Arrest Warrant Issued For Brian Laundrie In Connection With The Death Of Fiancée Gabby Petito

FILE – This Aug. 12, 2021 file photo from video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Brian Laundrie talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van he was traveling in with his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, near the entrance to Arches National Park. (The Moab Police Department via AP, File)

The U.S. District Court of Wyoming has issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie as authorities continue to search for him. In a statement Thursday, the FBI’s Denver field office said the warrant was “issued pursuant to a federal grand jury indictment” related to Laundrie’s activities following the death of 22-year-old Gabby Petito.

Laundrie, is being charged with intent to defraud a Capitol One bank card. However, the indictment does not say who the card belongs to. This comes days after Petito’s body was found and authorities ruled her death a homicide.

Family members of  Petito have suggested Laundrie is in hiding. They also took aim at he Laundrie family’s attorney for participating in  what they have deemed “a massive cover-up” and stalling tactic. Meanwhile, authorities reported search crews were motivated to find the only person of interest in the case.

“We’re out here with our law enforcement partners, we’re searching for Brian Laundrie,” stated Joe Fussell of North Port Police Department. “We’ve deployed numerous resources and we are trying to cover every acre in this preserve.”

Fussell stressed law enforcement partners are working around the clock in efforts to bring justice to the Petito family. He said crews are using ATV’s, dogs, dive teams and sonar equipment to analyze large bodies of water as almost 75 percent of where the manhunt is taking place is water.

The FBI confirmed the body found in a Wyoming national park last weekend belonged to Petito. On Tuesday, FBI in Denver said the coroner’s initial determination for the manner of death was a homicide. However, the agency added that Petito’s official cause of death remains pending until final autopsy results.

Laundrie, who has not been charged with a crime or named a suspect in the case, has been missing now for one week. He was on a cross-country van trip with Petito when she disappeared and he returned home to Florida without her.

Officials have warned, Laundrie is “running out of time to hide with each passing moment.”