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No sign of Brian Laundrie at Venice preserve
Kimberly Kuizon reports
NORTH PORT, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed all state agencies to help hunt down Brian Laundrie, the person of interest in the Gabby Petito case.
The governor said the order was in response to a request from North Port police, explaining that Florida Fish & Wildlife officers were among those assisting federal and local law enforcement.
"We need justice for Gabby Petito," DeSantis wrote.
Laundrie, 23, is a person of interest in the disappearance of Petito, his fiancée, who was last seen alive in August. The two were traveling together across the country until he returned home to Venice in their converted van without her.
A body was found Sunday in Wyoming, not far from where social media users spotted the van in footage posted by tourists from Tampa. An autopsy is underway today but investigators believe it is Gabby.
Laundrie himself has not been seen in a week. His parents retrieved his car from the preserve in Venice last week, and law enforcement is now into their third day of searching the swampy 25,000-acre site.
Brian Laundrie
North Port police said the preserve’s "unforgiving terrain" was made even more harsh by the soaking rain that fell for much of the day Monday.
Meanwhile, deputies in Okaloosa County looked into a possible sighting of Laundrie on a rural game trail camera, but later said nothing came of their search.
MORE COVERAGE:
- Gabby Petito investigation: 911 call reveals Brian Laundrie seen hitting, 'slapping' her before disappearance
- Gabby Petito’s possible remains found near where Tampa family spotted camper van
- FBI removes loads of evidence from Laundrie family home in connection with Gabby Petito's disappearance
- Body found at Wyoming search site matches description of missing Florida woman
- Gabby Petito updates: Everything known about her disappearance
- Gabby Petito case: Timeline of 22-year-old woman's disappearance
- Police speak with TikTok user who claimed to give boyfriend Laundrie a ride
- Gabby Petito's family, North Port police chief express frustration with Brian Laundrie's silence
- Missing woman's haunting songs on Spotify account may provide answers