NORTH PORT, Fla. — Items belonging to Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of slain cross-country traveler Gabby Petito who is considered a person of interest in her disappearance, were found on a Florida trail during the search for him, his parents’ attorney said in a statement Wednesday.“Chris and Roberta Laundrie went to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park this morning to search for Brian. The FBI and NPPD were informed last night of Brian’s parents’ intentions and they met Chris and Roberta there this morning. After a brief search off a trail that Brian frequented some articles belonging to Brian were found. As of now law enforcement is conducting a more thorough investigation of that area,” the statement from Attorney Stephen Bertolino read.
The medical examiner’s office in Sarasota has been called to the preserve where the search for Laundrie is underway, a spokeswoman for the office told ABC News. Local police also requested a human remains detection team to assist.
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The search for Laundrie has centered around the swampy Carlton Reserve near his parents’ home in North Port, about 35 miles south of Sarasota. Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park is located in North Port and connects to the reserve, according to the city’s website.
The statement did not specify what sort of belongings were found.
Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11 by her parents after she did not respond to calls and texts for several days while she and Laundrie visited national parks in the West.
Laundrie and Petito had been traveling across the country since June, documenting the trip on social media. They got into a physical altercation Aug. 12 in Moab, Utah, that led to a police stop, which ended with police deciding to separate the quarreling couple for the night. No charges were filed, and no serious injuries were reported.
The 23-year-old Laundrie returned to his home on Sept. 1 without Petito but driving her 2012 Ford Transit. Laundrie had refused to speak to the police and has not been seen since Tuesday, Sept. 14, according to law enforcement officials.
Petito’s body was found along the border of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming last month, and a coroner determined that she was strangled to death based on her autopsy results.
The three to four weeks her body was believed to be in the wilderness put her death around the Aug. 27-30 period investigators believe the couple had traveled to the area.
The search for Laundrie has generated a frenzy, with TV personalities like Duane Chapman — known as Dog the Bounty Hunter — and longtime “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh working to track him down.
Federal officials in Wyoming last month charged Laundrie with unauthorized use of a debit card, alleging he used a Capital One Bank card and someone’s personal identification number to make unauthorized withdrawals or charges worth more than $1,000 during the period in which Petito went missing. They did not say to whom the card belonged.
The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.
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