Brian Laundrie’s parents say they drove his car home after he disappeared on hike but cops ‘haven’t corroborated story’
BRIAN Laundrie's parents say they drove his car home from a Florida wildlife reserve after he "failed to return from a hike" - days before they reported him missing.
Police towed away from his parents' home in North Port after they executed a search warrant Monday morning.
The FBI had removed from the home as more than 20 agents went inside and took out "a lot of stuff" including "boxes and boxes" of evidence, as reported by NewsNation’s .
It's believed that Laundrie may have driven the Mustang when he allegedly went for a hike in a 25,000 acre nature reserve in the Sarasota area on Tuesday, the last time his family says they saw him.
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Laundrie's parents reportedly told police they realized Brian hadn't come back from his hike "on Wednesday or Thursday," and that's when they went to pick up the Mustang and .
When asked by local reporter Brian Entin if Laundrie's parents could be leading them in the wrong direction, police said they are "working to corroborate their story."
"They did not say 'we believe the parents or we know for sure that Brian was hiking in this reserve'," shared Entin.
, which requested it be removed, but the family left the vehicle there until Thursday, hoping Laundrie would return to it, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino told the .
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However, a video appears to show the car parked on the Laundrie’s driveway Wednesday, according to a report.
And footage from reporter Brian Entin appeared to show the Mustang convertible back in the driveway on Wednesday night.
Laundrie's parents remained at their Florida home as of Monday night.
A started Saturday morning but was called off by police Monday, who said they had “exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there.”
As part of the search police also gained access to a hard drive found in the van belonging to Gabby Petito as details have emerged of the from her phone.
The search warrant filing also includes the last message Petito's mother received from her phone, which reads: "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls."
Petito's mother said "Stan" was meant to refer to Petito's grandfather, but since she rarely calls him by that name, she found the text "odd."
Petito's phone was turned off later that day after the text was sent.
HARD DRIVE SEIZED
According to the filing, the hard drive may also contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed," .
The hard drive was recovered from the same van that Brian Laundrie drove back to Florida alone from Wyoming 10 days before Petito was reported missing.
The warrant was granted based upon new information suggesting Petito was "unable to care for herself due to her increased anxiety," including footage of police stopping Petito and Laundrie on a Utah highway after they received a 911 call about the couple.
In the video, and anxious as she describes a recent fight with Laundrie.
The search for Laundrie continues after he was declared a “person of interest” last week in the disappearance of .
LAUNDRIE BRIEFING CANCELED
Meanwhile, Laundrie's attorney canceled a planned press conference scheduled for Tuesday.
“As per my conversation with the FBI this evening there will be no press conference tomorrow," Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino told NewsNation.
The latest developments in the bizarre case came after in Grand Teton National Park, where 22-year-old Petito had been camping with Laundrie when she disappeared.
The vlogger had been traveling across since July and was last seen on August 24 leaving a hotel with her fiancé.
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They visited national parks and tourist attractions, documenting their trip on social media before she went missing.
On September 1, Laundrie returned home to Florida in their white van, without Petito, got a lawyer, and declined to speak to the police.
Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito's disappearance:
- June 2021 - set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 - posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
- July 8 - Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
- July 18 - Gabby and post photos of themselves at Utah's Zion National Park.
- August 12 - in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 - on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip. The video receives more than 200,000 views.
- August 24 - Gabby is last spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- September 1 - Brian returns home to without Gabby.
- September 11 - report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 15 - Florida's North Port police announce in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 - Utah police release of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 - say they have not seen their son in a couple of days.
- September 18 - Police announc. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 - Authorities in Wyoming say . The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby's but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
- September 20 - Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie's home, seizing and a hard drive that may contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed."
- September 21 - Officials announce they will be on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
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