Story at a glance
- A cadaver dog has been brought in to aid in the search for Gabby Petito’s missing fiance Brian Laundrie.
- The cadaver dog was requested by investigators to help with the ongoing search for Laundrie in the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve.
- On Tuesday, the Teton County coroner announced Petito’s cause of death was strangulation.
A cadaver dog has been brought in to aid in the search for Gabby Petito’s missing fiance Brian Laundrie in Florida.
The cadaver dog was requested by investigators to help with the ongoing search for Laundrie in the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to NBC New York on Thursday.
Laundrie has not been seen for a month. Laundrie’s parents reported on Sept. 17 that they had not seen their son since he went to hike in the Carlton Reserve, a wildlife refuge, on Tuesday, Sept. 14, though they later said he actually left Sept. 13. His family reported him missing days after Petito’s family filed a missing persons report on Sept. 11, stating they hadn’t seen or heard from her since Aug. 25.
The 22-year-old Petito had set out on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie on July 2. The couple had been documenting much of their travels on YouTube and social media under the moniker Nomadic Statik, and Petito stayed in touch with her family throughout the trip. Authorities confirmed that Laundrie returned alone to the North Port home he had been sharing with Petito and his parents on Sept. 1 with Petito’s 2012 Ford Transit van.
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Petito’s remains were found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Sept. 19, and the coroner previously determined her death to be a homicide. In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Teton County Coroner Brent Blue announced Petito’s cause of death was strangulation.
Though he would not comment on any potential suspects in the case, the coroner did confirm that authorities were able to collect outside DNA samples from Petito’s body. “I can tell you that DNA samples were taken by law enforcement,” Blue said.
Laundrie was previously named a person of interest in the investigation. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Laundrie on Sept. 23 on charges of bank fraud for allegedly using a Capital One debit card and personal identification numbers for two accounts without authorization for over $1,000-worth of goods following Petito’s death.
Experts and social media have continued to speculate on Laundrie’s whereabouts, offering conflicting views as to whether he would be able to survive this long in the Carlton Reserve, if he may be hiding somewhere else and receiving help, or if he may be dead.
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