Fort Myers couple may have captured Brian Laundrie camping with family in selfie
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: According to Pinellas County documents, Roberta Laundrie, the mother of Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the homicide of Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito, checked into Fort De Soto Park on September 6. The documents show she checked out on September 8. Now, another couple present there at the park has spoken to reporters.
Marci Newsom and her husband Kenny, who camped next to the Laundrie family on September 6, spoke with NBC2 News. They went through their photos and found a red truck with a camper attached to it. They are similar to the truck and camper that has been parked in front of the Laundrie family home for the past two weeks.
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North Port Police, when asked if they physically saw Brian Laundrie on September 11, said no. But the Newsoms and another couple who was camping with them clicked a selfie and in the background far away, a solitary man could be seen, who may have been Laundrie.
Marci told NBC2 News that while she had seen another family there, “they kept to themselves.” Kenny added, “It’s very strange. If somebody I knew was missing, I wouldn’t be gone camping.” It is worth noting that Petito was reported missing on September 11. But before that, her mother reportedly tried to get in touch with the Laundries to enquire about her daughter who had gone incommunicado.
Petito was found dead in an area of Grand Teton National Park & Bridger-Teton National Forest on September 21. Brian Laundrie’s attorney confirmed that he and his parents visited the Fort De Soto Park together. He said that all three of them left on September 7 despite the park records showing they left a day later.
American television personality, bounty hunter, and former bail bondsman Duane Lee Chapman, better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, earlier said of the family’s visit to the park, "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." He added, "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."
A federal court in Wyoming earlier issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie in relation to a grand jury indictment for his “activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito.” The grand jury indicted Laundrie after determining he used “one or more unauthorized devices”, including a debit card and PIN numbers for two bank accounts, to fraudulently obtain more than $1,000 between August 30 and September 1. Who the card belonged to has not yet been revealed.
The attorney for Laundrie's family contacted the FBI on September 17 indicating they wanted to talk about their son's disappearance. They said they have not seen him since September 14. He told his parents he was going for a hike in the Carlton Reserve, a roughly 25,000-acre wetlands area in Sarasota County and has not been seen since. Laundrie's family told police he left home with his backpack. Since then, authorities have been combing the swampy area, looking for him.