Dog the Bounty Hunter ‘finds Brian Laundrie’s personal items’ and believes he is stashed out on island in Florida
DOG the Bounty Hunter has found personal items he believes may belong to Brian Laundrie as his search for the wanted fiance of slain vlogger Gabby Petito continues at a Florida campsite.
The TV star's daughter, Lyssa Chapman, told NewsNation that Dog made the apparent discovery at the Fort De Soto Park on Tuesday night, leading them to believe Laundrie could be hiding in the 1,136-acre park.
Chapman didn't offer a description of the item's her father reportedly found.
But, when pressed by the network's Brian Entin whether Dog and his team have seen anything that proves Laundrie is still alive, Champman claimed that they had.
"We have gotten multiple leads we were able to verify both through technology and witnesses," she said.
"We are pretty sure that he is stashed out on those islands and mostly active after the parks are closed and everyone goes home."
'CLOSING IN'
Dog arrived at Fort De Soto on Wednesday afternoon with his wife Francie Frane after claiming he was "closing in" on 23-year-old Laundrie.
The bounty hunter is reportedly working with a team that includes skilled ground and boat crews.
Days earlier, Dog revealed he'd received a tip that Laundrie and his parents had gone camping at Fort De Soto on September 6, less than a week before Gabby was reported missing.
Dog also claimed that Brian was not with Chris and Roberta Laundrie when they checked out of the park two days later, on Sept. 8.
The reality TV star told : "They were registered, went through the gate. They’re on camera. They were here.
"We think at least if he’s not here right now, we are sure he was caught on camera as he went in the gate — that he was here for sure. Not over in the swamp.
"Allegedly, what we’re hearing, is two people left on the 8th. Three people came in on the 6th, and two people left on the 8th. I think he’s been here for sure."
LAUNDRIES FIRE BACK
The Laundrie family has confirmed that they went camping with Brian on September 6 but denied Dog's claim that Brian didn't return home with them.
In a statement to WPBF, the Laundrie family's lawyer Steven Bertolino wrote: "That dog doesn't know what he's talking about.
"They did go to that campground September 6 and 7 as a family and they all left together."
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Bertolino added that Brian and his parents went to "other places on two different dates" which the FBI is allegedly aware of.
"So Brian obviously returned home after camping and what that dog is spewing is nothing but baloney," he wrote.
DOG 'CONFIDENT' OF CAPTURE
Still, sources close to Dog have told TMZ that he's confident that Laundrie is alive and that he believes he's close to capturing him.
He reportedly obtained a tip at 10pm on Tuesday night regarding Laundrie's whereabouts.
The nature of that apparent lead in the case is not clear, however, Dog previously suggested that Brian may be on a canoe and paddling from island to island inside the park to avoid detection.
Dog and his team spent much of Wednesday afternoon and evening searching islands in Fort De Soto, posts to his Twitter page show.
In a video posted to the platform, Dog and a team of K9s were seen scouring an area deep in the woods of Shell Island.
He appeared to find a can of Monster Energy Ultra Gold while carrying out the search.
It's not known who left the item at the site. However, the can didn't show any signs of rust or fading, suggesting it may have recently been left there.
Some internet sleuths allege that they spotted the can in Brian Laundrie's mom's handbag as photos circulated on social media. It remains unknown if the item was in her bag.
One Twitter detective posted three magnifying glass emojis as they tried to strike a comparison on social media.
Lyssa Chapman later quote tweeted the post and wrote "Ummmmmm" with the shifty-eyed emoji.
Some Twitter detectives, however, were not convinced by the allegations.
One sleuth said: “Laundrie doesn’t like to use cans or plastic, and for as environmentally conscious he is, I don’t think he would leave it on the ground.”
HUNT NEARS THIRD WEEK
Brian Laundrie has now been missing for more than two weeks.
The couple was around two months into their planned four-month cross-country road trip touring the US’ national parks before Gabby vanished sometime around August 27.
Brian quietly returned home to Florida alone on September 1, failing to alert police or Gabby’s family that she was missing.
He reportedly acted “without a care in the world” upon his return, neighbors said, mowing the front yard and enjoying idyllic bike rides with his mom.
As reported by The Sun on Tuesday, Brian even went camping with his parents on September 6 at Fort De Soto Park.
Gabby was eventually reported missing by her mother in New York on September 11. That came after 10 days of allegedly being stonewalled by Brian and his parents about where her daughter was, she said.
Then, on September 14, Brian allegedly vanished after telling his parents he was going hiking at Carlton Reserve.
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But they didn’t report Brian missing until three days later when police showed up at their home.
Law enforcement is still searching Carlton Reserve for traces of Laundrie, while TV star Dog scours Fort De Soto.
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 - Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 - Gabby 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 Brian post photos of themselves at Utah's Zion National Park.
- August 12 - Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 - Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip.
- August 24 - Gabby is spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- August 25 - Gabby Facetimes her mom, Nichole Schmidt, for the final time. In a later police report, Schmidt said her conversations with her daughter revealed "more and more tension" between her and Brian.
- August 25 - Gabby also posts her last Instagram. No location is given.
- August 27 - Gabby is seen for what's believed to be the final time. Witnesses claim they saw Brian in an explosive argument with staff at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, leaving Gabby in tears.
- August 27 - Four hours later, travel bloggers driving through Grand Teton National Park drive past the couple's van "abandoned" on a dirt road.
- September 1 - Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
- September 11 - Gabby's parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 14 - Brian's family issues a statement saying he has retained an attorney and will not be cooperating with investigators.
- September 14 - Brian is allegedly last seen by his family. He reportedly told them he was going hiking in Cartlon Reserve but failed to return.
- September 15 - Florida's North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 - Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 - Brian's parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days and report him missing.
- September 18 - Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 - Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. 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 his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed."
- September 21 - Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy 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.
- September 21 - The FBI announced the body found in Wyoming was identified as Gabby's. The cause of death was not yet revealed.
- September 21 - The Teton County Coroner's office said Gabby's official cause of death was still pending but the initial manner of death is homicide.
- September 22 - Police continue to scour Carlton Reserve for a trace of Laundrie but yield no leads. A specialist dive team is called in to assist with the hunt.
- September 23 - Officials announced a federal arrest warrant for Brian was issued.
- September 26 - Gabby's funeral was held on Long Island, New York.
- October 12: Gabby's autopsy results were made public. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed Gabby died by strangulation.
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