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NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) — Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigations briefly visited the Laundrie family’s North Port home on Thursday amid the ongoing search for Brian Laundrie, the person of interest in the Gabby Petito case.
Two FBI agents showed up at the Laundrie family home around 1:20 p.m. Thursday. After going into the house for a short period of time, the agents came back outside and briefly went into the family’s camper in the driveway.
The agents left the home around 1:40 p.m. with a bag. They had arrived at the home with two.
The Laundrie family’s attorney told 8 On Your Side the FBI went to the home to “collect some personal items belonging to Brian that will assist the canines in their search for Brian.” He added, “there is nothing more to this.”
8 On Your Side aske the lead law enforcement agency, FBI Denver, if they could confirm the family attorney’s claim as to why agents visited the home. A spokesperson told us they “do not comment on reporting or statements by entities or individuals who are not FBI personnel.”
Friday will mark two weeks since Laundrie was reported missing by his family members. Laundrie’s parents told police on Friday, Sept. 17 they had not seen their son since Tuesday, Sept. 14 when he went to the Carlton Reserve to hike.
Law enforcement agencies descended on the massive preserve for more than a week to search for Laundrie, but search efforts at the Carlton Reserve have been scaled back this week. There was no law enforcement activity visible from the either of the entrances Thursday afternoon.
The FBI took the lead on the search Monday. North Port police told 8 On Your Side Wednesday they had crews out assisting the FBI in the search, specifically in areas with water.
Flight tracking data from aviation intelligence company FlightAware shows a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office helicopter spent hours circling a specific area of the 25,000-acre preserve on Wednesday. The flights took place at 2:45 p.m. and again at 10:30 p.m. as an “AOA” – or “Assist Other Agency,” the data shows.
Spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez told 8 On Your Side the sheriff’s office was “asked by the FBI to respond to the area,” but did not have any additional details.
On Thursday, North Port police deferred questions relating to the search to officials with FBI Denver. When we reached out to the FBI, a spokesperson sent us this statement:
“Since this is an ongoing federal investigation, we do not provide specifics about the focus or scope of investigation, or where investigators are located. We have no comment at this time, other than what is contained in our official statements as posted on our Twitter feed.”
