Gabby Petito case: FBI executes search warrant at home of fiancé Brian Laundrie a day after body discovery



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The FBI raided Brian Laundrie’s Florida home on Monday, weeks after his fiancée Gabby Petito went missing. Police believe they discovered Petito is staying in Wyoming this weekend.

Federal agents searched Laundrie’s home on Monday for nearly eight hours, questioning his parents and collecting evidence that could tell them what happened to Petito. The manhunt led them to a nearby nature reserve, but investigators found nothing.

Laundrie was named a person of interest in the Petito case, but investigators were unable to speak to him. Search warrant documents obtained by authorities authorized by CBS News to seize computers, USB drives and other electronic devices.

The couple embarked on a trip across the country in July, documenting their travels in a blog called “Van Life” – but then that 911 call came in August.

Listener: “I would like to report a marital dispute. We walked past and the gentleman was slapping the girl. “

Dispatcher: “He slapped her? “

Listener: “Yes, then we stopped. They ran on the sidewalk. He started hitting her, jumped in the car and they drove away. “

Police arrived at the scene and spoke with the couple, and there were no arrests. An officer who responded wrote in a police report that Petito, Laundrie and a witness all said it was Petito who slapped Laundrie in the face after an argument, and Laundrie then “grabbed her face and pushed her away.” The officer said neither Petito nor Laundrie wanted to press charges.

The couple said they were on their way to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Over the weekend, the FBI discovered human remains that it said “matched” Petito’s description nearby.

“Human remains have been found that match Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito ‘description,” Charles Jones of the FBI said. “The cause of death has not yet been determined.”

The Teton County Coroner’s Office said this should be done with the autopsy on Tuesday, and the FBI Field Office in Denver will release any findings.

Gabby Petito
Officials investigate Brian Laundrie’s home in North Port, Florida on September 20, 2021.

Curt Anderson / AP


In the search warrant request, authorities wrote that text messages Petito sent to his mother appeared to show increasing tension between the couple as the trip progressed. The app did not have specific messages.

On August 27, according to the app, Petito sent a “weird text message” about her grandfather, worded in a way she didn’t speak normally, causing her mother’s concern. According to the app, it was the last text she sent before she disappeared.

Laundrie returned home on September 1 and 10 days later Petito was reported missing.

“It’s a long time for someone to get their act together. We certainly think Brian has an explanation,” said Josh Taylor of the North Port Police Department.

Laundrie’s parents said they had not seen him since September 14. Petito’s family said in a statement that “Brian is not missing, he is in hiding.”

Petito’s friend Rose Davis is also demanding answers. “The first word that came to my mind was ‘coward’, to be honest with you,” she said. “You’re supposed to love her. You’re supposed to marry her. I want to text her and say, ‘Please give me something.'”

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