Six bizarre Brian Laundrie behaviors from reading about serial killers, barefoot hikes, bloody art, & strange playlists
GABBY Petito's fiancé Brian Laundrie displayed a series of bizarre behaviors before he vanished which may help to provide clues about where he is now, experts say.
Laundrie, 23, has now been missing for more than a month. He's said to have disappeared on September 13 after telling his parents he was going hiking in a Florida nature reserve.
His parents reported him missing to the police on September 17. Two days later, Gabby's remains were found at a campsite near the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, where she and Brian weeks earlier.
A coroner's report later confirmed she'd been
Laundrie is not yet considered a suspect in her death but he is the sole person of interest. He is also wanted for fraud charges after allegedly using a bank card belonging to Gabby in late August when she's already believed to have been killed.
As the search for him continues, a renowned psychologist told that there are some clues in his behavior prior to Gabby's death that may help to answer the question that's currently on the minds of many: is he dead or is he still alive?
'NARCISSISM'
Dr. James Huysman, a Florida-based psychologist and Cheif Compassion Officer for WellMed, says he sees plenty of personality disorders in Laundrie.
"This is pretty much something that happens in America and around the world, pretty much under the radar," Dr. Huysman said after watching now-infamous bodycam footage of Brian Laundrie during a domestic violence incident also involving Gabby in Utah.
While conceding it's improper to diagnose him from afar, Huysman said the report and video show signs of narcissism in Laundrie that could lead to an abusive relationship.
The incident in Moab, on August 12, was spurred after a witness called police to tell them he'd before the pair got into a van and drove away.
Gabby is seen uncontrollably crying as she attempts to tell police what happened between her and Laundrie. She admits that Brian did hit her, but only after she hit him first.
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Laundrie, meanwhile, was seen smiling and laughing with police, seemingly unemotional, Huysman believes.
, Laundrie denies striking Gabby and instead claims only to have pushed her in a bid to fend her off.
"In terms of this disorder, they have no core values," Huysman said of someone who might display narcissistic behaviors.
He added that this knowledge can indicate how a person like that might react under the kind of pressure investigators are putting on Laundrie now.
"They are very likely to run away, to hide, to think they can get away with it," Huysman said.
But narcissists do have a breaking point, he said.
"This is a time when self-harm issues or suicide can be triggered," he explained.
Answering as to whether he believes the 23-year-old is still alive, Huysman said that depends on the extent of any possible personality disorders.
"There's a lot of pointing fingers. ‘I didn't do it… I'm not accountable.’ But there are also those times alone when you can't deny what's happening in my life is it's entirely falling apart," he said.
'SERIAL KILLER'
Investigators have spent weeks searching the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County for Laundrie, the 24,000-acre park he told his parents he was heading to before vanishing on September 13.
So far, the extensive search efforts - which have included a large drone and a - have yielded no concrete leads.
TV investigator Dog the Bounty Hunter and his team, meanwhile, have been scouring Fort De Soto Park for traces of Laundrie. The search has so far proved equally as fruitless.
Speaking in an , Dog wildly speculated that Laundrie may have been a "serial killer", pointing to what he called an obsession with the "dark side" and a "demonic past."
Dog's remarks come in reference to a series of violent and dark novels Brian had been reading before and during his ill-fated cross-country road trip with Petito.
"I’m thinking more and more about him being maybe a serial killer, not just a killer of Gabby. The books he read are unbelievable," he said.
Dog recalled that he would get “mad” at his kids for reading the Dungeon and Dragons stories as he’s a believer in Jesus.
The reality TV star claimed: “A couple of the books that he's been reading are 10 times worse than Dungeon and Dragons. This kid, Brian has taken those books, obviously to heart.
“And this is what happens when your kid is looking at those kinds of things.
“He just overnight just didn't become a killer. A killer is made, and he is built to be or she, a killer.
“He built himself to be that by looking at that kind of, let's say the dark side stuff. There are pictures of demons all over it."
'DARK SIDE'
Internet sleuths previously uncovered
The read the horror-satire novel Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk.
He said: “Reading is different than any other consumption of media, it takes more effort than staring at a screen half alive, it allows you to use your brain rather than melt it, and there is no author more stimulation to me than Chuck Palahniuk.”
Lullaby, published in 2002, tells the story of journalist Carl Streator, who is writing an article about crib death when he notices a strange connection between the deaths of the babies and those of his own wife and infant.
He then finds out that his wife and child had died after he read them a "culling song" from a book.
Streator unintentionally memorizes the rhyme and becomes a serial killer who kills people over minor annoyances.
'CHILLING' ARTWORK
Sleuths have also pointed to a to his social media pages in the weeks and months before he and Gabby embarked on their trip.
One haunting piece shows what appears to be a man wearing a wolf mask holding a blood-soaked knife.
A second image, captioned "Grim Reaper leading sheep to the slaughter", shows a herd of sheep surrounded by ghoulish figures wielding scythes.
Some of the reapers have been carved into mousetraps and outlined in red.
A third work, this time in blacklight form, shows a red skeleton, with its arms in the air and mouth agape, looking up as red splatters - resembling blood - surround it.
'STRANGE' PLAYLISTS
Internet sleuths have also previously claimed that Laundrie is still alive as they alleged he was still updating a number of his social media platforms, including Spotify.
They claimed he created a Spotify playlist titled "Selfconsomption" shortly after Gabby vanished.
Online sleuths alleged that its name was changed to - which is the name of the travel YouTube channel which Brian and Gabby created.
Another claim is that Gabby's fiancé has been unfollowing accounts on Instagram as the number of people he is following has decreased.
However, this could be explained by other accounts blocking him or private accounts unfollowing him.
Online detectives also claimed that Laundrie has a to his Spotify and Instagram accounts.
The Laundrie family's lawyer, though, said the fugitive left home without his wallet or cellphone on the day that he disappeared.
ODD BEHAVIOR
Laundrie's social media accounts provide plenty of other examples of other behavior that have been called into question by sleuths and experts alike.
His Instagram biography, which some have called "creepy", revealed his apparent disdain for the media, claiming that getting bed bugs was better than being "brainwashed."
The self-proclaimed "nature enthusiast” railed against reporters and "evil" governments.
He also slammed people who are allegedly "trying to destroy" the planet.
In his last Instagram post uploaded on August 13, Laundrie is pictured posing next to a tree in Moab, .
The caption underneath the snap reads: "This tree was surviving in only inches of soil, in an area of extreme heat and drought.
“I think our culture, our society has put itself about all living creatures, creating needs purely to support destructive economic practices.
“It is just a tree but you rarely see geese riding jet skis or wearing designer clothing either. I think if we all want breathable air and drinkable water we all need to learn how to live with less.”
Laundrie told his social media followers to "take a hike every day".
His fiancée previously revealed his strange hiking habit to her Instagram followers before she was reported missing.
She wrote: “Laundrie hikes barefoot everywhere we go!
"If it were up to him, he wouldn’t own any shoes! But I just find it funny how many people comment on the fact that he is barefoot.
"As soon as we reached the end of this easy walk, I kicked off my @sanuk, and this woman who seemed very concerned asked me if the crust was hot.
"I was in such a different mindset that this question fazed me. Even if it was boiling lava, I was just so happy to be there that I didn’t think about the sun.”
Laundrie also appears to be a big fan of Natural Lifestyle coach Tony Riddle.
His social media posts revealed that for a stint in the wild.
Laundrie shared images of ways to pack a backpack and camping hacks months before he vanished.
Other images show rock climbing gear and home electrical wiring.
Gabby’s best friend Rose Davis told that she believes Laundrie could survive in the wild for months.
However, a forensic psychologist told The Sun that Laundrie is not a master survivalist.
"I don't know whether he's dead or alive; I go back and forth just like you all.
"I don't think he's a master survivalist, a genius, or a criminal mastermind. If he killed himself, I don't think it was planned before he left for the reserve.
"I think this was likely a crime of passion, and it would not surprise me if he had no previous history of violence other than what we already know about his abuse of Gabby.
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"I can't see him pleading insanity - that's a pretty high bar. He's already shown motive and possible attempts to cover up or conceal the crime, and 'insane' people don't do that."
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