Dog the Bounty Hunter says Gabby's strangulation not accident, asks Brian to surrender
Dog the Bounty Hunter is convinced Brian Laundrie's family had a critical role to play in his disappearance, a belief he doubled down on after the release of Gabby Petito's autopsy report. On October 12, the Teton County coroner confirmed Petito was strangled, which has put more pressure on the FBI to locate the missing man. The news also led Dog to cancel his planned return home, saying he "couldn’t bring himself to leave" because of the news.
On October 11, we reported that Dog was injured while hunting for Laundrie in Florida. While the extent of the injury was never made public, Dog's daughter Lyssa said it was serious enough for him to fly back to Colorado. Despite that though, the bounty hunter has continued to rack up publicity for his involvement in the case, often making very bold statements, including one where he compared Laundrie to wife-killer Scott Peterson.
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His latest statement comes thanks to WFLA News, whose reporter Josh Benson has been at the forefront of the case. Benson managed to get a bite from Dog, as well as confirmation he wouldn't be leaving Florida. Here's what Dog had to say about the autopsy, and what it means for Laundrie and his family.
'Report isn't good for the entire Laundrie family'
Dog said the report "isn't good" for the family, and added, "Brian's only chance is to turn himself in." Dog went on to allege "the Laundrie's have stonewalled Gabby's family because they knew what Brian had done and it looks like they've helped him run." The bounty hunter also said the family "aided and abetted a murderer" based on the report "coupled with their behavior."
"Strangulation is not an accident," Dog declared, and added, "it looks very bad right now for the Laundrie family." He ended with a direct plea to Brian, asking him to "make a deal and turn himself in." Here's the entire statement on video, as tweeted by Benson-
“Strangulation is not an accident. It looks very bad right now for the Laundrie family.” Dog The Bounty Hunter’s response when I asked him what he thought of today’s update from the coroner. (1/2) #GabbyPetito #BrianLaundrie @DogBountyHunter @BabyLyssaC #JusticeForGabby @WFLA pic.twitter.com/oEAMhXrIGl
— Josh Benson (@WFLAJosh) October 12, 2021
It must be noted that so far the FBI has not listed Brian as a suspect in the case, but is still treating him as a "person of interest". Likewise, the Laundrie family has not been named in any capacity so far, so Dog's statements must be considered opinion, not fact. Until the FBI officially declares Brian as a suspect, or files charges against him in the death of Petito, he will remain a person of interest. So far, Brian is only facing a charge of unauthorized use of a debit card, for which an arrest warrant has been issued.
In a later tweet, Benson also added "Dog also said he decided to stay in #Florida and had a ‘change of plans and couldn’t bring himself to leave’. He confirms he’s still on the search here in Florida." As we reported earlier, Dog has set up a local team to cover the tips and leads, so it appears he will still be limited to coordinating the hunt, for now. It's not clear how bad the injury is, and if he has been treated.
Laundrie has now been missing for 29 days, and both Dog and the FBI have so far been unable to find any solid leads. The FBI continues to comb Carlton Reserve, with some help from Brian's dad Chris. Dog's team has been focusing their search at the Fort De Soto Park, where the Laundrie family went camping just days before Brian disappeared. Both groups are also following up on tips of Laundrie sightings from other states, but so far none of them have panned out.