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Authorities again searching Florida nature preserve for Gabby Petito’s boyfriend

Missing Traveler
Posted at 10:01 AM, Sep 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-21 11:01:25-04

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — Authorities are once again searching a swampy preserve area near the home of the boyfriend wanted for questioning in the death of 22-year-old Gabby Petito.

Police in North Port, Florida, said Tuesday morning that investigators have returned to the Carlton Reserve to look for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie. Investigators also searched the 24,000-acre Florida nature preserve over the weekend.

A body matching Petito’s description was discovered at a Wyoming national park over the weekend, months after the pair set out on a cross-country road trip. A cause of death hasn't yet been determined.

Missing Traveler
This Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, photo, shows a Suffolk County Police Department missing person poster for Gabby Petito posted in Jakson, Wyo. Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country trip in a converted camper van with her boyfriend. Authorities say a body discovered Sunday, Sept. 19 in Wyoming, is believed to be Petito. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler)

Petito and Laundrie left in July in a converted van, but Laundrie returned to Florida alone on Sept. 1. He has been named a person of interest but has disappeared.

On Monday, the FBI removed several boxes and towed away a car from Laundrie's parents' home.

During the search for Petito, Moab Police Department released body camera footage that shows the couple argued on Aug. 12 near Arches National Park. In the clip, officers tried to help them work things out after an emotional fight.