Gabby Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, might be in Alabama. Police said that they received multiple tips of possible sightings of Laundrie in Alabama but haven't yielded any leads about his whereabouts as of Monday. Laundrie was named a person of interest in Petito's disappearance last week, following which he vanished.
On Sunday, a woman's body was found in Wyoming national park that resembles the body of Petito. On Monday police stormed the home of Laundrie's parents where he was last seen before disappearing. However, police haven't met with any success yet. In between, multiple tips of Laundrie having being sighted in Alabama have further baffled police.
Fresh Claims of Laundrie Sightings
On Monday, cops said they received over a dozen tips of sightings of Laundrie in the Mobile area in Alabama, with many even posting about their suspicion online. They are now looking into these unconfirmed reports. Most of the tips claimed that he was spotted in the neighborhood of Tillman's Corner, according to new station WKRG.
However, they haven't met with any success yet. The city is more than 600 miles northwest of Laundrie's family home in North Port, Florida, where he had been staying with his parents before disappearing on Tuesday. Interestingly, Laundrie's parents reported him missing only on Friday. They have been claiming that their son headed to a nearby nature preserve and never returned.
Police since have searched the area and on Monday called off the search after exhausting all possible means to find him in that area. Meanwhile, reports of him being sighted in Alabama have now added a new twist to the tale.
Mobile County Sheriff's Office Captain Paul Burch told FOX 10 News he does not believe Laundrie had any connections to the area but they will continue with their investigation.
Where is Laundrie?
The big question remains where is Laundrie and why he is hiding or if there is more mystery hidden behind Petito's death. Rumors of Laundrie's whereabouts have since flooded social media, with some social media users speculating that he may have been the body found in a dumpster outside of a Walmart in Tillman's Corner on Monday.
However, police have dismissed that claim saying that the body was that of unidentified homeless person.
Petito mysteriously disappeared during a cross country trip with Laundrie. She was reported missing on September 11 by her parents after being last seen on August 24. Fiancé Laundrie returned home to Florida on September 1 without her, and refused to cooperate with authorities.
Since then a lot has happened including the discovery of Petito's body and the sudden disappearance of Laundrie. Although police haven't been able to trace Laundrie in Alabama, Burch said he would never discourage people from reporting anything that might be useful.
"We will always check every one, because you may never know," he said. "I would not want to be the one that didn't send someone and it turns out to be him."
Meanwhile, authorities in Florida are also probing a cellphone picture taken on Friday of a man who looks exactly like Laundrie is actually of him.
