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19th Sep 2021

Police search underway for missing YouTuber Gabby Petito’s boyfriend

Ellen Fitzpatrick

He was last seen on Tuesday.

Police in the US began a massive search for missing YouTuber Gabby Petito’s fiancé on Saturday after he vanished from his home in Florida.

Following Gabby’s disappearance, Brian Laundrie refused to speak with police officials upon his return to Florida without her after a two-month cross country trip.

Now more than 50 officers and FBI agents are on the hunt for Brian as he is nowhere to be seen and is a person of interest in the case.

Gabby and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set out for a four-month cross-country trip visiting and camping in national parks in a van, according to Gabby’s stepfather Jim Schmidt.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Brian Laundrie (@bizarre_design_)

Their van was pulled over on August 12 after the pair had been fighting, with the bodycam footage showing the 22-year-old crying as she told officers of the situation.

Stopping in Utah, her family claims something went wrong after that and on August 12, police in Moab, Utah, responded to a call of a “domestic problem” when Brian and Gabby had “some sort of argument,” telling her to take a walk and calm down, according to police reports.

Gabby last had contact with her family in late August in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, with Brian arriving alone in Florida on September 1st.

On Thursday, Gabby’s parents released a letter to Brian’s parents asking them to cooperate with police despite their son’s refusal to speak to them.

 

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A post shared by Gabby (@gabspetito)

Drones, sniffer dogs, and all-terrain vehicles are being used in the search, covering more than 100 miles of trails and campsites.

Investigators are using clothes from Laundrie’s parents home in North Port, Florida, for the dogs to use his scent.

“His family says they believe he entered the area earlier this week,” North Port Police tweeted on Saturday.

“Certainly, we prepare for all different possibilities, but you know, our goal is to locate him and bring him back to North Port,” police spokesperson Josh Taylor said.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Brian Laundrie (@bizarre_design_)

Brian’s family also told officers earlier this week that they hadn’t seen their son since Tuesday last.

“For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian’s fiance, Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they have spoken to investigators in detail,” a North Port police statement said.

“It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime.”