https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-Florida.html
EXCLUSIVE: Rangers search Wyoming campsite where missing van-life girl Gabby Petito was last - while Florida cops hunt alligator-infested park for her boyfriend Brian Laundrie and say they 'fear for his safety' and he could be armed
Florida police and FBI officers hunt for the vanished boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, in the Carlton Reserves while Grand Teton National Park rangers are looking for the missing Gabby Petito in the Wyoming wilderness
The rangers and Petito's stepfather, Jim Schmidt, said they are confident Petito is in the area as the search began Friday
Northport Police and FBI began a search for the missing Laundrie on Saturday
Petito's mom Nichole Schmidt reacted angrily to the news that Brian Laundrie had vanished and suggested he is on the run
'He's not missing, he's hiding!' Peitio's mom Nichole Schmidt said 'Gaby is missing!'
Petito was last seen on August 24 leaving a hotel with Laundrie in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the couple's cross-country campervan trip
She made her final call to her mom the next day from Grand Teton National Park and was reported missing by her family on September 11
Police said Laundrie returned to his home in North Port, Florida, September 1
Rangers and the FBI are actively searching an area on the east side of Grand Teton National Park for missing van-life girl Gabby Petito, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
As a result of the search, Spread Creek campground is closed as National Park Rangers and the Teton County Sheriff search the area, and the area will remain closed to the public for the next few days.
The Spread Creek site is one of the dispersed camp grounds Petito listed as visiting on her page at thedyrt.com, where she reviewed her journey.
Petito, the 22-year-old 'van-life' girl, has been missing since the end of August 24. Her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie returned home to Florida on September 1 and has refused to cooperate with authorities.
On Saturday, he vanished and more than 50 law enforcement officers are now using bloodhounds, drones and 4x4 vehicles are searching for her boyfriend Brian Laundrie in a vast and alligator-infested swampy Florida woodland reserve, said North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor.
Laundrie often visits the Myakkahatchee Creek Environment Park, which is tied to the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve, he said.
And that is where he told his parents he was going when he left their house, added Taylor
Officers do not know if Laundrie is armed.
Park rangers at the Grand Teton National Park, are also actively searching for Petito in the in Wyoming park.
Speaking at the entrance where Laundrie entered the park, Taylor said: 'We have five, six different agencies who are out there, 50 plus folks.
'We have had drones in the air, we have got bloodhounds, K9s, four by four vehicles. It's very wet, it's muddy. There are a few unpaved dirt roads. It's a place that people hike. There are mountain bike trails out here. The Myakkahatchee Creek runs down into the city.'
Asked if he believed there were concerns for Laundrie's safety, Taylor said: 'Sure, I think that's fair to say. There is an enormous amount of pressure I'm sure on him to provide answers on what's going on here.'
He could not confirm if Gabby's boyfriend – who has refused to talk to cops about her disappearance – owns a gun.
Pointing behind him, he added: 'They started the search in the park area, which is about 200 acres. There is a bridge which crosses over into the Carlton Reserve which is about 25,000 acres. It is believed he entered from here.
'The initial focus was on the 200 acres here, and then spreading out. The park is closed to the public.'
Asked how long it would take to search the entire 25,000 acres, he replied: 'You can imagine… a long time.'
Before it become a criminal investigation involving Laundrie 'we would need official confirmation of a crime,' he added.
Earlier on Saturday, a Grand Teton Park Ranger told DailyMail.com, 'there is a group of park rangers that is searching for Gabby Petito in the backcountry of the park.
'This is the park's elite search and rescue unit.
'I believe there may also be a search going on in a remote area of Yellowstone National Park.'
Authorities believe that Petito's last known location was in or around the Grand Teton National Park.
The park itself spans more than 310,000 acres and 485 square miles the backcountry consists of several hundred square miles on the west side of the park, it's a hike- in area only.
Petito's stepfather, Jim Schmidt, told DailyMail.com, that they are confidant she made it to the area but aren't sure where she may have ended up camping at.
'Members of search unit at the park can be air lifted to various remote areas for a search,' added the ranger. 'They don't tell us specifics they sort of do what they do.'
DailyMail.com located an account on thedyrt.com for Gabby and Brian V. that was last updated on July 14, 2021.
On the list are several dispersed campsites in the Grand Teton/Jackson area which are often free for stays up to 14 days in some place.
DailyMail.com went to several of these campsites which were in remotes areas near the park- off the grid.
Cellular phone service was spotty and the sheer remoteness of the area, one could easily disappear in without a trace.
In one dispersed campsite Dailymail.com just arrived at minutes after a grizzly was observed at the side of the road digging up an animal it had previously buried.
Grizzly bears aren't the only predators Petito would face out in the wilderness, there are red foxes, coyotes, bobcats and cougars that roam the park.
This comes as police and FBI begin searching a Florida wildlife reserve for vanished Brian Laundrie, Petito's fianc? who is a key witness to her disappearance.
North Port Police department said 'The North Point Police Department, FBI and agency partners are currently conducting a search of the vast Carlton Reserves for Brian Laundrie.
North Port police tweeted a photo of the search parties massing in the park, with at least 30 people present.
Laundrie's family says he entered the area earlier this week.
The T. Mabry Carlton Reserve covers nearly 25,000 acres and is 15 miles from the Laundrie home in North Port. It has 80 miles of equestrian, hiking and biking trails.
North Port Police communications chief Josh Taylor told Dailymail.com, 'That reserve covers a massive, swampland.
Police, FBI and the green-clad local Sarasota Sheriff's Department deputies were moving around in ATV vehicles as the search for Laundrie intensified today.
One particular area of interest with searchers is the 160-acre Myakkahatchee (correct) Creek Environment Park, which connects to the massive Carlton Reserve, and is filled with hiking trails amid the expanse of swamp and dense woodland.
One Sheriff's deputy was seen moving along a pathway into thick undergrowth carrying a machete. Officers remained tight lipped about the search when asked.
Other law enforcement were moving around the location on the perimeter of the environment park in the back of pick-up trucks
Laundrie's family did not tell authorities he was missing for three days.
Police said the Laundrie family called the FBI Friday night to talk about their son's disappearance, describing their frustration that this was the first time they had been willing to speak with investigators in detail amid the search for Petito.
Petito's mother has slammed her boyfriend Brian Laundrie saying 'he's not missing, he's hiding' after his attorney said the man now named a person of interest in her daughter's disappearance hasn't been seen since Tuesday.
Petito's mom Nichole Schmidt reacted angrily to the news that Laundrie had vanished and suggested he is on the run, following a fraught week where she has issued several public pleas asking him and his family to cooperate with investigators.
'He's not missing, he's hiding!' she told DailyMail.com. 'Gaby is missing!'
North Port Police and the FBI confirmed they are searching for Laundrie, whose family say they last saw him Tuesday wearing a hiking bag.
We understand the community's frustration, we are frustrated too,' police said Friday.
'For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's Fianc? Gabby Petito.
'Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail.'
North Port Police said the department and the FBI are currently working a multiple missing person investigation.
They issued a description of Laundrie as a' white male, 5'8 160lbs, brown eyes, short brown hair, trimmed facial hair, last seen wearing a hiking bag with a waist strap.'
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Originally Posted by Miller22
