A couple from Fort Myers, Florida, said they camped next to the Laundrie family when the group stayed at Fort De Soto Park in early September, according to NBC 2.
The couple told NBC 2 that they looked through their photos from their trip and noticed a red truck with a camper next to it, which is the same truck parked outside the Laundrie home in North Port, Florida, they said.
“They kept to themselves. They were there and then they weren’t,” said Marcie and Kenny Newsom, according to NBC 2.
A photo from their trip may have shown Brian Laundrie in the background, too.
EXCLUSIVE: I spoke to the couple who camped right next to the Laundrie family in Fort De Soto Park in early September. We looked back on their photos from the trip with them at their home in Fort Myers tonight. You’ll hear the full story coming up at 11 @NBC2 @ABC7SWFL pic.twitter.com/cZBTp309oE
— Megan Myers (@MeganMyersNews) September 29, 2021
These are minor but fresh details for officials searching for Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of the late Gabby Petito.
Petito and Laundrie went on a cross-country road trip throughout the summer, visiting several locations throughout the West. Laundrie returned home North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1 without Petito. Ten days later, Petito was reported missing and a nationwide search began. It wasn’t until Sunday, Sept. 19, that officials found Petito’s body in Wyoming. Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed days later that she died by homicide.
On Tuesday, WFLA reported that public records showed that the Laundrie family visited Fort De Soto Park — a campground that’s about 75 miles away from the Laundrie home — from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8.
The Laundries’ attorney, Steven Bertolin, told reporter Jossie Carbonare that the trip had originally been booked Sept. 1-3 but had been canceled and moved to Sept. 6-8.
“The family went camping. The FBI is aware of Brian’s whereabouts well after that camping trip,” Bertolin told Carbonare.