Could this be the break the family of Gabby Petito and the whole country has been waiting for?
Police today swooped down on the Florida swampland while searching for Brian Laundrie. Drones flew over the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve, and cops were seen scouring the swamp from the ground.
The new search began after Laundrie’s embattled parents changed their story about when they last saw him.
They first told the FBI that their son went hiking in the Florida swamp on Sept. 14. But their attorney has acknowledged he went missing the previous day, Sept. 13.
“The Laundries were basing the date Brian left on their recollection of certain events. We now believe the day Brian left was Monday, Sept. 13,” he said.
Former U.S. Marshal Lenny DePaul told Inside Edition that’s a significant development.
“Twenty-four hours is a lifetime to a fugitive investigator,” he said. “You get a jump start one day; that’s a lot. The parents have been all over the place about when he got home and what he did. they need to be consistent.”
Laundrie’s sister said in an interview with ABC that she was stunned when her brother returned home without Gabby Petito.
“My jaw could have hit the floor. The first thought was, ‘oh, they must have broken up, and he doesn’t want to talk about it. I’ll give him space.’ And then he went missing,” she said.
Attention has also shifted to North Carolina, where Laundrie has relatives.
Several reported sightings there and posters about Laundrie have been put up in the Raleigh area.