‘He is hiding’: Gabby Petito’s family says of Brian Laundrie’s disappearance, search for Laundrie suspended until Sunday

About 50-plus people were searching for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie in a nature preserve in Sarasota County. At nightfall, the search was suspended until Sunday.

Laundrie’s parents filed a missing person’s report for him on Friday. According to the North Port Police Department, the last time Laundrie was seen was on Tuesday. The North Port Police Department and the FBI are working to corroborate the story.

Laundrie is a person of interest in the case of his missing fiancee 22-year-old Gabby Petito.

The two went on a journey across the country in July but only Laundrie returned. Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11.

On Saturday morning, between five and six agencies converged on at the Carlton reserve, a more than 24,000-acre preserve that Laundrie’s family said their son liked to visit. There were four-wheelers, canines, drones and more than 50 people out searching after authorities said he may be in danger.

The case has created a media maelstrom in North Port and across the country

On Saturday morning, the North Port Police Department said they were conducting a grid search for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve, a 24,565-acre preserve, in Sarasota County.

Lots and lots of law enforcement here at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park searching for #BrianLaundrie.
More FWC officers just showed up the park with ATV like vehicles.#GabbyPetito #GabbyPetitoMissing @winknews pic.twitter.com/igHxOegxX8

— Andryanna Sheppard (@AndryannaTV) September 18, 2021