Gabby Petito update - latest: New details in Brian Laundrie disappearance as public invited to visitation


Brian Laundrie has still not been found. (North Port Police handout)

Gabby Petito's family announced that a memorial visitation open to the public would be held at a funeral home in Holbrook, New York this Sunday. Meanwhile, on Friday, police set out for the seventh day of their search for Brian Laundrie. On Thursday night, the FBI announced that a federal arrest warrant had been issued in relation to the death of Ms Petito.

"While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms Petito's homicide," said Special Agent in charge Michael Schneider.

"We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI."

Earlier, a local law firm issued a press release offering a $20,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the exact location of Mr Laundrie. Co-workers of Mr Laundrie's claimed he was well versed in outdoor survival, though there is little beyond anecdote to substantiate those claims.

Authorities have not said why they are convinced Laundrie, who police call a "person of interest" in the case, may still be somewhere inside the more than 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve near his home in North Port, Florida, more than a week after he told family members he was headed there to hike alone. The Carlton Reserve has more than 80 miles (128 km) of hiking trails but is dominated by swampy water.

Also on Wednesday, a witness came forward to describe a stand-up argument between Laundrie and a waitress at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, around the time Ms Petito is believed to have sent her final text to her mother.

If confirmed, it would be one of the last sightings of Ms Petito alive.

Source