 29, two days after Gabby Petito was last seen.
The first woman, Miranda Baker, said in videos posted to TikTok on Sept. 17 that she and her boyfriend picked up Laundrie, 23, at 5:30 p.m. MST on Aug. 29 after spotting him hitchhiking on the side of the road. She said she spoke with police about the encounter.
Norma Jean Jalovec, a seasonal Wyoming resident from Florida, told Fox News Digital on Friday that after seeing Baker's TikTok video, she realized she had also picked up Laundrie on Aug. 29 and dropped him off around 6:30 or 6:40 MST at the Spread Creek dispersed camping area, where Petito's remains were discovered weeks later.
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"Our job right now is to continue the search in Carlton," North Port Police PIO Josh Taylor told Fox News Digital when asked about the warrant and if North Port Police will continue to lead the search. "That's what we'll do."
“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," Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino told Fox News Digital. "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.”
The FBI announced the arrest warrant on Thursday.
"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 posted on Twitter.
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North Port Police return to the front of the the Laundries’ home shortly before 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Earlier, the family’s attorney told Fox News Digital they were “heading back from Orlando.”
It "could be tricky" for law enforcement to arrest Brian Laundrie's parents for not sharing information with law enforcement if no further evidence is presented against them, according to a Florida-based criminal defense attorney.
Laundrie, 23, is a person of interest in the FBI's investigation into deceased 22-year-old Gabby Petito's disappearance and homicide.
"If the parents lawyered up very early on and they haven't really made any statements other than to friends prior to this becoming an investigation [into] Brian Laundrie, then it may be kind of tricky. It may be difficult because I'm not sure what crime they committed," Ajay Pallegar, managing attorney at Pallegar Law in Tampa, Florida, told Fox News.
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Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino told Fox News that Brian Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta, traveled to Orlando and are on their way back home.
"Chris and Roberta Laundrie are heading back home from Orlando," Bertolino said.
Bertolino did not disclose why the pair made the trip but said it had "nothing to do" with law enforcement.
Gabby Petito, left, and Brian Laundrie are seen in bodycam footage released by the Moab City Police Department in Utah.
The City of Moab, Utah, tells Fox News on Thursday that it is launching an investigation into how police handled an August incident between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie.
"With the weeks-long search for Ms. Petito across the western U.S., news that a call to Grand County Dispatch on Aug. 12 reported a possible domestic dispute between Ms. Petito and Brian Laundrie here in Moab has naturally led to questions from the media and the public about the call," the city of Moab said Thursday. "During the past week, our police officers have been both praised and criticized for their response and their resolution of the incident involving Ms. Petito and Mr. Laundrie."
"At this time, the City of Moab is unaware of any breach of Police Department policy during this incident," their statement continued. "However, the City will conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate."
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On Thursday, North Port Police provided a video link to watch their search for Brian Laundrie.
"Lot of questions about the Swamp Buggies," North Port Police Public Information Officer Josh Taylor said. "There are four out today. Drone provided by the Florida Highway patrol. Sound is with Commander Joe Fussell."
"We have around 75 personnel from 16 different agencies on the ground Thursday," Taylor added. "We plan to search throughout the day. Friday TBD."
Taylor also reiterated that "this is an FBI led criminal investigation and North Port Police are assisting our federal partner in any way we can to bring this investigation to a close."
Jennifer McNamara, a 9/11 widow and president of the Johnny Mac Foundation, joins 'Fox & Friends First' to remember Gabby Petito.
The timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of 22-year-old Gabby Petito, whose body was recovered in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Brian Laundrie's parents returned home Thursday morning with the Ford Mustang that authorities towed away for processing this week, Fox News has confirmed.
Roberta Laundrie then exited the Mustang and headed back into a truck driven by her husband, Chris, and left the property a second time.
(Fox News/Paul Best)
Chris and Roberta Laundrie just walked out of their North Port home and left the neighborhood in Chris’s truck, according to a Fox News reporter on the scene.
Search equipment arrives Thursday at the Carlton Reserve in Venice, Fla. (Fox News/Stephanie Pagones)
Search teams from all over Florida, including some carrying heavy machinery, are seen arriving at the Carlton Reserve in Venice as that manhunt for Brian Laundrie enters its fifth day there.
Credit: North Port Police
The North Port Police Department, in a tweet, says the "ground search for Brian Laundrie has been halted for the evening" as there was "nothing found."
"We will be back out Thursday, similar operation," the tweet added.
Gabby Petito's stepfather on Tuesday visited the Wyoming site where her body was found by investigators last weekend and marked it with a cross made out of stone.
Petito's body was discovered on Sunday at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground in the Bridger-Teton National Forrest more than a week after she was reported missing and her remains were identified this week. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.
The neighbors of the Laundrie family in North Port, Fla. – the would-be in-laws of deceased 22-year-old Gabby Petito – told Fox News Wednesday that about a week after Petito's then-fiance Brian Laundrie returned from the Mountain West, the family packed up an "attached camper" and took what they believed to be a long-weekend camping trip.
Charlene and William Guthrie told "The Story" that it has been a "nightmare" living across from the Laundries since Petito and later Brian went missing.
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