Brian Laundrie Not Found In Florida Woods Where Possible Sighting Occurred After 'Extensive Search' By Police, Gabby Petito's Autopsy Results Remain Pending
"No one and nothing of note" came up as a result of what was being investigated as a possible Brian Laundrie sighting in Florida.
Hours after the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office announced that it was actively looking into footage it had received of a man who seemed to fit the description of Gabby Petito's 23-year-old fiancé trekking though the woods in Baker, the department released the following update:
"The OCSO is wrapping up an extensive search that took place in this area to include nearby farmlands. No one - and nothing - of note was located. The individual referenced in the post below has no known ties to our area."
The believed sighting was captured Monday morning on a deer camera by a Facebook user named Sam Bass. Baker is about 500 miles away from Brian's home in North Port.
The image showed a man with some apparent slight facial hair, wearing a light-colored T-shirt and dark pants, while carrying a backpack that internet sleuths pointed out looked identical to the one Brian had while on his cross-country road trip with Gabby.
Brian's parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, reportedly told authorities their 23-year-old son took his backpack with him when he left for the hike from which he allegedly never returned.
Meanwhile, Gabby's autopsy is believed to have been completed, and preliminary results are expected to be released by Teton County Coroner Brent Blue later today.
Blue told CBS News that autopsies typically take between one and two hours; however, if it's determined that microscopic data is needed, he warned that they could take more time.
As for Gabby's grief-stricken parents and step-parents, their attorney released a brief statement on behalf of the missing 22-year-old's loved ones.
"I want to personally thank the press and news media for giving the Petito and Schmidt family time to grieve," lawyer Richard Stafford said Tuesday. "We will be making a statement when Gabby is home. I will contact you to arrange a time and location."
On Sunday, the FBI found "human remains consistent with the description of" Gabby in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
Gabby and Brian had been camping at the site during their months-long road trip that began in the summer and was set to conclude next month.
However, Brian came home early, and he came home alone. After refusing to cooperate with investigators, he was named a "person of interest" and has been allegedly missing ever since.
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As investigators said, the cause of death of who they believe to be Gabby is unclear, but many are wondering what Brian and his parents know.
The home where the missing couple lived prior to embarking on their trek was his parents' house in North Port.
On Monday, one day after a body was found where the couple had been, federal agents raided the Laundries' home and detained them temporarily.
The FBI declared the residence an "active crime scene," as agents were later seen loading several boxes of evidence into one of their vans.
A silver Mustang that belonged to Brian and had been left near the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County – where his family claims he began his hike – was also taken in by the feds.
Christopher and Roberta told authorities that they found a note from police left on their son's car on Wednesday.
The family claimed the note had asked for the car to be removed, but they said they left the vehicle there until Thursday in the hope that Brian would return to it.
Christopher and Roberta reported him missing on Friday, despite not having seen or heard from him since Tuesday.
He has been allegedly missing for a week.
Brian was declared a "person of interest" in Gabby's disappearance last Wednesday, two weeks after he returned to North Port without his fiancée and without any answers.
While social media users have their theories and continue to uncover chilling details about the couple's long journey, it's unclear what exactly happened to Gabby Petito.
One thing is for sure: The couple was seen together in mid-August by a concerned eyewitness in Utah who called 9-1-1 after claiming to see Brian "slapping" Gabby.
She cried uncontrollably when she was later questioned by cops, explaining that she suffers from OCD and had been arguing with him all morning.
