Arrest Warrant Issued for Brian Laundrie, Days After Gabby Petito’s Body Was Found

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U.S.|Arrest Warrant Issued for Brian Laundrie, Days After Gabby Petito’s Body Was Found

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/23/us/brian-laundrie-arrest-warrant-gabrielle-petito.html

Mr. Laundrie is facing a felony complaint of debit paper fraud successful Wyoming aft the decease of Ms. Petito, his fiancée, connected a cross-country trip. The decease has been ruled a homicide.

Gabrielle Petito and Brian Laundrie documented their cross-country travel implicit the summer. He returned location to Florida without her. Her assemblage was recovered successful a Wyoming park. The decease has been ruled a homicide.

Sept. 23, 2021, 8:33 p.m. ET

A national apprehension warrant was unsealed connected Thursday successful Wyoming for Brian Laundrie, the elusive fiancé of Gabby Petito, charging him with debit paper fraud arsenic the authorities continued to hunt for him arsenic a “person of interest” successful the probe into the sidesplitting of Ms. Petito.

The single-count indictment, which was filed connected Wednesday successful U.S. District Court successful Cheyenne, Wyo., charged Mr. Laundrie with a azygous felony number of utilizing unauthorized entree devices related to a Capital One slope debit paper astatine the extremity of past month. The authorities did not accidental whether the debit paper belonged to Ms. Petito.

The determination by national prosecutors came arsenic the hunt for Mr. Laundrie, 23, continued astatine a quality reserve successful Florida, wherever his parents said they believed helium had gone.

Ms. Petito’s remains were discovered connected Sunday connected the eastbound bound of Grand Teton National Park successful Wyoming, 2 months aft the mates began a cross-country adventure, heavy documenting their travels connected societal media. On Tuesday, the F.B.I. ruled the decease of Ms. Petito, 22, a homicide. The circumstantial origin of decease is pending last autopsy results.

“While this warrant allows instrumentality enforcement to apprehension Mr. Laundrie, the F.B.I. and our partners crossed the state proceed to analyse the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide,” Michael Schneider, the peculiar cause successful complaint of the F.B.I.’s tract bureau successful Denver, said successful a connection connected Thursday.

“We impulse individuals with cognition of Mr. Laundrie’s relation successful this substance oregon his existent whereabouts to interaction the F.B.I.,” Agent Schneider said. “No portion of accusation is excessively tiny oregon inconsequential to enactment our efforts successful this investigation.”

Steven Bertolino, a lawyer for Mr. Laundrie, did not instantly respond to requests for remark connected Thursday night.

The complaint against Mr. Laundrie carries a punishment of up to 3 years successful situation and up to a $250,000 fine. Federal prosecutors besides filed a question seeking the pretrial detention of Mr. Laundrie, contending that helium poses a formation hazard and would effort to obstruct justice.

Ms. Petito near with Mr. Laundrie successful July successful a achromatic Ford van outfitted for a cross-country escapade and was reported missing by her parents connected Sept. 11, according to the police.

Ten days earlier, Mr. Laundrie returned to the location successful North Port, Fla., wherever helium lived with his parents and Ms. Petito, successful the achromatic van that the mates had utilized for the travel and that was registered to Ms. Petito.

Mr. Laundrie’s parents said past week that they hadn’t seen their lad successful days, the constabulary person said.

Maria Cramer and Michael Levenson contributed reporting.

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