Carlton Reserve: Why finding Brian Laundrie in 25K-acre park is almost impossible
Every day brings in a new twist to the mysterious disappearance of 22-year-old Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito. Late on Friday, September 17, police in Florida said they were working with the FBI to locate 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, Petito’s boyfriend and a “person of interest” in her disappearance.
The attorney for Laundrie's family reportedly contacted the FBI on September 17 indicating they wanted to talk about their son's disappearance. They said they have not seen him since Tuesday, September 14, police in North Port, Florida, said.
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"For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's fiancee Gabby Petito," police said. "Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail." The statement added, "It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime. We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigations."
Reportedly, on Saturday, September 18, police searched a vast Florida wildlife reserve for Laundrie. More than 50 North Port police officers, FBI agents, and members of other law enforcement agencies searched the 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve (also known as the T Mabry Carlton Jr Memorial Reserve) in the Sarasota area of the Gulf Coast. Authorities used drones, sniffer dogs and all-terrain vehicles in the reserve, which has more than 100 miles of trails, as well as campgrounds.
Investigators, as per reports, took some of Laundrie’s clothing from his parents’ home to provide a scent for the search dogs. “His family says they believe he entered the area earlier this week,” North Port police said. Richard B Stafford, an attorney for the Petito family, said: “All of Gabby’s family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing.”
Finding Laundrie in Carlton Reserve could be a challenge
North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor told the Daily Mail, “We have five, six different agencies who are out there, 50-plus folks. We have had drones in the air, we have got bloodhounds, K9s, four by four vehicles. It's very wet, it's muddy. There are a few unpaved dirt roads. It's a place that people hike in. There are mountain bike trails out here. The Myakkahatchee Creek runs down into the city.” Asked how long it would take to search the entire 25,000 acres, he said: “You can imagine… a long time.”
But it’s not just the sheer size of the area that’s the problem. Taylor said, “That reserve covers a massive swampland.” The tabloid also reported that one Sheriff's deputy was seen moving along a pathway into thick undergrowth carrying a machete. Aside from this, thousands of animals call the reserve home, including alligators, panthers, and snakes. Another problem is that the search in the reserve cannot take place after sundown. "Our search of the Carlton is being called this evening due to darkness. Nothing found. Efforts will begin again Sunday morning," the North Port Police Department said on Saturday evening.
But there may be some good news. Over the weekend, police revealed that they finally had the ability to track Petito’s and Laundrie’s phones, and were starting the process of finding out where the phones currently are, and where they had been previously.