Brian Laundrie could stay in Florida reserve for months, say cops as they call off search
Brian Laundrie, the fiance of possibly deceased Florida vlogger Gabby Petito, could be missing for "months" as authorities call off his search in an alligator-infested swamp in Florida.
Laundrie's disappearance has sparked a massive manhunt in the nearly 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County as he was a person of interest in Petito's case. Petito was reported missing after Laundrie returned to his North Port home in Florida on September 1, in the same van he and Petito had embarked on their journey in, back in July this year. The last time Petito's mom Nichole Schmidt heard from her was on August 26, where she claimed there was poor network at a national park in Yosemite via a text message. Immediately after Laundrie returned, he hired an attorney and refused to speak to authorities. Authorities have since discovered human remains that match Petito's description at a Wyoming park.
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'You could be out here for months if you wanted'
Cops have confirmed that they have no plans to conduct a major search of the reserve on Monday, September 20, and it was immediately known when the search was scheduled to resume. North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor explained: “You could be out here for months if you wanted”. He told the New York Post: “We’re not following him everywhere he’s going. We’re trying to keep an eye out kind of where he’s at so that when needed we could potentially reach him. But our focus was putting resources on trying to find Gabby.”
Police say they are still searching for Brian Laundrie. They just currently believe they have exhausted all avenues in searching the reserve.
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) September 20, 2021
Taylor suggested the situation was potentially perilous. “I mean you have somebody, there’s an enormous amount of pressure I’m sure on him to provide answers on what’s going on here."
Alligators, panthers, and snakes in the reserve
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.
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.