Gabby Petito: Police declare 'crime scene' as FBI enters Brian Laundrie's Florida home: LIVE UPDATES
The FBI announced a “search warrant” twice before removing Chris and Roberta Laundrie from their home in North Port, Fla., on Monday. The FBI Denver office on Sunday confirmed that authorities located what they believe is the body of Gabby Petito, the Florida girl who vanished while on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.
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The attorney for Brian Laundrie canceled a press conference that was scheduled for Tuesday after speaking with the FBI, Fox News has learned.
Laundrie, 23, is the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, the missing Florida woman whose body may have been discovered Sunday in Wyoming.
He has been named a person of interest in the case.
His family told police that they have not seen him since last Tuesday. The autopsy of the remains found in the investigation is set to be completed on Tuesday, which could confirm that the body belonged to Petito.
The search warrant issued for computers and hard drives found in Gabby Petito's and Brian Laundrie's van highlights and odd text Petito's family received.
"On August 27th, 2021 the subject's mother, Nichole Schmidt, received an 'odd text' from the subject. The text message read, 'Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls," the document reads.
The document goes on to explain that referring to Stan, Petito's grandfather, by name was unusual behavior for Petito. The exchange led the mother to begin having concerns for Petito's well being.
Fox Nation host Nancy Grace highlighted important questions regarding Gabby Petito's disappearance and Brian Laundrie's actions. On "America's Newsroom," she said the condition of the body discovered in Grand Teton National Park will help determine the cause of death. Grace also questioned how Laundrie was able to leave his house unnoticed despite the constant press coverage at his home, suggesting he may have left the home much earlier in September.
NANCY GRACE: With all of the press and citizens outside the home, how did Laundrie get out and nobody noticed? That place has been staked out 24/7. Did he really go to Carlton Reserve? Why do we believe that? Other than that's what the parents said. I don't understand how the car could have left with him in it. And then the parents bring it back, and nobody sees any of this happening? I'm also very concerned about the condition in which Gabby was found – her remains. Was she buried? Was she at the bottom of a ravine? Was she attacked by animals? Did she die from the elements? Because if Gabby was buried, then she was murdered. That's what I need to find out. …
Police had left a note on the vehicle after it was abandoned by Brian Laundrie last week asking that the vehicle be removed from the area he left it, according to reporting from the New York Post.
Laundrie's family did not remove the car, hoping he would eventually return to it.
Gabby Petito, left, and Brian Laundrie are seen in bodycam footage released by the Moab City Police Department in Utah. (Moab City Police Department)
FIRST ON FOX: The 911 caller who reported a "domestic dispute" between Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito in Moab, Utah, on Aug. 12 was heard telling a dispatcher that "the gentleman was slapping the girl" and hitting her, Fox News has confirmed Monday after exclusively obtaining the audio of the call.
"He was slapping her?" the dispatcher was heard asking.
"Yes, and then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off," the caller added.
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North Port Police just dropped off what appears to be collapsed cardboard boxes at the front porch of the Laundrie home.
(Fox News)
Chris and Roberta Laundrie -- who were removed earlier from their home in North Port by FBI agents -- are now back inside their property.
The couple previously were placed in an unmarked van outside of the home for at least an hour.
Dan Riemer, a professional investigator in South Florida, tells Fox News that the FBI may have put the couple in a van alone together "because there is no expectation of privacy in a law enforcement officer vehicle.
"So if they are talking to each other it is either being listened to and/or being recorded," he added.
The Teton County Coroner’s Office tells Fox News' Jeremy Copas that the autopsy on the body found Sunday that is believed to be Gabby Petito will be conducted tomorrow. The office is bringing in a forensic pathologist from Sheridan, Wyoming, about 360 miles east.
Once the autopsy begins it should take one to two hours, but microscopic inspection can push this for several hours.
An FBI agent carries a table and other items into the Laundrie's home on Monday. (Paul Best/Fox News)
Steven Bertolino, the attorney for Gabby Petito’s fiancé, Brian Laundrie, tells Fox News' Stephanie Pagones Monday that he has "no comment" regarding the current situation unfolding at the Laundrie home in North Port, Fla.
FBI agents in the last hour rolled up to the scene before removing Chris and Roberta Laundrie -- his parents -- from the property, placing them in an unmarked van.
Brian Laundrie, their son, is a person of interest in the Gabby Petito investigation.
His current whereabouts remain unknown.
(Fox News)
Brian Laundrie, their son, is a person of interest in the Gabby Petito investigation. On Sunday, authorities found a body in Wyoming that is believed to be Petito's.
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FBI agents respond to Brian Laundrie's home in North Port, Fla., on Monday. (Fox News)
The FBI, in a tweet, says it "is executing a court-authorized search warrant today at the Laundrie residence in North Port, FL relevant to the Gabrielle 'Gabby' Petito investigation."
"No further details can be provided since this is an active and ongoing investigation," the FBI added.
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The FBI stayed in the Laundrie's home for roughly 10 minutes before agents started bringing folding chairs, a table, and other items into the home.
The FBI has arrived Monday morning at the home of Brian Laundrie in North Port, Fla.
A travel blogger who identified Gabby Petito's van in video footage from a trip to Wyoming revealed details about the chance encounter Monday on "Fox & Friends."
Jen Bethune reacted to the news investigators have found a body that matches that of the 22-year-old, saying it was heartwarming to at least be able to help bring closure to the Petito family despite the devastating discovery.
"I am so sad that we couldn't bring her back alive, but to be able to bring her back home to her family or to help with that is everything," Bethune told host Ainsley Earhardt.
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Law enforcement officials conduct a search of the vast Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Fla., area for Brian Laundrie on Saturday. (AP/North Port Police Department)
The North Port Police Department tells Fox News on Monday that it "currently has no plans to conduct a major search of the Carlton Reserve today" -- the place in Florida where authorities had been looking for Brian Laundrie over the weekend.
Laundrie is a person of interest in the Gabby Petito investigation. On Sunday, authorities found a body in Wyoming that is believed to be Petito's.
"At this time, we currently believe we have exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there," North Port Police Public Information Officer Josh Taylor said. "Law enforcement agencies continue to search for Brian Laundrie."
Fox News' Sara Ballou contributed to this report.
TJ Schmidt has written in an Instagram post that “I don’t even know what to say” following the discovery of a body in Wyoming Sunday believed to be his sister.
“I’m at a total loss. My heart is shattered #justiceforgabby,” he added.
Petito's uncle, Mike Schmidt, said in a Facebook post that he has "no words right now as I am numb."
"Our Gabby was a beautiful, kind, caring young woman with so much ahead of her. We are heartbroken," he also said.
The North Port Police Department announced on Twitter Sunday that a team of more than 50 people searched a nearby reserve for any clues into the disappearance of Brian Laundrie, who has been named a person of interest in the Gabby Petito investigation.
Police said Laundrie’s parents directed them to the Carlton Reserve, after saying he visited the location. Sunday’s search ended and police posted that there was nothing new to report.
The search for Laundrie is expected to intensify after authorities in Wyoming announced the discovery of a body that appeared to be Petito.
An autopsy will have to be performed to make a 100% determination. Her father took to Twitter shortly after the discovery and posted a broken heart emoji, and wrote, “She touched the world. The post was accompanied by a picture of his daughter smiling and in front of oversized angel wings. The North Port Police said it will continue to work with its partners in its search for “more answers.”
An autopsy for the body believed to be that of Gabby Petito has been scheduled for Tuesday, according to the Teton County Coroner's Office.
The body was discovered Sunday at Grand Teton National Park, with the FBI saying the body matched the description for Petito.
The investigation is still ongoing, and the body has not been 100% positively identified.
YouTube bloggers say they spotted Gabby Petito's converted white van near Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park two days after the missing woman's family say they last heard from her.
"We came across a white van that had Florida plates," said blogger Jenn Bethune 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."
"I am making a personal request to members of the press and news media to refrain from contacting the Schmidt and Petito family," lawyer Richard Benson Stafford said in a statement Sunday.
Due to today's developments, we are asking the press and news media to have some decorum and sensitivity for Gabby's family and allow them to grieve. I will be in contact with you when Gabby's family is ready to make a public statement.
I would also like to personally thank the FBI, the Suffolk County Police Department, the North Port Police Department and especially the Grant Teton Search and Rescue team," the statement continued. "Your tireless work and determination helped bring Gabby home to her parents. The family and I will be forever grateful."
The statement comes as authorities located a body believed to be that of Petito Sunday.
The investigation is still ongoing and a cause of death has yet to be determined.
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