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Is Brian Laundrie hiding in his OWN backyard? Drone pic triggers bunker speculations

'Why does the Laundrie back yard have what resembles a bunker hatch in the center?' many asked

After a photo of Brian Laundrie's father pointing at a drone above his house went viral, internet sleuths went to work, zooming into the picture and picking apart the tiniest details in the snap. That is when some of them noticed what looked like a white-colored pit in their backyard, leading some people to believe that deceased vlogger Gabby Petito's boyfriend, who has been missing and named the person of interest in the case, might be hiding in his own home.

The Laundrie house has been under scrutiny ever since their son went missing after Gabby Petito's body was found and the death was ruled a homicide. The photo widely shared on Twitter showed Christopher 'Chris' Laundrie as well as his wife Roberta Laundrie, who are the residents of Wabasso Avenue in North Port, Florida, outside their house. The 62-year-old was seen pointing towards the sky while Brian’s mother faced him.

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Brian and Petito had been on a cross-country trip in a converted van that began in July. But on September 1, Brian returned alone to his Florida home while driving the van. At the time, he did not tell anyone about the 22-year-old woman’s whereabouts. Even after Petito was reported missing by her family on September 11, he did not talk to the authorities, and a day before he was named the person of interest in the case, he went missing.

A number of users shared blown-up pictures of the backyard, where a square-shaped pit was noticed. Twitter user @tubecrime_ shared an array of zoomed-in pictures of the pit, asking, "Anyone know wtf this is? My imagination is running wild. Fire Pit? Well? Pump? Weather/Bomb Shelter? #BrianLaundrie #gabbypetito." 

'#BrianLaundrie might be in their backyard'

Soon others wondering the same thing joined in the conversation. While some of them did not think it was an underground survival bunker, others were convinced that Brian was hiding out in his own backyard, while the authorities are busy scanning the Carlton Reserve in Florida and following up on other tip-offs and possible sightings across the country. "I think he's hiding in a bunker too or an attic maybe the grandparents. I'd check all his family and friends out cuz they guilty of harboring Brian Dirty Laundrie," one of them wrote, while another commented, "Yea- Tube Crime I want to know too. I seen it earlier & thought it was a well but now that underground bunker pic you posted has me thinking #BrianLaundrie might be in their backyard #gabbypetitio will haunt the #dirtylaundries forever!!"

A third said, "One thing to remember is the water table in Florida is basically the ground. You are not digging many underground bunkers. Might be a compost bin." One more quipped, "That aint no fire pit. Why it is so white??... Hey just because you cant have bunker in FL doent meant they dont have one... they probably do have a bunker I havent yet forgotten about that pin that says 'My family dont hide crazy, we sit them in the backyard' #brianlaundrie."

A commenter tweeted, "Why does the Laundrie back yard have what resembles a bunker hatch in the center? Looks to even have doors pulls on it even? I used to have a survival bunker and that is sure what the hatch looked like? Hm am I losing it lol? #justiceforGabby #BrianLaundrie." A person reacted with, "What if #brianlaundrie is just @ home and they have have a secret bunker, underneath the house or in the garden, just think how chill they look when their son is missing?#DogBountyHunter."