Police are investigating a possible sighting of ‘person of interest’ Brian Laundrie after receiving a report that someone resembling the fiancé of missing van-lifer Gabby Petito was spotted in a wooded area 500 miles from his Florida home on Tuesday.
Sam Bass told police that he spotted a man who bore a resemblance to Laundrie while he set up his deer camera in the wilderness in Baker, Florida in Okaloosa County early on Monday morning.
But the local sheriff’s office said that it followed up on the report and ‘no one – and nothing – of note was located.’
‘The OCSO did its due diligence in response to this report and is wrapping up an extensive search that took place in this area to include nearby farmlands,’ the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
‘No one – and nothing – of note was located. The individual referenced in the post below has no known ties to our area.’
The photo image provided to police by Bass shows a man with a backpack as he is walking through the woods in the Florida Panhandle.
The man appears to have the same physical features as Laundrie, including a slim build and a bald head.
There does not appear to be any resemblance between the backpack worn by the man spotted on Monday and that worn by Laundrie when he and his fiancee were stopped by police in Utah on August 12.
The backpack worn by the unidentified man appears to be light-colored while Laundrie was seen wearing a dark-colored REI Co-op Stuff Travel Pack when he and Petito were stopped by police in Moab, Utah last month.
Sam Bass told police that he spotted a man (above) who bore a resemblance to Brian Laundrie while he set up his deer camera in the wilderness in Baker, Florida early on Monday morning
The photo image provided to police by Bass shows a man with a backpack as he is walking through the woods. The man appears to have the same physical features as Laundrie, including a slim build and a bald head
There does not appear to be any resemblance between the backpack worn by the man spotted on Monday (left) and that worn by Laundrie when he and his fiancee were stopped by police in Utah on August 12 (right). The backpack worn by the unidentified man appears to be light-colored while Laundrie was seen wearing a dark-colored REI Co-op Stuff Travel Pack when he and Petito were stopped by police in Moab, Utah last month
Laundrie is being sought for questioning by federal and local authorities in the disappearance of Long Island van-lifer Gabby Petito (pictured)
‘I’m not saying this is the guy but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fl strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie, authorites have been contacted but people in the North West Florida area be on the look out,’ Bass wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday
The alleged sighting took place some 500 miles from Laundrie’s North Port, Florida home. North Port Police on Tuesday resumed a search for Laundrie at the Carlton Reserve, a swampy region where he is last believed to have visited before his disappearance last week
‘I’m not saying this is the guy but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fl strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie, authorities have been contacted but people in the North West Florida area be on the look out,’ Bass wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
The OCSO released a statement on Tuesday which read: ‘Yes we wanted to let you know we are aware of this report and are actively checking it out.
‘There is no confirmation of this information. Obviously we will keep everyone in the loop if and when there is anything to report.’
Gabby Petito, 22, is pictured with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, in a YouTube video made to document their ‘van life’ trip
Petito was last seen alive on August 24 leaving a hotel with Laundrie in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the couple’s cross-country campervan trip
The pair had been travelling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11
Multiple sightings of Laundrie have been reported in recent days but it is not clear if any have been confirmed.
Multiple people have reported sightings of a man fitting Laundrie’s description in the Mobile, Alabama area, with many posting about their suspicions online.
The city is more than 600 miles northwest of his home in North Port, Florida.
Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Captain Paul Burch told Fox 10 News he does not believe Laundrie had any connections to the area.
Rumors of Laundrie’s whereabouts have since flooded social media, with some speculating he may have been a body which was found in a dumpster outside of a Walmart in Mobile over the weekend.
But police on Monday said they have been investigating the reports, but none have turned up anything of substance.
The body in the dumpster, they said, belonged to an unidentified homeless man.
Authorities renewed their search on Tuesday of a swampy preserve area near Laundrie’s home.
Police in North Port, Florida, said Tuesday morning that investigators have returned to the Carlton Reserve to look for Laundrie, 23.
Investigators searched the 24,000-acre Florida nature preserve over the weekend without success.
Florida police have deployed ATVs and drones to a snake and alligator-infested swampland as they resumed their search for van-life woman Gabby Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie
Cops in ATVs were seen heading into the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve in Florida to search for Laundrie on Tuesday
Four ATVs were seen heading to the swampy area in this photo, as part of the huge search operation to try and find Laundrie
North Port Police shared these images showing officers sending drones operated by remote controls up in the air
They focused on the area after Laundrie’s parents told police he may have gone there.
Florida police deployed ATVs and drones to the snake and alligator-infested swampland.
Commander Joe Fussell said on the video: ‘The terrain is very difficult. Essentially 75 per cent of it is under water.
‘And other areas that are dry, we’re trying to clear. So we’re expecting to get wet by the end of the day and check the entire area for Brian Laundrie.’
He also revealed the searchers ‘have multiple drone operators that have been sent out in numerous teams.
‘We also have drones that operate as higher altitude that has more advanced technology to zoom in and to see areas that are difficult to access on foot or in wheeled vehicles as well.’
The body believed to be that of Petito was discovered at a Wyoming national park on Sunday.
On Monday, the FBI went to Laundrie’s parents’ home in North Port and removed several boxes and towed away a car neighbors said Laundrie’s mother typically used.
Police announced Tuesday its officers had returned to the ‘vast and unforgiving’ Carlton Reserve to continue the search
More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI are using huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones
Laundrie and Petito had been living with his parents at the North Port home before the road trip on which she died.
ALABAMA COPS INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE LAUNDRIE SIGHTINGS
Multiple people have reported sightings of a man fitting Brian Laundrie’s description in the Mobile, Alabama area
Multiple people have reported sightings of a man fitting Laundrie’s description in the Mobile, Alabama area, with many posting about their suspicions online.
The city is more than 600 miles northwest of his home in North Port, Florida.
Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Captain Paul Burch told FOX 10 News he does not believe Laundrie had any connections to the area.
Rumors of Laundrie’s whereabouts have since flooded social media, with some speculating he may have been a body which was found in a dumpster outside of a Walmart in Mobile over the weekend.
But police on Monday said they have been investigating the reports, but none have turned up anything of substance.
The body in the dumpster, they said, belonged to an unidentified homeless man.
The young couple had set out in July in a converted van to visit national parks in the West.
They got into a fight along the way, and Laundrie was alone when he returned in the van to his parents’ home on September 1, police said.
In Wyoming, the FBI announced on Sunday that agents had discovered a body on the edge of Grand Teton National Park, which the couple had visited.
No details on the cause of death were released. An autopsy was set for Tuesday.
‘Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified,’ FBI agent Charles Jones said.
Laundrie has been named a person of interest in the case, but his whereabouts in recent days were unknown.
Petito’s father, Joseph, posted on social media an image of a broken heart above a picture of his daughter, with the message: ‘She touched the world.’
Petito was last seen alive August 24 leaving a motel in Salt Lake City in Utah with Laundrie during the cross-country campervan trip that she and Laundrie had set out on back in early July.
She was then last heard from the next day when she called her mom.
Laundrie arrived back in North Port alone on September 1 in their van and Petito was reported missing September 11 by her family.
Laundrie refused to cooperate with investigators or tell them when he had last seen his girlfriend and was named a person of interest in her disappearance last Wednesday – four days before a body was discovered.
Laundrie’s parents then made the stunning revelation Friday that he too had vanished and that they had not seen him since Tuesday – when he allegedly left their home with a backpack saying he was heading to the reserve.
On Monday, a dramatic FBI raid was executed on the Laundrie family home and the 23-year-old’s silver Ford Mustang convertible was seized by authorities.
Steven Berolino, an attorney for the family, told ABC7 the family went looking for Laundrie on Wednesday and found the Mustang, which had a police note on it demanding that the vehicle be removed from the area.
The family initially left the car there so Laundrie could drive it back, but they returned on Thursday to retrieve it, according to Bertolino.
Gabby’s transit van was filmed by a Youtuber on August 27th at the Spread Creek campsite, and the remains were found not far from where the van was photographed
DailyMail.com exclusively found the location where Gabby’s transit van was filmed by a Youtuber on August 27th at the Spread Creek campsite
The undeveloped campground is popular with tourists though it has no water or trash service. Above, a sign points to the area
The memorial is placed near to where authorities found a body believed to belong to Gabby Petito, 22
A memorial of stones arranged in a cross pattern was spotted Monday evening at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campsite east of the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming
North Port Police Public Information Officer Josh Taylor said Tuesday morning search teams were up against the elements as they returned to the nature reserve to continue the ‘dangerous work’ to track down Laundrie.
Taylor said heavy rains the day before has left much of the swampland ‘waist-deep in water’.
‘Carlton Reserve is a vast and unforgiving location at times. It is currently waist-deep in water in many areas,’ he said.
‘This is dangerous work for the search crews as they are wading through gator and snake infested swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails.’
As well as local police and the FBI, other agencies involved in the search include Florida Wildlife Commission, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Sarasota Police Department and Venice Police Department.
The search began on Saturday, starting at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park which is linked to the Carlton Reserve.
But the focus has now switched to covering the area closer to the city of Venice, along with adjoining lands, said Taylor.
It is not clear whether authorities have receive intel directing them to this part of the reserve.
Sarasota County Sheriff’s Deputies and FBI Agents are seen at the Carlton Reserve Tuesday morning amid the search
The nature reserve is about five miles from the home in North Port that Laundrie shared with his parents and Petito
North Port Police Public Information Officer Josh Taylor said Tuesday morning search teams were up against the elements as they returned to the nature reserve to continue the ‘dangerous work’ to track down Laundrie
‘A weekend ground search and aerial search Monday of the 25,000-acre preserve has yet to yield any answers, but we must press on,’ said Taylor.
North Port Police tweeted photos of searchers assembling for a briefing early Tuesday, announcing the efforts are: ‘By land. By air.’
Photos show teams driving buggies through dense foliage and police officers using remotes to operate drones going up into the air.
Dozens of law enforcement vehicles were also seen at the entrance to the nature reserve.
The reserve is currently closed until further notice while the search is ongoing.
The renewed search follows the Laundrie’s home being busted by around 25 law enforcement officers Monday, the majority FBI agents wearing bulletproof vests and wielding drawn weapons.
Dailymail.com was up close to the action, just feet away as the FBI swooped on the single-story house – with shouts of ‘search warrant, search warrant’ clearly heard and the area declared a crime scene.
An FBI team in tactical gear – carrying a battering ram, a blast shield and with weapons drawn – lined up along the wall close to the front door.
Seconds later other agents swiftly led Laundrie’s parents Christopher Laundrie, 62, and wife Roberta, 55, out of the home and into a waiting black Dodge Caravan minivan.
The FBI team outside then swarmed into the house, followed by other agents, some wielding rifles while other agents checked outside areas.
At one point, it appeared they might be looking for Laundrie. Five agents – one with a blast shield – surrounded a lid-topped storage before the lid was carefully lifted and an agent deliberately pointed his pistol down inside.
After 10 minutes the Laundries were allowed back in their home, looking solemn and with their heads down. They were not handcuffed.
The couple’s camper van top, which was sat on stilts on their driveway, was also searched – before Laundrie’s Ford Mustang was towed away for forensic examination.
Agents spent five hours meticulously going through the property before leaving with boxes and boxes of evidence.
Over in Wyoming, a makeshift memorial of white stones arranged in a cross was seen Monday evening in the spot where the human remains are thought to have been discovered at the weekend.
The spot with the stone crosses is just east of Grand Teton National Park where law enforcement had been searching for Petito. It is not clear when the memorial was arranged.