NORTH PORT, Fla. — This morning, the search for Brian Laundrie is looking a little different.
Laundrie has now been missing for more than a week after returning home alone from a cross country trip with his fiancée, Gabby Petitio. Petito's body was discovered a week ago yesterday in a Wyoming National Park and Laundrie is considered a person of interest in her death. Search crews have been combing the Carlton Reserve looking for Laundrie for more than a week now.
The North Port Police Department says searches are being scaled back and they will now be targeting areas based on specific pieces of evidence. We've also learned that the FBI is now leading this search. But North Port Police will still be helping out.
Despite the exhausting search, North Port Police say this search is not a waste of time. They have intelligence that Laundrie may be within the reserve.
"We're not wasting our time out here," said Commander Joe Fussell with North Port Police Department. "We are doing our due diligence to find Brian in an area that intelligence had led us that he could possibly be."
Crews are focusing on the Carlton Reserve because it's where Brian's parents say he went hiking before they reported him missing. Drones, bloodhounds, swamp buggies and dive teams have all been brought in to help cover the more than 25,000 acres of swampy terrain.
North Port Police say if something of note is found, like Brian, they will be ready to act and provide needed information. In the meantime, the public is asked to share any information through the tip lines 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
