Experts Claim To Have Narrowed Down Brian Laundrie’s Location On The Appalachian Trail
And there's a possible sighting to prove it!
Instagram / Pinterest Since Gabby Petito's body was discovered in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, investigators have been focused on finding her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie.
Brian, who became a person of interest in her disappearance after he returned home from the couple's road trip without Gabby, has been missing for over a week and is speculated to be on the run.
North Port Police Department have spent all week in the Carlton Reserve and around nature trails in Florida, but now many believe he is living along the Appalachian Trail while investigators focus elsewhere.
Is Brian Laundrie on the Appalachian Trail?
The North Port Police Department are still focusing their search for Laundrie on the Carlton Reserve but announced that they are more targetted than ever.
"The FBI is now leading the search,” Josh Taylor, spokesman for the North Port Police Department, told Fox News. “I’m told, It will be scaled back and targeted based on intelligence.”
However, amid growing speculation that Laundrie is headed for the Appalachian Trail, evidence seems to suggest Laundrie might be long gone from Florida.
A Brian Laundrie lookalike was spotted on the Appalachian Trail.
An image of a man wearing a cap and carrying a backpack, while hiking the trail, has been circulating online.
The man slightly resembles Brian Laundrie, particularly since we know he left home carrying a backpack. However there is little information on where or when the image was taken.
Brian Laundrie is experienced when it comes to living on the Appalachian Trail.
Gabby Petito’s best friend, Rose Davis, did an interview with PEOPLE last week where she talked about how long Brian could survive in the wilderness.
“He is out in the wilderness, I promise you,” she insists. “If he's alive, he's out there, camping out ... He lived in the Appalachians by himself for months.”
Brian's most recent trip to the trail was just this year.
On March 27th, nine days after Gabby’s birthday, she posted photos to her instagram that showed her and Brian hiking and hanging out on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.
According to Laundrie’s parents, Brian has been missing since September 14th, only to report it three days later on the 17th.
Some also claim that he might’ve had more time to get away — noting that he went on a ‘camping trip’ with his parents in a newly bought camper the weekend before he disappeared.
Experts believe Brian Laundrie could survive for months on the Appalachian Trail.
Bill Warner, a private investigator based in Sarasota, Florida, believes that he’s on the Appalachian Trail, comparing him to the Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph, who allegedly survived on the trail for over 5 years.
Credit: Pinterest
Wilderness and survival experts claimed that Brian could survive in the Florida wilderness for maybe a few weeks, but on the Appalachian trail, he could survive for months, or maybe even longer.
Some people have even shared route maps that may track Brian's journey along the trail.
Hikers can enter Canada by foot along the trail and though US citizens are supposed to carry necessary documentation, on remote parts of the trail it may be possible to slip through unnoticed.
Dog The Bounty Hunter and John Walsh have also received tips claiming Brian Laundrie is on the Appalachian Trail.
"If there’s anywhere out there that looks the hottest, that could be the area," said Dog the Bounty Hunter, another TV celebrity who recently joined the search for Brian.
"I think he’s young enough, not an experienced criminal," he told FOX News, "but what is his greatest experience? Outdoorsman - that’s what he does the best.”
A lot of tips being sent Dog’s way say that he’s in the Appalachian Trail, and that he's getting phone calls to his anonymous tip line every two or three minutes.
"I don’t think he can shoplift, live on the run, live in cheap hotels,” he said. “On a one-to-10 he’s probably a six, compared to the outdoorsmen and some of the guys I’ve captured."
John Walsh, host of “In Pursuit With John Walsh,” has also been getting hundreds of tips from anonymous viewers and believes that he can narrow down his location to three separate places — Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Appalachian Trail.
“We haven’t had this much attention since Elizabeth Smart,” Walsh said. “We had at least three times more phone calls than we’ve had on any fugitive.”
As the search for Brian Laundrie enters its second week with very little success, hopefully all of the anonymous tips and sightings can help narrow down his location.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice and politics.