Florida sheriffs bring dive teams to search waters of Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie
Florida police are continuing their search for Brian Laundrie, who was named a person of interest in his fiancée Gabby Petito's disappearance and death.
North Port Police are searching the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve by air and by foot with K-9 units, as well as with "dive teams, boats, and sonar equipment."
Authorities have called the reserve a "vast and unforgiving location" with snakes and alligators.
Florida's Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deployed dive teams to the sprawling Carlton Reserve to aid in the search for Gabby Petito's missing fiancé Brian Laundrie, Florida police confirmed Wednesday.
North Port, Florida, police said on Wednesday that the "search continues" for Laundrie, who was reported missing by his family on Sept. 17. Authorities are scouring Florida's Carlton Reserve by air and on foot with K-9 units.
"Area resources are looking at large bodies of water, including dive teams, boats, and sonar equipment. At this time, this does not mean anything has been found. It's a part of the overall search process," North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor said in a statement.
NPPD added that in their search, they have found "a possible self-inflicted death, roughly one mile from the Environmental Park" but said the death has "nothing to do with this case."
North Port PD said Tuesday night that their "search of the Carlton & nearby lands concluded for the evening" and yielded "nothing of note." They asked for the public's help in the search, encouraging people to send tips to the FBI.
On Wednesday, Commander Joe Fussell of the NPPD said the terrain is "rough."
"We've deployed numerous resources, and we are trying to cover every acre in this preserve," Fussell said in a video from the department. "These guys, our law enforcement partners, they're motivated, and they're hungry to find Brian Laundrie."
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office also denied rumors that he had already been found: "Despite rumors on social media this evening, #BrianLaundrie is NOT IN THE CUSTODY of our agency at this time," it tweeted late Tuesday.
"We can confirm we have received reports of 'suspected sightings' however, none have been accurate."
Laundrie's family said he went missing after going for a hike in the wildlife preserve last week, days after Petito was reported missing. On Sunday, authorities found Petito's body in a camping area in Wyoming and has initially classified her death as a homicide.
Laundrie was named a person of interest in Petito's death, according to a statement by FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider.
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