Dog the Bounty Hunter searched Fort De Soto for Brian Laundrie, fiance of slain Gabby Petito

Hannah Critchfield, Tampa Bay Times
·1 min read

Dog the Bounty Hunter has barged into Florida chasing Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in a search that has shined a national spotlight on the inequality of media attention on missing persons cases.

According to Fox News, the reality television star received a tip that Laundrie, the fiance of slain travel blogger Gabby Petito, had been spotted at Fort De Soto in Pinellas County.

Local authorities say they are not involved in the search.

“At this point, we’re not conducting an investigation in Fort De Soto,” said Travis Sibley, a spokesman from the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office. “We are not aware of any confirmed sightings of Brian.”

Campground records provided by the county show a Roberta Laundrie — the name of Brian Laundrie’s mother — checked into Fort De Soto Park on Sept. 6 and checked out on Sept. 9.

According to WTSP, Steve Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, confirmed that Brian Laundrie and both of his parents checked into the Fort De Soto campsite Sept. 6. Bertolino told them the family checked out the following day, the station reports.

Sibley referred the Tampa Bay Times to North Port Police Department, which then referred the Times to the FBI Denver Office. The office declined to comment.

“This is an ongoing investigation and we do not have any comment beyond the official statements posted on our Twitter feed (@FBIDenver),” Courtney Bernal, spokesperson for the FBI Denver Division, said in an emailed statement.