VENICE (WSNN) – Gabby Petito’s case is officially a criminal investigation. Brian Laundrie, the person of interest, is still missing.
Wednesday is the fourth day authorities searched the Carlton Reserve. The air and ground search intensified as dive teams were called in.
Dive teams, K-9 crews, drones all with the same mission: find Brian Laundrie. Agencies have combed through thousands of acres, but there are still thousands to go.
“We have deployed numerous resources and we are trying to cover every acre in this process,” North Port Police Dept. Commander Joe Fussel said.
75-percent of the grounds are underwater.
“It is rough out there,” Fussel said. “It is rough out there. It is hot and it is wet.”
On Wednesday, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Underwater Recovery Force team was called to help. These highly-trained divers are no stranger to difficult tasks and are normally called in to search for bodies
“I can tell you these guys, our law-enforcement partners, they are motivated and they are hungry to find a Brian Laundrie,” Fussel said.
With Gabby’s death ruled a homicide, finding Brian means finding answers.
“Right now, just the mere fact that he was last seen with her or he was alone with her out in Wyoming, that’s not enough,” Criminal Defense Lawyer Derek Byrd said.
Byrd adds the fact that Brian was the last person to see Gabby, whether guilty or innocent, raises more questions.
“I think the reason why they really want to find him, I think law enforcement is believing that they will start to uncover enough evidence to connect him to the crime and they don’t want him lost,” Byrd said.
As the days add up, the search becomes much more intense. Over 60 people are here searching high and low for Brian, and they won’t stop until they find him.
Crews will be back out Thursday morning to continue their search.
North Port Police reported a suicide about one mile from the Environmental Park they were searching last weekend. But NPPD has confirmed that discovery has nothing to do with this case.
