Gabby Petito: FBI collects items for 'DNA matching' from Brian Laundrie's home
Days after vlogger Gabby Petito's body was discovered at a Wyoming park, the FBI went back to the family home of her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie in Florida on Sunday, September 26, to collect some of his personal belongings for “DNA matching."
Laundrie's family’s lawyer said that a pair of federal agents were reportedly looking for any personal items that could help in “DNA matching.” “The FBI requested some personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie to assist them with DNA matching and Brian’s parents provided the FBI with what they could,” Steven Bertolino, the family’s lawyer, told Fox News. According to reports, the agents were seen exiting Laundrie's home around 11 am holding a paper bag.
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This is not the first time that the FBI has collected items belonging to Laundrie. Last week, the FBI agents swarmed his house with guns drawn and marking it with crime scene tape as they placed his parents in an unmarked van. They removed a vehicle and other items from the property. The authorities have now issued a warrant for Laundrie’s arrest. He has not been named a suspect in the case and is still being considered a person of interest. “While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms Petito’s homicide,” said Michael Schneider, special agent in charge. “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI."
On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito. pic.twitter.com/SSrBVbAeBs
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 23, 2021
Petito's body was found last week inside the Wyoming national park after she was declared dead. Laundrie had returned home alone on September 1 after embarking on a cross-country trip with his girlfriend, in July. After he refused to cooperate with the cops in the investigation to locate Petito after she was reported missing on September 11, Laundrie disappeared, reportedly going on a hike in the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County and never returning.
Gabby Petito's funeral
The law enforcement agencies are currently combing through the 24,565-acre reserve located near Laundrie's Florida home. Laundrie’s family told the police they hadn't heard from him after he entered the area and hasn’t been seen since. However, the internet sleuths have claimed to have spotted him in Alabama, Mexico, and Canada among other places but none of these sightings have been confirmed by the investigators.
On Sunday, Petito’s family organized a memorial service in Long Island where her relatives and the community gathered to offer their condolences. Joseph Petito, the deceased's father asked people to learn from his daughter and leave toxic relationships as he called her “the most amazing person." “I want you to take a look at these pictures, and I want you to be inspired by Gabby," he said at the service. "If there’s a trip you guys want to take, take it now. Do it now while you have the time. If there is a relationship you’re in that might not be the best thing for you, leave it now."