GABBY Petito’s fiancé Brian Laundrie could be hiding out in an alligator-infested swamp in Florida, according to police.
Search efforts are continuing as cops confirmed an autopsy will take place tomorrow after remains thought to be consistent with Gabby’s description were found in a Wyoming national park.
Laundrie was named as a “person of interest” in the case – days after returning home alone from the couple's cross-country road trip on September 1.
He disappeared on September 14 after telling his parents he was going hiking in Carlton Reserve in Florida – an area made up of around 25,000 acres of wilderness.
The FBI along with 50 local agencies started searching Saturday morning using drones and scent-tracking K9 dogs but failed to find anything.
Police said he could be in the swamps for “months”, The Independent reports.
North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor told the New York Post: “We don’t follow him everywhere he goes. We try to monitor where he is so that he can be contacted when needed.
“But our focus was on investing resources in trying to find Gabby.”
Cops admitted that they don’t have any information about Laundrie’s potential whereabouts.
The Carlton Reserve is home to feral hogs, alligators, panthers, and snakes.
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…
The nature reserve has around 80miles of hiking trails but most of the dirt tracks are closed as they are currently flooded.
When asked by the Daily Mail regarding the length of a search, Taylor said: “You can imagine, a long time.”
Sheriffs have been spotted moving along a pathway into thick undergrowth while carrying a machete.
Search operations are unable to take place after sunset.
Cops are also fearing that Laundrie may have hurt himself while in the reserve.
Taylor said: “Does anyone not think it’s possible he went out there and shot himself in the head? Sure.”
Authorities reportedly obtained cell phone tracking data for both Petito's and Laundrie's devices on Sunday, meaning they could access limited information about their movements.
But they still need search warrants to gain "complete access" – which could help piece together their movements.
SEARCH FOR LAUNDRIE CONTINUES
The Laundrie family released a brief statement on Sunday evening after the FBI announced human remains found in Grand Teton National Park are believed to belong to Gabby.
They branded the news “heartbreaking” and are “praying” for Gabby’s family.
Gabby's dad Joe Petito said his daughter "touched the world" in an emotional Instagram post.
The vlogger and her fiancé Laundrie started their road trip in July after leaving New York.
They traveled in their white camper van across the midwestern US and visited national parks in Kansas, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.
The 22-year-old was last seen leaving a Salt Lake City hotel with Laundrie on August 24.
Just weeks earlier, the pair had been probed by cops about an apparent dispute in Utah.
She last spoke to her family on August 25 as she informed them that they had made it to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Gabby’s mom Nichole Schmidt alleged she received a text on August 30 that stated “No signal in Yosemite”.
She claimed she knew that it wasn't from her daughter. It remains unknown who sent the message.
Yosemite is in California and is located around 800 miles from Wyoming.
Laundrie returned to Florida on September 1 alone and police seized the couple’s camper van.
Gabby was reported missing on September 11 – more than two weeks after speaking to her mom.
Laundrie was named as a "person of interest" on September 15 and accused by police of "hindering" the investigation. He has not been charged.
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