Posted on 09/21/2021 5:23:33 AM PDT by Red Badger
Boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, has been identified as a person of interest in the case. He was last seen Tuesday by family members in Florida _________________________________________________________________________________
Investigators have gained court permission to access the contents of an external hard drive they say was found in the van of a 22-year-old Long Island woman who disappeared while on a cross-country trek and is believed dead -- as the search continues for the still-missing boyfriend said to be a person of interest in the case.
The search warrant confirmation from Florida's 12th Judicial Circuit court in Sarasota County says the external hard drive was discovered during the Sept. 14 execution of another search warrant linked to the case of Gabby Petito.
That Sept. 14 search warrant applied to the van she and Brian Laundrie traveled across parts of the western United States in -- and it was the same white van that Laundrie returned to his home in Florida driving alone, 10 days before Petito's parents reported her missing. Investigators said in their warrant request they believe the hard drive to contain evidence connected to her disappearance.
They also included newly public details -- that the last text message Petito's mother received from her phone was "odd." It read, "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls." The reference to Stan was regarding Petito's grandfather, but Petito's mother said she never calls him "Stan," which made her concerned there was something wrong with her daughter. The phone was turned off that same day, more than two weeks (15 days) ago, the filing said.
The initial filing also said investigators believed there was a probable cause that the hard drive contained "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed," according to the document.
#UPDATE: The #FBI is executing a court-authorized search warrant today at the Laundrie residence in North Port, FL relevant to the Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito investigation. No further details can be provided since this is an active and ongoing investigation. @FBIDenver pic.twitter.com/uxrtVNIZ4u
— FBI Tampa (@FBITampa) September 20, 2021 The white van was located at the Laundrie family address where Petito had been living with her boyfriend's family prior to their trip on Sept. 11, the same day Petito's mother reported her missing. Laundrie's family refused investigators permission to speak with their son, later described as a person of interest, at that time.
According to the court filing approving the warrant, the court clerk said there was probable cause Petito was "unable to care for herself due to her increased anxiety," which created exigent circumstances that would warrant the search. That finding was based on a "totality of the circumstances" that includes a 911 call response to Utah where Petito was seen on body camera footage describing herself as suffering from high anxiety and having difficulty managing the intensity emotions.
In the 911 call that preempted that response, a recording of which was released on Monday, the caller states that he saw a man slapping a woman inside a van that matched the description of the one Petito and Laundrie had been driving. The caller said that the couple ran up and down the sidewalk, "he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off."
Petito's cellphone had been turned off for about 15 days, with no confirmed sightings of her since Aug. 27, at the point the court authorized the warrant. It did so to assist in the finding of a "missing endangered subject," the clerk wrote.
Police executed the van search warrant on Sept. 14 and said a digital forensics lab report accounting for the full inventory of what was found in the van would follow. Further details of what may have been found in the van weren't immediately known.
Meanwhile, federal, state and local investigators are still trying to ascertain the whereabouts of Laundrie, who hasn't been seen since family members said they said him Tuesday. North Port, Florida, police scoured a vast nature preserve over the weekend and said Monday they felt they had exhausted that area.
It's not clear where investigators planned to search for him next. A large contingent of agents with equipment descended on Laundrie's North Port home Monday morning hours later.
Law enforcement agencies continue to search for Laundrie, police said. Authorities have continued to stress that he is not a suspect, merely a person of interest, and that they are pursuing a missing person investigation in his case.
The developments early Monday follow the FBI's news a day earlier that a body believed to be Petito was found by law enforcement agents who spent the weekend searching campsites on the eastern border of Grand Teton National Park.
The cause of death has not yet been determined, said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Charles Jones. Specifics on where and how the body was found were not disclosed. An autopsy won't be conducted until Tuesday, officials said.
“Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified,” Jones said. “This is an incredibly difficult time for (Petito’s) family and friends.”
Jones and other law enforcement officials declined to take questions during a Sunday evening press conference in Grand Teton announcing the body's discovery.
Petito's father, Joseph, posted on social media an image of a broken heart above a picture of his daughter with a message that said, “she touched the world."
An attorney who has been acting as a spokesman for Petito’s family asked in a statement that the family be given room to grieve.
Attorney Richard Benson Stafford indicated that the family would make a public statement at a later date, and he thanked officials with the FBI, Grand Teton Search and Rescue and other agencies that participated in the search for Petito.
“The family and I will be forever grateful,” Stafford said in a statement.
An attorney for the Laundrie family, meanwhile, has planned a press conference on Long Island for Tuesday afternoon.
CASH.
Most likely from Dad.
The whole, I am going hiking in the swamp was just a ruse.
Hey, look over here: Squirrel.
Most likely, someone else picked him up at the swamp and helped him get out of town.
That's an important point. Everybody assumes that this guy is around Gabby's age but he's 37 years old!
When I was this guys age, I was too busy supporting a family, paying a mortgage and working my butt off to take a summer off to ride around the country with a girl nearly half my age (and in her van!). I had already been away from mommy and daddy for two decades at that point (I joined the military out of high school at 17)..
I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon of convicting the guy as we need to let the justice system run its course but it's clear that he is a very immature man and as a result, he did not make good decisions as a middle aged adult should be expected to do.
WTH didn’t he get rid of her computer??? He had that van for days while he drove it cross country. WEIRD!
Brian Laundrie is 23. He went to high school with Gabby.
OK, for some reason, I thought he was much older. Do an internet search on Brian Laundrie and most of the results kick back that he’s 37! Of course, I don’t believe everything I read on the internet.
Still, at 23, he should still be more responsible with his life. At that age, I was already out of the military and making a living on my own.
It’s another guy with the same name and higher google ranking who is 37.
OK, that makes sense.
He is heading to NYC then Canada.
The FBI has a terrible credibility problem.
Time after time corruption in the FBI has been exposed.
Right after the release of the Durham report exposing the FBI as a corrupt part of the deep state, we get this news story that paints the FBI as a credible crime fighting tool for the federal government.
Look at the details;
1) cross state lines
2) murder
3) computer/cyber clues
It’s not like the media has ever created stories to cover up corruption before ...
This whole story could very well be fabricated to bolster the public’s view of the FBI.
The FBI has a credibility problem.
The public is becoming increasing aware of the FBI’s corrupt handling of many public incidences like; 9/11, weaver ranch, Waco tx, Bundy ranch, Oklahoma city bombing, Oregon wildlife preserve standoff.
Now the Durham investigation has just exposed another example of the FBI’s corruption.
With precision timing, this story emerges which has cross-state murder which includes computer/cyber investigation, exactly the type of crime the FBI is famous for.
They tell a tragic story and just like every crime show on tv, they FBI wraps it up neatly for public consumption.
Thank you agent Mulder.
Apparently according to Gabby’s friend Brian heard voices and had trouble sleeping. So maybe one of those voices started telling him she was the devil.
Wow, Just imagine how dangerous it would be to set out on a cross country trip in a van with a guy knowing he had those issues.
But she was young.The young do not think things through sometimes.
“the caller states that he saw a man slapping a woman inside a van that matched the description of the one Petito and Laundrie had been driving. The caller said that the couple ran up and down the sidewalk, “he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off.”
First I’d heard of this guy striking the girl. I won’t say...from a father’s point of view...what I would do.
That's been out for a while, it's the guy who called 911
So true. If my boyfriend said he was hearing voices even at 22 I would have ghosted.
Parents should teach daughters, don’t get into a physical confrontation, and don’t provoke one, with a man. He can kill you with one punch.
If he’s got a bad temper, if he’s hearing voices...don’t live in a vehicle with him.
And if he’s controlling — you’ll shrink until you disappear, gradually or suddenly.
I learned about control freaks from a relative who was a virtual hostage for 5 years. She said it was like being wrapped up by a giant spider and chewed on for 5 years.
Some daughters don't listen to parents and some don't listen AND are mentally unstable. I believe this could be a case like that. The parents stay in touch and provide support but the daughter does what she wants. I know of a similar situation locally, some young girls are troubled and as such quite vulnerable.
The parents are registered demonrats.
They didn’t care a bit about their future daughter in law and possible mother to their grandkids. They’d known her since sonny boy was in HS and she’d been living in their house for the past year. If their sorry son ends up dead, they have no one to blame but themselves. Either they’re stupid or they hired the worst attorney in FL or both.
Her friend said they argued a lot. In a year’s time, to get away from him, Gabby had stayed at the friend’s house 7-10 times. This is the same friend who told about him stealing her ID out of her purse so she couldn’t have a girls’ night out. HS friends of his said he was “different” and was controlling in relationships. Her ex bf said she was crazy. No matter who started the fights, it was a toxic relationship.
The same month they started their trip, her dad moved from NY to FL to be closer to her. Wonder if he was seeing signs.
There were red flags all over that traffic stop. He was cool as a cucumber and joking with the cops while belittling her vlog. He asked if she’d told them anything bad about him. She cried the entire time and took the blame for everything.
Her body was found within yards of where the van had been parked before he drove it back home. IMO, he’s the guilty party.
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