Laundrie Search Comes Up Short; Some Experts Wonder If He's At Carlton

SARASOTA, FL — Nothing was found as of Wednesday night in the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve near Venice, where authorities spent a fifth day searching for Brian Laundrie, Gabbie Petito's fiancé.

Authorities have named Laundrie, 23, who has been missing since Sept. 14, a person of interest in Petito's death. He has not been charged with any crimes.

“The ground search for Brian Laundrie has been halted for the evening,” the North Port Police Department tweeted at 7:11 p.m. ET, just before sunset. “Nothing found. We will be back out Thursday, similar operation.”

The search for Laundrie ramped up Wednesday morning with the introduction of an underwater dive team from the Sarasota Sheriff's Department, known as the Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force. The diving team was reinforced by boats, sonar equipment, K-9 teams, and more.

Personnel from the FBI, the Sarasota Sheriff's Department, North Port Police, have been searching the swampy, inhospitable terrain since Friday, when Laundrie's parents told authorities they had last seen him there.

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It is not an easy search, with water that is often waist deep, and filled with snakes, alligators, mosquitos, and more.

“We are trying to cover every acre of this preserve,” said North Port Police Commander Joe Fussell. “It’s rough out there. It’s hot, it’s wet.”

Laundrie's parents told authorities they last saw him heading out to the preserve on Sept. 14, dressed in hiking gear. Still, some doubt that he was ever there in the first place, because it is such a challenging and dangerous environment. "If he's down there, he's living in hell," local survival expert Mark Burrow told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Laundrie faces the danger of not only of being preyed on by alligators, poisonous snakes, coyotes, bobcats or panthers, but also of dehydration and/or starvation, Burrow said. Nothing in the environment is edible or potable, and the humidity and rain makes it impossible to light any fires.

Burrow said Wednesday if authorities haven't found evidence that Laundrie was in the reserve, it probably means he was never there in the first place. Authorities should have found either tracks leading to him, or signs he was eaten, said Burrow, who teaches people how to survive in the wilderness.

If Laundrie is out of the reserve and still alive, private investigator Danial Maya told the Herald-Tribune he is likely to be spotted because of the widespread national attention to the case. Law enforcement could also use phone records, license plate reading technology, cell signal, credit or debit records, to track him down.

Indeed, police departments are busy debunking a number of internet rumors, including that Laundrie has been sighted based on images from a trail camera in Baker, Florida, that picked up images of a man who matches Laundrie’s description. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook that after an “extensive search” of nearby farmlands that included use of a drone, “no one – and nothing – of note was located.”

Other rumors have suggested Laundrie was sighted in Pooler, Georgia, based on a social media post looking for a man with similar build being sought for financial fraud, according to the North Port Sun.

Related:

• Gabby Petito Family Demands Brian Laundrie Lawyer Remove Photos
• Human Remains Confirmed As Gabby Petito; Death Ruled A Homicide

Agencies put out statements late Tuesday and early Wednesday assuring a restive public that Laundrie has not been sighted.

“We have received a significant amount of requests tonight regarding a possible capture of Brian Landrie,” North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor wrote in an email 11 p.m. Tuesday. “These reports are unfortunately false. Please rest assured that when Brian is found, we will be more than happy to let everyone know.”

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office reiterated on Twitter that Laundrie is not in their custody. “We can confirm we have received reports of ‘suspected sightings’, however, none have been accurate.”

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Despite rumors on social media this evening, #BrianLaundrie is NOT IN THE CUSTODY of our agency at this time. We can confirm we have received reports of “suspected sightings” however, none have been accurate. pic.twitter.com/MrW4bKwuc2
— SarasotaSheriff (@SarasotaSheriff) September 22, 2021

Since Laundrie’s parents reported him missing Friday, police have spent time investigating the reserve, and searching the Laundrie home.

The FBI and the North Port Police also searched the Laundries’ North Port home for evidence Monday. They took several boxes from the home, according to several reports, and towed the Silver Ford Mustang that Laundrie’s parents said he drove to the reserve. His parents left the car at the reserve for two days after he left, in case he needed to drive it home, and drove it home Thursday.

Authorities obtained an additional search warrant to access an external hard drive found in Petito’s van, which was uncovered from the Laundrie home Sept. 11, according to NBC New York. Police say they will release an inventory of what they found in the van later on.

Police are also investigating a series of TikTok videos from Miranda Baker, who said she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride on Aug. 29 in Wyoming. Baker said Laundrie was hitchhiking in Colter Bay, Wyoming, not far from where Petito’s remains were found. Baker said when Laundrie found out she and her boyfriend were going to Jackson Hole, he asked that the vehicle stop, and got out near Jackson Dam, just 30 minutes after he was picked up.

“Her account is plausible, it appears,” North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor told CNN, though the outlet noted that it has not been able to verify Baker’s claims with the FBI.

Police are also investigating further evidence that tension between the couple was mounting prior to Petito’s disappearance, including now viral bodycam footage of a distraught Petito crying to police in Moab, Utah. The Grand County Sheriff’s Office on Monday released an Aug. 12 911 call where a caller says he drove by the couple’s van and saw a man slapping a woman.

A diner at the Merry Piglets restaurant in Jackson Hole told Fox News that she saw Laundrie get so aggressive with staff that Petito had to apologize for him, the same day that Petito's mother got a final text saying simply, "No service in Yosemite."

Nina Celie Angelo says that she and her boyfriend saw Laundrie argue aggressively with staff, presumably over a bill, and then storm out and return four different times. About 4.5 hours later, Angelo said that she and her boyfriend passed the couple's white van just north of town.

Police continue to ask the public for their assistance locating Laundrie. He is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weights 160 pounds. He has brown eyes, short brown hair, and trimmed facial hair. He was last seen wearing a hiking bag with a waist strap.

Anyone with information about Laundrie or Petito is asked to call 800-CALL-FBI, or 800-225-5324.

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