Gabby Petito Case: FBI Issues Federal Arrest Warrant For Brian Laundrie, Wanted For Bank Fraud

The FBI announced late Thursday that they have issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, fiancing of Gabby Petito, the missing travel blogger whose remains were found earlier this week in Grand Teton National Park.

Laundrie was reportedly last seen on September 14th, but investigators only began a search for him on Friday after his parents acknowledged he was not at their home in North Point, Florida. Since then, several agencies, including the FBI and Florida state law enforcement have been searching for Laundrie in the 24,000-acre Carlton nature preserve.

Brian Laundrie is considered a “person of interest” in Petito’s death, but the FBI added on Thursday that they were seeking Laundrie in connection with “bank fraud” in Wyoming, where he and Petito were last seen together.

“On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito,” the FBI said on Twitter. “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.”

On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito. pic.twitter.com/SSrBVbAeBs

— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 23, 2021

The warrant, which is available to the public, alleges that, between August 1st and September 30th, Laundrie used a Capital One bank debit card and a stolen personal identification number (PIN) to obtain “things of value aggregating to $1000 or more” from select accounts. It is not clear whether those accounts belong to Gabby Petito.

The warrant also notes that the FBI is allowed to arrest Laundrie, but that they are still seeking information in connection with Petito’s disappearance and death. Gabby Petito and Laundrie were seen several times in mid-August and, on at least one occasion, were involved in a “domestic disturbance.” A witness account that emerged earlier this week indicated that Laundrie and Petito were spotted shortly before Petito’s disappearance at a restaurant in Wyoming.

Petito’s parents say they last heard from their daughter in late August. They received several text messages from Petito’s phone between August 30th and September 1st, but do not believe the texts came from Gabby. Laundrie returned home to Florida, without Petito on September 1st and Petito’s parents filed a missing persons report on September 11th.

Remains, now confirmed to be Petito, were discovered in Grand Teton National Park over the weekend. In a preliminary report issued Tuesday, a coroner ruled Petito’s death a homicide.

Laundrie’s parents, the last to see him, “claim he’s also missing,” per Fox News. “North Port law enforcement officers are continuing their search for any signs of the 23-year-old in an area of the Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve, not far from Laundrie’s family home and where parents told authorities they believe that’s where he is.”

Laundrie’s attorney issued a statement shortly following the FBI announcement noting that it is his “understanding that the arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie is related to activities occurring after the death of Gabby Petito and not related to her actual demise. The FBI is focusing on locating Brian and when that occurs the specifics of the charges covered under the indictment will be addressed in the proper forum.”

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