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A police investigation to find Brian Laundrie recently intensified after he was allegedly spotted near the wilderness of Baker, Florida. An individual named Sam Bass claimed the man seen in his deer camera footage possibly resembled the appearance of Gabby Petito’s missing fiance.
On Monday, September 21, Sam Bass informed authorities about a possible sighting based on his trail cam footage. He also took to Facebook to alert people in North West Florida about the influencer:
“I’m not saying this is the guy, but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fl strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie. Authorities have been contacted, but people in the North West Florida area be on the lookout.”
In the footage, a man can be seen trekking through the woods nearly 450 to 500 miles away from Brian Laundrie’s home. Several social media users mentioned that his backpack was similar to the one seen with Laundrie in a previous body cam clip provided by police.
The Florida native was reported missing on September 17, three days after being marked as a “person of interest” in his fiance Gabby Petito’s disappearance case. He reportedly left for a hike in the vast Carlton Reserve area following an initial investigation.
YouTuber Gabby Petito and her partner Brian Laundrie left for a cross-country camping trip in July. Earlier this month, the latter returned to his parent’s home in Florida without his girlfriend, prompting a nationwide search operation for the missing YouTuber.
Unfortunately, police discovered the remains of a body fitting the description of the social media influencer in northern Wyoming near the Grand Teton National Park. Authorities also continued their search for Brian Laundrie.
However, claims of his latest alleged sighting near Baker were dismissed by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The department announced on social media that the man spotted on Sam Bass’ deer cam was not Petito’s fiance:
“The OCSO did its due diligence in response to this report and is wrapping up an extensive search that took place in this area to also include nearby farmlands and a search by drone. No one, and nothing, of note, was located. There are no possible past or present connections between Laundrie and anyone in this area.”
Meanwhile, authorities have officially confirmed that human remains found near Wyoming were of Petito. Teton County coroner Brent Blue mentioned her death as a homicide but did not release the exact cause due to pending reports of an autopsy.
A brief recap of the Brian Laundrie-Gabby Petito epsiode
On July 2, Brian Laundrie left for a camping trip across the US with his fiance, van-life vlogger Gabby Petito. The couple documented excerpts of their journey on the latter’s YouTube channel.
However, nearly a month after their road trip, the pair encountered police authorities in Utah. According to The Independent, an anonymous individual spotted Laundrie hitting Petito in the middle of the road and alerted 911 about a possible domestic violence incident:
“I’m right on the corner of Main St by Moonflower. I’d like to report a domestic dispute. The gentleman was slapping the girl, they ran up and down the sidewalk, and he proceeded to hit her, and then they drove off.”
Police followed up with the couple and learned they argued over Petito’s mental health condition. However, authorities did not press charges due to no presence of severity in the incident.
Brian Laundrie was last seen with Petito as the pair checked out of a motel in Salt Lake City on August 24. The YouTuber last communicated with her parents the following day, mentioning she was leaving for Yellowstone National Park from Grand Teton in Wyoming.
On September 1, the 23-year-old returned to his Florida home without Petito. A few days later, Petito’s parents filed a missing report for the social media influencer after failing to locate her whereabouts since August 25.
The family claimed that their texts to Brian Laundrie and his mother Roberta to investigate Gabby Petito’s whereabouts remained unanswered. The former also refused to co-operate with the legal investigation and asked authorities to communicate with his attorney.
On September 15, Brian Laundrie left for a hike in Carlton Reserve, a day after police seized the couple’s files from his parents’ home. On September 17, his family officially filed a missing report for the craftsman.
Laundrie reportedly stayed in his North Port home for two weeks before his disappearance. Officials started a thorough search in the 25,000 acres Carlton Reserve area following the missing report. Police said in a statement that the investigation is complicated due to the harsh location:
“Please be aware. The Carlton Reserve is a vast and unforgiving location at times. It is currently waste deep in water in many areas. This is dangerous work for the search crews as they are wading through gator and snake-infested swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails.”
The missing investigation garnered huge attention on social media.
The missing Brian Laundrie’s alleged sightings
Several people reported alleged sightings of a man resembling Brian Laundrie in Mobile, Alabama. The city is reportedly 600 miles from his parents’ house.
Another set of claims saw multiple people suspecting an unidentified body found in a dumpster outside a Walmart in Mobile to be that of Brian Laundrie’s. However, the body turned out to be of an unknown homeless man.
The latest suspected sighting of Petito’s fiance in the woods of Baker was also dismissed by authorities. Meanwhile, the YouTuber has been proclaimed dead by officials after autopsy reports. Police have continued their investigation into the search for Brian Laundrie.
