Guest log shows Brian Laundrie, family went camping before his disappearance

News 12 obtained the guest log from Fort De Soto campground in Pinella County, Florida.

News 12 Staff

Sep 29, 2021, 9:43 AM

Updated 1,110 days ago

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There are new details about the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie after he returned without to Florida without Gabby Petito on Sept. 1.
Laundrie and his parents went camping five days after he returned, News 12 has learned.
News 12 obtained the guest log from Fort De Soto campground in Pinella County, Florida.  The log shows the Laundries were at the campgrounds from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8.
The Laundries' attorney says Brian Laundrie came back on Sept. 8 with his parents.
News 12's Eileen Lehpamer spoke with a Fort Myers man who was camping with his wife and friends right next to the Laundries' spot. Daniel Chis, his wife Mary and another couple were there. Chis showed News 12 a picture that depicts the figure of a man in the background that some suspect is Laundrie.
"Spot No. 1, we saw somebody there Monday, Tuesday and I think they left Wednesday," says Chis. "We didn't talk to them. That place is kind of secluded, separated with vegetation and growth. The picture that you see was taken by my wife without intention to catch anyone else. It was just for us."
This latest information comes after attorney Steven Bertolino responded to mounting speculation the parents helped their son flee in the wake of Petito's disappearance and death.
Bertollino issued a statement saying, "Chris and Roberta Laundrie do not know where Brian is. They're concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him. The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just plain wrong.”
“For Brian, we're asking you to turn yourself in, to the FBI or the nearest law enforcement agency," attorney Robert Stafford said.
The search for Laundrie continues at the Carlton Reserve in Florida. Over 16 different agencies have assisted in the effort. Laundrie’s parents said he went for a hike there on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Laundrie’s parents then reported him missing three days later, on Sept. 17, but not before picking up his car at the reserve.
Petito's mother Nicole Schmidt says she tried to file a missing person's report the day after the Laundries were back from their trip but couldn't.
"We got the run around a lot from all the departments," says Schmidt. "She didn't go missing from here or she doesn't live here. It was just like constant. North Port we called them first obviously because that's where Gabby was living and they didn't want anything to do with it."
The missing person's report for Gabby was finally filed Sept. 11 in Suffolk County.
A spokesperson for the North Port Police Department tells News 12 that it's Florida law that people must be reported missing where they were last known to be, which in Gabby's case was out west.
Laundrie is a person of interest in Petito's case. There is also a federal arrest warrant out for him for activities following the death of the Blue Point native.