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A 53-year-old hiker told the New York Post he saw Brian Laundrie on Saturday morning.
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Dennis Davis was hiking the Appalachian Trail when a man he now believes to be Laundrie pulled up.
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He said the man, who was driving a truck, was worried and was asking for directions on the side road to California.
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A man said he saw Brian Laundrie on Saturday morning near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, The New York Post reported.
Dennis Davis, 53, told the Post he is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail and a man in a vehicle pulled up beside him to ask for directions on Waterville Road, near the Carolina border of North and Tennessee.
Davis, an engineer from Florida, said he had “no doubt” that the man was Laundrie, a person of interest in the case surrounding the Gabby Petito homicide.
Authorities have been looking for Laundrie since her parents reported her missing from their home in North Port, Florida on September 17, days before Petito’s body was found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Laundrie had been living with his parents since September 1, when he returned alone from his road trip with Petito, his girlfriend. Petito’s family reported his disappearance on September 11.
“There is no doubt in my mind that I spoke to Brian Laundrie – none at all,” Davis told the Post. “Dog the Bounty Hunter’s daughter sent me an audio file of Brian’s voice and the voice was the same as I heard.”
Davis said the man in the vehicle claimed he was “lost” and that he and his girlfriend had an argument and is now traveling to California to see her. Davis said he did not immediately recognize the man and it was only after the interaction that he came to believe it was Laundrie.
“He was worried and didn’t make sense,” Davis told the Post, adding that he had provided instructions but the man wanted to avoid the main freeway and stick to the side roads. David said the man was driving a light-colored van and wearing a dark bandana.
Davis also said he contacted authorities about the interaction but had not heard from the FBI or the police.
The FBI did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
North Carolina Police said they received reports that Laundrie may be hiding on the Appalachian Trail, where he has spent time hiking in the past. However, the Watauga County Sheriff told WSOC-TV on Thursday that there was no reason to believe Laundrie is in the mountains of North Carolina.
Dog the Bounty Hunter, real name Duane Chapman, joined the search for Laundrie last week and said he was following trails and looking for Laundrie near the Appalachian Trail.
Meanwhile, authorities continued to search for laundry facilities in Florida this week.
Possible sightings of Laundrie have also been reported in other parts of the country, although none have been publicly verified. The FBI encourages the public to contact them with advice at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Read the original article on Insider
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