Was There Really A Brian Laundrie Possible Sighting In Florida?
Brian Laundrie has been on the run for just over a month, according to CNN. Laundrie is the primary person of interest in the death of Gabby Petito, his late fiancé with whom he embarked on a cross-country road trip in a van in June. But on September 1, Laundrie returned home without Gabby. When Gabby's family reported her missing, police stopped at Laundrie's home, only for his parents to serve them the contact information for their lawyer. Shortly thereafter, Laundrie went missing. The search has been focused in a Floridian nature reserve where he frequently hiked, attracting attention from all over the country. Even Dog the Bounty Hunter has gotten involved, though there is debate whether he is helping or hurting the actual case.
With such widespread attention, people across the nation — particularly in his Florida — have been keeping their eyes peeled for sightings of Laundrie. Now there's been a reported sighting a few hours north of his hometown.
Brian Laundrie has allegedly been seen on a bicylce
According to TMZ, a Floridian witness claims to have seen Brian Laundrie riding a bike in Dunnellon, a small town three hours north of his parents' home in North Port — and there's surveillance video to back it up. In the video, a man with some facial hair wearing long sleeves, long pants, and a baseball hat is riding down a path. It's very difficult to tell from the video if the man in question is in fact Laundrie, but the witness found the man's presence suspicious because the path is not exactly bike or pedestrian-friendly, and it appeared that the man was trying to stay under the radar. According to TMZ, "hardly anyone ever ventures down [the path] ... on foot or anything else."
If this mystery bicyclist turns out not to be Laundrie, it wouldn't be the first false sighting of the fugitive. Severin Beckwith of Ithaca, New York was served a surprise visit from U.S. Marshals at his hotel room along the Appalachian Trail. "Next thing I see is a bunch of guys with riot shields with 'U.S. Marshals' written on them, handguns pointed at my face," he told The New Yorker in October. Ultimately, authorities determined this was a case of mistaken identity because Beckwith did not have hand tattoos like Laundrie.
It's possible this latest siting may in fact be Laundrie. Only time, and further investigation, will tell.