In July, Gabby Petito went on a cross country road trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, but never returned home.
Petito was last seen at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and nobody has heard from her since late August.
Laundrie, meanwhile, drove back to his North Port, Florida home in Petito’s 2012 Ford Transit van.
The mysterious case took a bizarre and unexpected turn on Friday, when Laundrie’s family told the authorities that he has been missing since Tuesday.
Find the latest updates below.
Where is Brian Laundrie?
North Port Police spokesman Josh Taylor said Saturday evening that 50 police officers and FBI agents are searching for Laundrie at Carlton Reserve near Venice, Florida.
Drone and bloodhounds are included in the search effort.
As reported by CNN, Taylor said on Saturday that Laundrie is under an "enormous amount of pressure" to provide answers regarding his girlfriend’s disappearance.
Still, Taylor noted that Laundrie is not wanted for a crime — the police have said that they are working on "multiple missing person investigations."
What Is Laundrie Family Hiding?
Why did Laundrie’s family wait until Friday to tell the police he was missing? Taylor acknowledged on Saturday that this remains unclear and noted that the police previously tried to talk to the Laundrie family.
"You know we’ve obviously been trying to reach the family to get answers in this case since (last) Saturday. The first time that we’ve had any in-depth conversation with them was yesterday when their attorney called and said the family was concerned about Brian’s whereabouts."
In a brief statement, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino that Brian’s whereabouts "are currently unknown."
Petito Family Speaks Out
Petito family attorney Richard Stafford issued a statement on behalf of the missing girl’s parents.
"All of Gabby’s family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing," he said, as reported by USA Today.
Petito’s stepfather Jim Schmidt, meanwhile, told CNN that he was "caught off guard" by the news that Laundrie’s family spoke to the police.
"All that matters is finding her and bringing her home. We’re still trying to get the word out there and try to find that one person that might have some details that we need," Schmidt said.
Woman Claims She Gave Laundrie A Ride
TikTok user Miranda Baker claimed on Friday that she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride on August 29, while he was hiking alone in Grand Teton National Park.
Baker said she let Laundrie out near Jackson Dam in Grand Teton National Park, and described his behavior as strange, noting that he offered to pay $ 200 for the ride.
"For someone who was camping for multiple days, like, he didn’t look dirty, he didn’t smell dirty. So that part was kind of weird," Baker said.
