The FBI announced Thursday an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie was issued Wednesday, who remains unaccounted for days after his parents reported him missing.
“While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide,” FBI Denver Special Agents in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement announcing the warrant. “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.”
On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito. pic.twitter.com/SSrBVbAeBs
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 23, 2021
“No piece of information is too small or inconsequential to support our efforts in this investigation.”
The warrant was issued Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming in relation to the death of Gabby Petito.
Laundrie’s attorney Steven Bertolino, however, told Fox News Digital the warrant was related to his actions after Petito’s death rather than her death.
“It is my understanding that the arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie is related to activities occurring after the death of Gabby Petito and not related to her actual demise,” Bertolino reportedly said. “The FBI is focusing on locating Brian and when that occurs the specifics of the charges covered under the indictment will be addressed in the proper forum.”
Petito and Laundrie embarked on a cross-country road trip on July 2, traveling in Petito’s 2012 Ford Transit van. Petito documented their trip on Youtube and Instagram, with photos appearing to show a happy young couple.
Petito was reported missing on Sep. 11 by her mother, however, after she hadn’t been heard from in several days. Laundrie had returned home to North Port, Florida, on Sep. 1 without Petito and immediately hired a lawyer. He did not report Petito missing.
Laundrie was named a person of interest but did not cooperate with police.
The Moab City Police Department later released bodycam footage of a tense interaction on Aug. 12 which showed an emotionally distraught Petito and relatively calm Laundrie. Officers were responding to a domestic violence altercation after a passerby allegedly saw Laundrie hitting Petito on the side of the road.
Authorities spent several days searching for Petito and finally made a breakthrough after a YouTuber realized she passed Petito’s van in Grand Teton National Park just two days after Petito was last heard from on Aug. 27.
“We came across a white van that had Florida plates,” Jenn Bethune said in a video posted to YouTube. “A small white van. We were going to stop and say hi because we’re from Florida too, but the van was completely dark. There was nobody there, so we decided to continue on our way.”
Bethune shared the information with the FBI.
Authorities then discovered Petito’s body Sunday in Grand Teton National Park and a coroner ruled her death a homicide. Authorities have not released a cause of death, however.
Laundrie has been unaccounted for for more than a week, with his parents reporting him missing Friday. The FBI swarmed Laundrie’s home Monday, declaring the home a crime scene.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information becomes available.