TikToker raises funds from subscribers to deploy banners above Brian Laundrie’s house



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A popular TikToker has raised more than $ 5,000 from supporters to display banners above Brian Laundrie’s house in North Port, Fla. That read “End the silence – justice for Gabby” and “Justice 4 Gabby – Tik Tok time’s up “.

This is the latest example of the massive impact social media has had on the case, as amateur sleuths on TikTok, Twitter, Reddit, YouTube and other platforms closely followed the tragic death of Gabby Petito. , 22, and manhunt for 23 years. Brian Laundrie, one year old.

Justin Shepherd collected donations from his more than 330,000 subscribers on TikTok via Venmo, then used the funds to pay a company to fly the banners above the house, where Brian Landrie’s parents have kept a low profile ever since. the start of the case.

“The purpose of the banners was to keep knowledge of the matter,” Shepherd told Fox News. “It’s a bit of a stunt to fly a plane over the house for two hours.”

Justin Shepherd raised funds from his TikTok subscribers to display this banner above Brian Laundrie's home in North Port, Florida.

Justin Shepherd raised funds from his TikTok subscribers to display this banner above Brian Laundrie’s home in North Port, Florida.

Shepherd is one of the countless TikToers who have seen their numbers increase exponentially since the start of the affair.

“I know the internet well, but I’m not knowledgeable enough to distinguish Spotify songs and Instagram photos, but other people have, and they were able to find those clues and breadcrumbs that were left behind. along the way, “Shepherd said.” I think that’s another reason this case has been so compelling. ”

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Gabby’s parents praised social media and thanked users for their efforts.

“Put your differences aside and focus 100% on finding that family member. Use social media. Use them. Call the news. Ask them to help you,” Nichole Schmidt said this week. , Gabby’s mother, to Dr Phil about advice for other parents. of missing persons. “Put their faces out there. There are people out there who want to help. You just worked. It takes a lot of work.”

TikTok has been one of the most popular platforms with over 1.4 billion views on the #GabbyPetito hashtag, but there are also over 146,000 members of the Gabby Petito feed on Reddit and countless YouTube videos on the. topic.

Miranda Baker, who has more than 331,000 subscribers on TikTok, said in a video series on September 17 that she and her boyfriend picked up Laundrie on August 29 while hitchhiking in Wyoming. .

After seeing Baker’s video, Norma Jean Jalovec says she realized she also picked Laundrie on August 29 and dropped him off later that evening at the scattered campsite in Spread Creek, where Petito’s remains were found from weeks later.

The two women said they spoke to law enforcement about their meetings.

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Gabby documented her travels on Instagram and wanted to become a Van Life YouTuber, posting her first video on August 19 which chronicled her travels with Brian Laundrie.

Another YouTube channel, a family of pickup trucks calling themselves “Red White & Bethune”, was editing a video last month when they realized they had seen Petito’s van in the scattered camping area. from Spread Creek in Grand Teton National Park on August 27.

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Shepherd has said his supporters want to make a third banner, but for now he encourages them to donate to the Gabby Petito Foundation, which his family recently established.

Meanwhile, authorities are still searching for Laundrie, whose parents told police on September 17 that they had not seen him for a few days.

Fox News’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

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