It’s safe to say the search for Brian Laundrie is spanning across North America now.
On Wednesday, police in Boone, North Carolina, said they were aware of a new Facebook post that claimed Laundrie had been seen in the area. The post was made in a Facebook group for hikers, according to Fox Carolina.
“Police say there have not been any confirmed sightings of Laundrie in the area and all of the phone calls they have received about him have been in reference to the Facebook post,” according to Fox Carolina.
There is a federal arrest warrant for Laundrie, the missing boyfriend of the late Gabby Petito, for his “use of unauthorized access device” related to activities after the death of Petito. Laundrie is also considered a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance.
Petito and Laundrie traveled across the country this summer, but only Laundrie returned home on Sept. 1 to North Port, Florida. Ten days later, Petito was reported missing. Her body was found in Wyoming on Sept. 19.
Laundrie’s parents told North Port police on Sept. 17 that Laundrie hadn’t been seen in a few days and that they didn’t know where he went. Since then, there has been a search to find him.
Multiple suggestions have come up about his whereabouts. On Tuesday, a TikTok user claimed that Laundrie might be in Canada. TikTok user @cwlynnn said she noticed a man in a hotel who resembled Laundrie, as I wrote for the Deseret News. The man seemed flustered, she said, before he got into a car and drove off with someone.
Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, said in a statement through their lawyer that they don’t know where their son is right now.
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie do not know where Brian is. They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him,” the statement said, per Fox 5 New York.
“The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong,” the family said, according to the statement.