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ORLANDO, Fla .– Police searched an extensive Florida wildlife sanctuary Saturday for Brian Laundrie, 23, a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, as the FBI across the country searched for clues about the missing woman in a national park mountainous area of Wyoming.
More than 50 North Port police officers, FBI agents and members of other law enforcement agencies searched the 24,000-acre (9,712-hectare) Carlton Reservation in Sarasota, Fla., On the gulf coast.
Authorities have used drones, sniffer dogs and all-terrain vehicles in the reserve, which has more than 160 kilometers of trails, as well as campgrounds. Investigators took some of her clothes from her parents’ home on Friday night to scent the search dogs.
“His family say they believe he entered the area earlier this week,” North Port police tweeted on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the FBI in Denver said on Saturday that officers were conducting ground investigations in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, with the help of the National Park Service and local law enforcement, looking for clues about Petito’s disappearance. His last known contact with family members was from the national park known for its mountainous terrain.
Laundrie and Petito, 22, left in July for a hike across the country in a converted van to visit the national parks of the western United States. Police said Laundrie was alone when he returned the van to his parents’ home in North Port, Fla. On September 1. Petito’s family filed a September 11 missing persons report with police in Suffolk County, New York.
Florida investigators were hoping Laundrie was somewhere in the wildlife preserve near Sarasota. Depending on his skills, he could survive on the reserve for a period of time, police spokesman Josh Taylor said at a press conference.
“Sure we’re preparing for all the different possibilities, but you know our goal is to locate it and bring it back to North Port,” Taylor said.
Laundrie’s family told officers earlier that they had not seen him since Tuesday. Police said Friday night’s conversation was the first time they had discussed the matter in detail with the laundries and the meeting was held at the request of the family. A family lawyer called FBI investigators and said they wanted to talk about Laundrie’s disappearance, police said.
Investigators were trying to verify the story told by Laundrie’s family members that they believe the reservation is where he went with only a backpack, Taylor said. A mystery is how Laundrie got to the reservation. Family members told investigators he took his car, but the vehicle was found at his family’s home, not on the reserve.
Earlier, North Port Police said in a statement they understood the community’s frustration with the lack of progress in the search for the missing woman.
“We are also frustrated,” the statement said. “For the past six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have begged the family to contact investigators regarding Brian’s fiancée, Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they’ve spoken to investigators in detail.”
Laundrie has been identified as a person of interest in the case.
“It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, he is not wanted for a felony,” North Port Police said in a statement Friday. He added that the investigation is now a matter of “several missing persons”.
Brian Laundrie’s attorney, Steven Bertolino, did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment on Friday night.
Lawyers for the Petito family released a statement saying Laundrie was not “missing”.
“Gabby’s whole family wants the world to know Brian hasn’t gone missing, he’s in hiding.” Gabby is missing, ”the statement from Richard B. Stafford’s law firm said.
Earlier in the week, Petito’s family begged the Laundrie family to tell them where their son last saw her. Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met growing up in Long Island, New York. His parents then moved to North Port, about 55 kilometers south of Sarasota.
The couple’s hike in the Fort Transit van began in July from Long Island. They intended to reach Oregon by the end of October according to their social media accounts, but Petito disappeared after his last known contact with his family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, the authorities announced.
Police video released by the Moab Utah Police Department showed an officer stopped the van on August 12 after he was seen speeding up and hitting a sidewalk near the entrance to the Arches National Park. Body camera video showed an emotional Petito, who sat inside a police car while officers also questioned Laundrie.
In the end, Moab Police decided not to lay any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking in at a motel and Petito staying with the converted van bed.
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