The search for Brian Laundrie, whose fiancé Gabby Petito was found dead in Wyoming after the couple went on a cross-country trip over the summer, continues in an inhospitable Florida nature reserve that may soon prove easier to navigate for teams trying to find him , says the laundries’ family lawyer.
“It seems that the water in the reserve is declining and certain areas are more accessible for search,” Steve Bertolino said.
“The entire Laundrie family is grateful for the hard work of the committed members of law enforcement who have been searching for peace for Brian over the past few weeks. Hopefully Brian will be located soon. ”
Officers from several law enforcement agencies have been searching for Laundrie since Sept. 17, when his family told authorities he left days earlier for the nearby Carlton Reserve, a large nature reserve near the family home in North Port that has been the focus of the search for Laundrie for several weeks now.
Laundrie returned to Florida on September 1 without Petito, and after her disappearance was reported, he and his family rejected the first attempts at law enforcement to speak directly with them.
Laundrie was being monitored by police – as the best authorities could do legally – before he disappeared, North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor told CNN’s Randi Kaye on Thursday.
At the time, Laundrie was not wanted for arrest, and Petito was still missing.
Her remains were discovered Sept. 19 in Teton County, Wyoming.
Laundrie has not been charged with Petito’s death, but he is now the subject of a federal arrest warrant for unauthorized use of another person’s debit card in the days after she last spoke to her family.
Authorities never spoke to Laundrie until he disappeared.
When police were at the family’s home on Sept. 11, the day Petito was reported missing, Laundrie was not seen and there was no way to speak to him, Taylor told CNN.
On Sept. 17, when police spoke to Laundrie’s parents after they reported him missing, they refused to address Petitos’ disappearance, which police described as “odd,” Taylor said.
Laundrie’s parents, who had their lawyer on the speakerphone, would only talk about their son being missing.
In addition, authorities do not have in their possession the phones that Laundrie and Petito had on their trip, Taylor said.
Police searched the van used on the trip that Laundrie was driving back to Florida, but no phone was there, Taylor said.
Laundrie had bought a new phone shortly after returning home, attorney Bertolino told CNN last week.
A source close to the Laundrie family told former CNN Chris Cuomo that Laundrie left their home without his cell phone and wallet, and Bertolino said the FBI is in possession of the new phone.
The FBI has declined to comment to CNN, citing its ongoing investigation.
Laundrie’s father assisted with the search Thursday
Chris Laundrie, Brian’s father, was seen Thursday morning entering the Carlton Reserve after he was asked by police to accompany them on their search, according to Bertolino.
“Chris was asked to point out any favorite trails or places that Brian may have used in the nature reserve,” the lawyer said.
Although the family provided the information they knew in the past, “it is now believed that on-site assistance may be better,” he said.
“Preservation has also been closed to the public and the laundries, but the parents have been cooperating since the search began,” Bertolino said.
“There were no discoveries, but the effort was useful to everyone,” he said.
Police denied on Thursday that a campsite had been found in the reserve during previous search efforts.
This confirmation came after a source close to the Laundrie family told CNN that they were informed by investigators that police had found a discovery.
The source insisted Thursday that the Laundrie family had been told a campsite had been found.
“Is it possible that they thought there might be a campsite out there or something they might have seen from the air, but when they got on the ground, it was not what it turned out to be. “Yes, I think it’s a possibility,” said Taylor, a spokesman for North Port Police.
“The bottom line is that investigators are telling me no campsite was found out there.”
While the search continues, Chris Laundrie and Brian’s mother Roberta believe he is still in the reserve, Bertolino said, and as a result, any public call for him to surrender to the authorities would not reach him.
“In short, the parents believe that Brian was and still is in custody, so there was no reason to make a plea to media to which he has no access,” the lawyer said.
The family hopes Gabby’s life will inspire others
Petito’s body was discovered in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming less than two weeks after she was reported missing, dampening the community’s hope that she would be found alive.
As authorities focused on the search for Laundrie, guards were held in Petito’s honor from Salt Lake City to Wilmington, North Carolina, where a memorial was erected at a restaurant she used to work at, according to CNN-affiliated WWAY.
The loss of Petito was especially felt in North Port when tributes were held in front of the city hall in Florida and on Long Island, where she grew up.
Her father, Joe Petito, described Gabby at the New York Memorial as a “happy girl” who loved the outdoors and made others feel welcome.
“I want you to be inspired by Gabby, that’s what we’re looking for,” he said. “If there is a trip you want to take, take it now. Do it now while you have time.
“If there is a relationship that you are in and that may not be the best for you, leave it now,” he added.
Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, also gave a eulogy, telling the congregation: “Parents must not bury their children. That’s not how it should work. ”
In an interview about “Dr. Phil ”shows this week along with other members of her family, Joe Petito said he believes Laundrie is alive and hiding.
“Because he’s a coward. Flat out. I would use some other words, but I can not use them on your show, ”Petito said.
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