POLICE are checking an abandoned bike for fingerprints near to where a potential sighting of Brian Laundrie was reported earlier this week.
The sighting was caught on surveillance camera and showed a man who resembles Laundrie pedaling down a country road in Dunnellon, Florida, a small town around three hours north of the Laundrie family home.
The unidentified male was seen riding on the bike wearing an oversized backpack, heavy clothing, and a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes.
He appeared to be struggling to maintain control of the bike before dismounting it at the side of the sandy path and walking into a wooded area.
The footage was captured on October 9 but was first reported by TMZ on Tuesday.
The property owner whose surveillance camera caught the man in motion said it appeared as though the individual depicted was attempting to "lay low."
SCANNING FOR PRINTS
An autoworker called Jon in the nearby town of Hernando then told the outlet on Wednesday that he had found an abandoned bicycle behind his shop that may be the same bike seen in the surveillance footage.
Jon said he believes the bike was left there either Friday night or Saturday morning.
He called the police after making the discovery on Tuesday who came to the scene and fingerprinted the bike.
Police reportedly spent 15 minutes scanning the bike for clues but told Jon Laundrie-related tips are coming into the department frequently – and most are dead on arrival.
While the bike found and the bike in the footage appear to be two separate designs, the discovery was made just a few miles away from where the potential Laundrie sighting was made.
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…
That sighting was made almost a month after Laundrie disappeared.
It comes after a string of reported sightings of Laundrie, who was last seen on September 13 when his parents claimed he went for a hike in Florida's Carlton Reserve.
It was only two days after Gabby was officially reported missing by her family in New York.
When they first filed the report, Gabby's family say they were not aware that Laundrie was back in Florida and only learned that he and Gabby's van had returned home without her that day.
Roberta and Chris Laundrie say that they picked up their son's car when he didn't return two days later.
Yet they did not report him missing until September 17.
Gabby's remains were found in Wyoming two days later and a coroner revealed last week that she had been strangled to death.
LAUNDRIE ON THE RUN
The Laundrie family has been criticized after it emerged that the Mustang Laundrie reportedly used to get to the reserve was actually found 16 miles away.
They faced further criticism after they changed the timeline of his disappearance.
The FBI, who is leading Gabby's murder case, issued a warrant for Laundrie's arrest on September 24, for misuse of a bank card.
Gabby's family confirmed the card was hers and Laundrie reportedly used it to spend $1,000 between August 30 and September 1.
The vlogger was last seen alive in Wyoming on August 27 as she reportedly apologized to the staff at a restaurant for Laundrie's anger.
Laundrie has not been named a suspect in her death but is a person of interest.
SEARCH CONTINUES
He has remained on the run as the FBI conducts a search of the Carlton Reserve.
Dog the Bounty Hunter also mounted a search in Fort De Soto park after receiving a tip Laundrie was there with his family earlier in September, after he returned home without Gabby.
His sister Cassie confirmed the family trip and claimed they did not speak about Gabby while together.
On Tuesday, the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park was reopened to the public after a search.
It had been closed for a month as the manhunt for Laundrie continued.
Online sleuths have claimed to have found sightings of Laundrie as far away as the Bahamas and Canada.
No sightings have yet been confirmed.
Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito’s disappearance:
- June 2021 – Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 – Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
- July 8 – Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
- July 18 – Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah's Zion National Park.
- August 12 – Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip.
- August 24 – Gabby is spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- August 25 – Gabby Facetimes her mom, Nichole Schmidt, for the final time. In a later police report, Schmidt said her conversations with her daughter revealed "more and more tension" between her and Brian.
- August 25 – Gabby also posts her last Instagram. No location is given.
- August 27 – Gabby is seen for what's believed to be the final time. Witnesses claim they saw Brian in an explosive argument with staff at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, leaving Gabby in tears.
- August 27 – Four hours later, travel bloggers driving through Grand Teton National Park drive past the couple's van "abandoned" on a dirt road.
- September 1 – Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
- September 11 – Gabby's parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 14 – Brian's family issues a statement saying he has retained an attorney and will not be cooperating with investigators.
- September 14 – Brian is allegedly last seen by his family. He reportedly told them he was going hiking in Cartlon Reserve but failed to return.
- September 15 – Florida's North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 – Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 – Brian's parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days and report him missing.
- September 18 – Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 – Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby's but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
- September 20 – Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie's home, seizing his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed."
- September 21 – Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
- September 21 – The FBI announced the body found in Wyoming was identified as Gabby's. The cause of death was not yet revealed.
- September 21 – The Teton County Coroner's office said Gabby's official cause of death was still pending but the initial manner of death is homicide.
- September 22 – Police continue to scour Carlton Reserve for a trace of Laundrie but yield no leads. A specialist dive team is called in to assist with the hunt.
- September 23 – Officials announced a federal arrest warrant for Brian was issued.
- September 26 – Gabby's funeral was held on Long Island, New York.
- October 12: Gabby's autopsy results were made public. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed Gabby died by strangulation.
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