Gabby Petito’s search expands to Grand Teton as Brian Laundrie searches an alligator infested area

The search for Gabby Petito continues, as does a separate search for his fiancée, Brian Laundrie, thousands of miles away. On Saturday, the Denver FBI announced that it had extended the search for Petito to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Petito, 22, is said to have disappeared during a visit to the park with Laundrie in August. She was first reported missing on September 11.

She was reportedly last seen on August 24 at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Salt Lake City. The couple were on their way from Utah’s Arches National Park to Grand Teton. It was during this trip that she was last in contact with her family via Facetime on August 25.

The FBI confirmed extending the search via Twitter on Saturday. The office also urged the public to “stay away from any law enforcement personnel, equipment, vehicles and their related activities” while the investigation is ongoing.

“The #FBI and our partners in the National Park Service, Teton County Sheriff’s Office and Jackson Police Department are currently conducting ground investigations in areas of Grand Teton National Park that are relevant to the investigation of Gabrielle Petito’s disappearance, “the tweet reads.

Grand Teton National Park covers approximately 310,000 acres in northwestern Wyoming.

Meanwhile, the search continues for Laundrie, 23, in North Port, Florida. Her family reported her missing in the city on Friday. Since then, dozens of FBI agents, police and others have explored the Carlton Reservation, which spans more than 24,000 acres in Venice, Florida.

Speaking to Fox News reporters, a man who lives near the Carlton Preserve said its waters are teeming with alligators.

“There is so much space here,” the man can be heard say in a video posted to Twitter, in response to a question about the challenges law enforcement faces in his search for laundry. Shortly after, he reports an alligator visible in a nearby body of water.

Police have brought in search dogs and amphibious swamp strollers to aid them in their search for the Carlton Reservation.

Although Laundrie’s state of health remains unknown, Petito’s family said they believed he was “hiding” to escape law enforcement and did not fail in the same way as their girl.

“Brian is not missing, he is in hiding. Gabby is missing,” the family said through the law firm representing them.

Earlier this week, the Moab, Utah City Police Department released body camera footage of an interaction with the couple on August 12. Officers had responded to an altercation between the two, with Petito claiming that Laundrie had locked her out of their van and told him to calm down. The two were instructed to “stay away from each other” for the remainder of the night.

Petito had been active before his demise as a travel YouTuber working in the “van life” genre.