Gabby Petito: Police remove Brian Laundrie’s parents and declare home crime scene
Police and FBI have executed a search warrant at the Laundrie family home, and declared the site a “crime scene”
Police have removed Brian Laundrie’s parents from their Florida home and declared the property a “crime scene”.
A convoy of five vehicles arrived at the street where the Laundrie home is located in North Port at about 9:45am on Monday morning and cordoned off the surrounding area.
Moments later, FBI agents arrived to execute the warrant, and could be heard saying “search warrant” and “you’re in a crime scene”.
Brian Laundrie’s father Christopher could be seen being led from the house by FBI agents.
He and wife Roberta Laundrie were being held in a parked police van in the driveway as officers conducted the search.
In a tweet, the FBI said it was “executing a court-authorized search warrant today at the Laundrie residence in North Port, FL relevant to the Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito investigation.”
“No further details can be provided since this is an active and ongoing investigation,” the FBI said.
#UPDATE: The #FBI is executing a court-authorized search warrant today at the Laundrie residence in North Port, FL relevant to the Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito investigation. No further details can be provided since this is an active and ongoing investigation. @FBIDenver pic.twitter.com/uxrtVNIZ4u
— FBI Tampa (@FBITampa) September 20, 2021
Mr Laundrie, 23, was named a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend Gabby Petito, 22, whose remains were found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on Sunday.
Ms Petito was last seen alive on August 24 and her parents last spoke to her the next day.
Earlier on Monday, authorities called off their search for Mr Laundrie in the Florida reserve where he is believed to have fled to last week.
North Port Police said on Monday they have no plans to carry out a major search of the Carlton Reserve near his parent’s home again today as they have “exhausted all avenues” there, Fox News reported.
“At this time, we currently believe we have exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there,” North Port Police spokesman Josh Taylor said.
“Law enforcement agencies continue to search for Brian Laundrie.”
Police had faced criticism for not placing Mr Laundrie under surveillance.
Mr Laundrie returned to his home on September 1 and refused to co-operate with authorities searching for his missing girlfriend.
He hasn’t been seen since leaving his parents home six days ago.
An attorney for the Laundrie family reportedly told ABC7 that he said he was going on a hike in the nearby Carlton Reserve, and failed to return to his parents’ home, which he and Ms Petito had shared together.
When they went looking for him on Wednesday, his family found only his vehicle parked by the reserve, which spans more than 24,000 acres and is located just north of his parents’ home.
Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie attorney, said police had put a note on the vehicle asking for it to be removed, and the family were said to have left it until Thursday, in case he returned to it.
On Sunday, investigators announced they had found a body “consistent” with that of Ms Petito – eight days after she was reported missing on 11 September, and a nationwide police search.
The location where the body was found was not far from where a van belonging to Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie was filmed by two passers-by, along a dirt road near Spread Creek, Wyoming, on 27 August.