Gabby Petito case: Search for Brian Laundrie resumes for fourth day in Carlton Reserve

NORTH PORT — The Sarasota County Sheriff's dive team arrived at Carlton Reserve as the manhunt for Brian Laundrie continued Wednesday, with authorities searching the woods for the fourth day.

The North Port Police Department, FBI and other law enforcement agencies swept through the 25,000-acre swampy reserve during the weekend, then again Tuesday and Wednesday. By 7:15 p.m., authorities concluded the search, and there was no sign of Laundrie.

Laundrie is a person of interest in the disappearance and death of his fiancé, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito. His family reported to police last week that he may have gone missing in Carlton Reserve.

“We’ve deployed numerous resources, and we are trying to cover every acre in this preserve,” North Port Police Commander Joe Fussell said in a video released by the agency Wednesday. “Our law enforcement partners, they’re motivated, and they’re hungry to find Brian Laundrie … It’s rough out there. Yeah, it’s rough out there. It’s hot. It’s wet.”

Officials noted that while the Sheriff’s Underwater Recovery Unit was seen at the reserve, it does not indicate a body was found.

Police used dive teams, boats, and sonar equipment Wednesday to search large bodies of water at the nature reserve, North Port Police spokesman Josh Taylor said in an email update.

Background:Gabby Petito's remains identified; coroner initially rules death a homicide

Experts:Online criticism of North Port police in Petito case may be premature

Gabby Petito timeline:From road trip with Brian Laundrie to active criminal investigation

“At this time, this does not mean anything has been found,” Taylor said in an email. “It’s a part of the overall search process.”

More than 50 law enforcement officers combed Carlton Reserve in search of Laundrie through waste-deep water with snakes and alligators. Officials noted the conditions made the search more difficult. 

Taylor said police focused Tuesday on the Venice side of the reserve along with adjoining lands, using drones, police dogs, ATVs and helicopters. He noted the plan was “to return Wednesday with a similar operation.”

North Port police officials have said all media interviews regarding the case are on hold until further notice. The FBI has declined to comment, referring the public to the agency's Twitter account for updates.

Lawyer slams Laundrie's attorney in statement

A coroner confirmed Tuesday the human remains found in Wyoming are those of Petito, 22, according to the FBI in Denver. The coroner has initially ruled Petito's death as a homicide. 

While authorities have not officially named Laundrie as a suspect, he is considered a “person of interest” in her disappearance.

Petito went missing on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie — who drove Petito’s van back to North Port without her and has refused to cooperate with authorities, frustrating police in the search. Then Friday, Laundrie went missing too.

Laundrie's parents told authorities they hadn't seen him since Sept. 14. They said they found his car at Carlton Reserve and drove it back to their home. Police exercised a search warrant at the house Monday. 

An attorney representing the Petito family released a statement directed to Laundrie's lawyer on Wednesday, demanding that his law firm stop using the case for publicity. 

“The Petito and Schmidt family are demanding that you remove Gabby Petito’s picture from your Yelp page,” the statement from Petito family lawyer Richard Stafford said. “Furthermore, the Petito and Schmidt family demand that you cease and desist (from) posting pictures of Gabby Petito to any and all of your social media pages, web pages, or advertisements in an effort to gain business.”

Laundrie's attorney, Steven Bertolino, responded that he's never used social media or any other electronic platform for advertising other than maintaining a website.

“This is sad,” Bertolino said in a statement. “I do not control the internet sites nor the hacks and public that have been overrunning the internet with fake comments and posts. Yesterday, Yelp had shut down its page for my firm due to inordinate and unconfirmed posts. I would certainly agree with Mr. Stafford that any such post he is referring to should be removed but advise him that I have no control over that.”