Search For Gabby Petito: Camp Area Closed, Distance Asked By FBI

UPDATE 11:05 p.m.: The FBI Denver Field Office announced the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, on the east boundary of Grand Teton National Park, is “closed to the public and will remain closed until surveys” related to the search for former Long Islander Gabrielle Petito are done, the agency tweeted late Saturday.

The office, and its Wyoming law enforcement partners, including the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, the Teton County Sheriff's office, and the Jackson Police Department, have been conducting ground surveys at the area on Saturday, according to the FBI’s Twitter feed.

The FBI is seeking help from anyone who may have used the camping area between the dates of Aug. 27-30 and may have had contact with Petito or Brian Laundrie, or who may have seen her white camper van, to contact the agency at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

While the FBI cannot comment further on the specifics of the investigation, the agency “will provide updates and request additional assistance from the public when it’s “appropriate to do so,” according to its Twitter feed.

DENVER, CO — Investigators are asking the public to take a step back while they undertake ground surveys of Grand Teton National Park that are relevant to the disappearance of former Long Islander Gabrielle Petito, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Denver field office said Saturday.

The FBI and its partners at the National Park Service, Teton County Sheriff's Office, and the Jackson Police Department are currently conducting ground surveys in "areas" of the park, the office tweeted Saturday afternoon.

"This is an active and ongoing investigation, so we ask the public to maintain distance from any law enforcement personnel, equipment, vehicles, and their related activity for the safety of the public in these remote areas and to protect the integrity of our work," the office said.

In another tweet, the office notes that if it has any updates or requests for assistance from the public, it will "share that information in a timely manner," adding, "We appreciate your cooperation and support as we work to bring Gabby home."

The search for Petito is part of a massive missing person investigation — spanning several states — that is underway to locate Petito, who went missing on a road trip with Brian Laundrie, who also now cannot be located.

Police have been searching for Petito since she was reported missing by her family to her hometown police department in Suffolk on Sept. 11. Laundrie has not spoken to police about Petito's disappearance. North Port police, who are now leading the investigation, were called to Laundrie's parents' home on Friday and were told that they had not seen him for three days.

Investigators are now investigating two missing person cases, police said early Saturday, quick to reiterate that Laundrie, though a person of interest, is not wanted in connection with a crime.

Police in Utah said on Friday that a double homicide they are investigating is not connected to Petito's disappearance.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now working with law enforcement, in coordination with the National Park Service, as well the Teton County Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson Police Department in Wyoming, and other state and local law enforcement agencies across the United States to investigate the disappearance of Petito, according to the FBI.

The twenty-two-year-old Petito, formerly of Blue Point, was last known to be in the area of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in late August. She had been on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie visiting national parks in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

Laundrie returned home without Petito on Sept. 11 and her van was later recovered at the home he shared with her and his parents in North Port, FL. Police began a search of the vast Carlton Preserve in Venice, FL, on Saturday morning.

Petito and Laundrie had been traveling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with a variety of stickers on the back. The van, which is registered to Petito with Florida plate QFTGO3.

The FBI released a new missing person flyer on Friday with additional photographs of Petito and her van, as well as a physical description of her. It can be viewed here.

If you have information regarding this case, such as potential sightings, photos, videos, or other details concerning Petito, tips can be submitted anonymously online at tips.fbi.gov or by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 303-629-7171. Images and videos may also be submitted to fbi.gov/petito. Tipsters can also contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.