Brian Laundrie cops should have 'kept him in their pocket' to stop him escaping, ex FBI agent says

COPS should have kept closer tabs on Brian Laundrie and had him 'in their pocket' to stop him from disappearing, an ex FBI agent has exclusively told The Sun.

The agency has allegedly spent more than $1.2million hunting the missing traveler after his fiance Gabby Petito vanished and was later found dead in Wyoming.


He remains the only person of interest in the 22-year-old's disappearance after their road trip, while it is also alleged he used Gabby's bank card to rack up charges of more than $1,000.

Former FBI agent Stuart Kaplan, who now works as a lawyer in South Florida, told The Sun exclusively earlier steps could have been taken to prevent Laundrie slipping through the net.

He said: "I think hindsight being 2020, had they realized that at the very beginning this was more than a missing persons case, it may have been better served to have him in pocket. 

"And that's the lingo. I think certainly had he been kept in pocket, we probably would not be having this discussion.

"He probably would be arrested and facing prosecution, not only for the bank fraud, but also for the murder of Gabby Petito."

Kaplan says the public now need to be patient when it comes to cops solving the case, as they need a big break and finding Laundrie, 23, is getting more difficult as time goes on.

His parents were criticised for not helping look for their son until his father Christopher was seen this week at Carlton Reserve, but Kaplan claims police would have kept them away on purpose.

Brian's dad is helping authorities identify his son's favorite trails and hiking spots, the family's lawyer revealed, noting that the missing fugitive's parents have been "cooperating since the search began."

Kaplan said: "They don't like to bring witnesses or people out to potential crime scenes or areas where someone could be, because obviously they're concerned about disturbing the crime scene, or maybe providing information that ultimately may assist them."

"I think finally law enforcement realized that maybe it would be better served for the parents to go out there and literally pinpoint with a degree of accuracy: this is the route we took, this is the path we walked.

"And I don't see any problem with that. And I certainly don't see any problem with doing it later. It's not a Netflix movie where you expect all of these things to unfold immediately. 

"And most importantly, what I think is under reported, is that each and every step that law enforcement takes to try to apprehend this individual may be scrutinized in a court of law and you cannot afford to make a mistake or sidestep a procedure just because you're in such a haste, because that sidestep or that mistake could throw the whole case out the window.

"And so that's why it takes time to do things to protect the process. So that if it ends up in a court of law, a defense lawyer is not going to be able to poke holes in it to get this guy off."

He also explained the FBI is not "tasked or mandated" to investigate homicides as the search for Laundrie has now been scaled back and targeted based on intelligence.

"Homicides obviously are part of criminal enterprises, whether it's organized crime or, God forbid there's a bank robbery and someone gets shot and killed, but routinely a single homicide is not within the jurisdiction of the FBI," Kaplan said.

"But now realizing the scope and breadth of this investigation, the FBI came in. They are certainly equipped to track down and conduct leads and go out and serve subpoenas and interviews etc. And of course they do that with the assistance of local law enforcement."

DAD JOINED SEARCH

On September 21, 2021, the Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed that Gabby died as a result of a homicide but the cause is still pending final autopsy results.

Her devastated family released an emotional statement, saying, "Our hearts are broken."

Cops are still searching for Gabby's fiancé who vanished on September 14, after telling his parents he was going hiking in Carlton Reserve in Florida.

Gabby's family sat down with Dr. Phil on October 6, 2021 to talk about the case and revealed a shocking discovery.

The family said that her body was found near a campsite about five-minutes from where Laundrie would have parked their van in the Wyoming national park.

Gabby's stepdad told Dr Phil that Gabby's remains were discovered just in front of the area where the tent and fire would have been.

He added that it would have been only a short walk from where the van would have been parked but was off the beaten path.

"Where their van was is alongside a creek bed … on the other side is some trees and a lot of low brush on the borderline of Teton National Park," Jim said.

"There's an area where there was a few trees, remnants of a fire ring, and a clearing where I would place my tent, facing out over the mountain range.

"Her body was found in front of the tent or in front of the fire ring."

While Gabby's fiancé is not wanted for murder, he is still a person of interest and authorities have yet to locate him.



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