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The FBI said it was executing a search warrant on Monday morning at the home of Brian Laundry – the man according to the police is a person of interest in the death of his fiancée, Gabby Petito. A body that would be that of Petito was discovered over the weekend in a Wyoming national park the couple visited, and investigators searched for Laundrie.
“The #FBI Today is executing a court-authorized search warrant at Laundrie’s residence in North Port, Florida, regarding Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito’s investigation. No further details can be provided as this is an active and ongoing investigation ”, the office tweeted.
Laundrie’s parents were held in an unmarked vehicle and then allowed inside as the search continued, a CBS News team reported at the scene.
CBS affiliate WTSP reported that police put a crime scene tape around the Laundrie family home early Monday. Video shot by local media showed FBI officers and agents arriving at the house, some with guns.
Earlier Monday, police said they had suspended searches at a Florida nature reserve for laundry. The North Port Police Department said in a press release that the agency “is not currently planning to conduct a major search” on the 24,000-acre Carlton Reservation in Sarasota County, Fla., And that the agents had “exhausted all avenues of search for land”. the.”
Police later said “law enforcement continues to search for Brian Laundrie.”
As of Sunday evening, a large police presence was still at the Laundrie family’s home in North Port, where Laundrie’s silver Mustang was parked in the driveway, CBS affiliate WTSP reported.
Last week, Laundrie’s attorney told WTSP his whereabouts were “currently unknown,” adding that Laundrie was last seen by his parents on the morning of Tuesday, September 14.
Investigators focused intensely over the weekend on the wildlife area after Laundrie’s parents told police he may have been there last week. The reserve has over 100 miles of trails and numerous campgrounds.
In Wyoming, the FBI announced Sunday that a body found in northern Wyoming is believed to be 22-year-old Petito. The body was found by officers searching campsites on the eastern border of Grand Teton National Park.
“Saddened and heartbroken to learn Gabby has been found dead”, North Port Police Department tweeted. “Our goal from the start, along with the FBI and domestic partners, has been to bring her home. We will continue to work with the FBI in finding more answers.”
The cause of death has not yet been determined, said FBI Special Surveillance Agent Charles Jones. Details of where and how the body was found were not disclosed.
“Full forensic identification has not been done to 100% confirm that we have found Gabby, but her family has been made aware,” Jones said. “It is an incredibly difficult time for (Petito) family and friends.”
Jones and other law enforcement officials declined to answer questions at a Sunday night press conference in Grand Teton announcing the discovery of the body.
An undeveloped camping area on the east side of Grand Teton, bordering national forest lands, will remain closed until further notice while the investigation continues, Jones said.
Jones said investigators were still seeking information from anyone who might have seen Petito or Laundrie around campsites in the Spread Creek area, where law enforcement search efforts were focused over the weekend.
Petito’s father, Joseph, posted on social media the image of a broken heart above a photo of his daughter with a message saying: “She touched the world.”
A lawyer who acted as a spokesperson for Petito’s family asked in a statement that the family be given an opportunity to mourn. Attorney Richard Benson Stafford said the family would make a public statement at a later date, and thanked officials from the FBI, Grand Teton Search and Rescue and other agencies who were involved in the search for Petito.
“The family and I will be forever grateful,” Stafford said in a statement.
The couple set out in July for a cross-country hike in a converted pickup truck to visit national parks in the western United States. Laundrie was alone when he drove the van back to his parents’ home in North Port, Fla. On September 1, police said.
Petito’s family filed a September 11 missing persons report with Suffolk County Police in New York.
Petito’s family had begged the Laundrie family to tell them where their son had last seen her. Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met growing up in Long Island, New York. His parents then moved to North Port, about 35 miles south of Sarasota.
The couple’s ride in the Ford Transit began in July from Long Island. They intended to reach Oregon by the end of October, according to their social media accounts. But Petito went missing after his last known contact with his family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, authorities said.
Police video released by the Moab Utah Police Department showed that an officer stopped the van on August 12 after being seen driving at high speed and hitting a sidewalk near the entrance to Arches National Park. Body camera video showed an emotional Petito, who sat inside a police car while officers also questioned Laundrie.
Moab Police ultimately 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 sleeper.
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