FBI, local agencies searching Grand Teton Natl. Park for clues in Gabby Petito missing person’s case

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming (Gephardt Daily) — The FBI’s Denver office announced early Saturday afternoon that multiple agencies are searching areas of Grand Teton National Park in connection with the Gabrielle Petito missing person’s case.

Petito, 22, who had been traveling in her camper van with boyfriend Brian Laundrie, was last heard from by her mother on Aug. 25. Laundrie, 23, returned from their trip west, which including destinations in Utah, on Sept. 1, driving Petito’s van, but without Gabby.

“The #FBI and our partners at the National Park Service, Teton County Sheriff’s Office & Jackson Police Department are currently conducting ground surveys in areas of Grand Teton National Park that are relevant to the investigation into Gabrielle Petito’s disappearance,” the FBI Denver office tweet says.

Laundrie and his family, who live in North Port, Florida, in a house Petito had shared, initially declined through their attorney to consult with North Port police. Investigators ultimately named Brian a “person of interest” in the case.

Friday, Laundrie’s family broke their silence and revealed to police they had not seen their son since Tuesday. The information triggered an FBI and local law enforcement search, starting Saturday morning, of the 24,565-acre Carlton Reserve, where family told officers Laundrie may have gone.

(The NPPD posted a 3:04 p.m. Saturday follow-up addressing a false rumor: “There are currently false reports of a body being located where we are searching. Completely fake.”)

For more information on this story, including a timeline and the couple’s encounter with Moab police, click here.

Gephardt Daily will have new information on this developing story as details are released.

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