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FBI baiting Brian Laundrie's parents? Internet slams 'far fetched' theory

NewsNation anchor says detectives are lying to Laundrie's parents because it's an 'effective tool', questions father's role in hunt at Carlton Reserve

NewsNation anchor Ashleigh Banfield has a new conspiracy theory regarding the Brian Laundrie case. She believes the FBI could be "baiting" or lying to the family, in order to get them to tell the truth about their son's location. Banfield aired her suspicions on October 8 on her show 'Banfield on NewsNation'. After that, she put the segment out on social media and was met with both criticism and praise. 

Banfield isn't the first person to share wild theories about Brian Laundrie and his parents. Ever since the hunt for him began, social media users have come up with their own theories, ranging from the plausible to the outrageous. Some users drew a connection between the book Laundrie was seen reading, and the death of his girlfriend Gabby Petito. One tarot card reader said he was probably in the Bahamas, with help from his parents and an "older woman". Others also drew attention to Laundrie's "disturbing" Pinterest post that said, "don't try to find me." 

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Theories aside, the manhunt for Brian Laundrie has now become not just a high priority item for the FBI, but the entire nation. On October 7, Brian's father Chris joined the hunt, meeting the FBI at the Carlton Reserve in viral photos taken by The Daily Mail. Since those photos were published, many speculated about Chris' role in the hunt — a question Banfield herself raised — with a chilling possible solution.

'Police lying to Laundries'

On her show, Banfield said, "when it comes to law enforcement, lying is actually a very effective tool." She cited an example of how the police lied to a suspect, in order to get her to confess to a crime. "It's perfectly legal," she noted. Banfield then turned her attention towards the hunt for Brian Laundrie. "Did any one of us ever really believe that Mr [Chris] Laundrie could be of use in the search three weeks later?"

She then said, "maybe they (the FBI) wanted to see Mr Laundrie's reaction to something Mr Laundrie wasn't expecting." Banfield then brought on two law enforcement officers to give the theory some weight. You can see their comments, and the entire segment in the tweet her show's Twitter account posted.

Basically, Banfield said Chris might know the actual whereabouts of Brian, and the police brought him along to show him something, like human remains, to see if he would react differently. One of her guests, an NYPD detective said "that's what law enforcement is trying to do here" and added, "they are almost at their wit's end." Banfield theorized the police could have taken an item of clothing from the home as a "plant" for Chris, as part of the wider plan of getting him to reveal more information. 

'Way far out there'

As the segment made its way to social media, the Internet was divided over the theory. Some were quick to slam Banfield, with one person noting, "I think this was way far out there especially given all the smiles he had on his face while walking in the reserve w/ that officer. Come on, Banfield. Other more realistic tactics would have been more informative." One person replied, "Almost as ridiculous as the ‘Brian is planted in the flower bed’ theory."

Another Twitter user slammed the anchor, saying, "Miss Banfield, please stop your silly gossip, do you want to help the Dirty Laundries ?? Also, your voice is painful to hear. Please look for another job." Another agreed, and added, "I agree that was far fetched. I think they were more subtle w their approach."

Others weren't so quick to dismiss the idea, however. "I agree..3 wks after BL dissappear FBI brings dad out. Then scale search bk today. I think they were baiting and confirming suspicions already. They know the dirty laundries r accomplices and are on to them and where they r harboring #BrianLaundrie TIK TOC. Handcuffs coming soon!" one user tweeted.

As with all the other theories that have cropped up during the hunt, this does seem to be quite far-fetched. That said, it's unclear what the FBI is trying to do and given that the police do have a history of lying to catch suspects. We may only know if Laundrie is ever caught, and the full details of the investigation are made public.