Gabby Missing Case in Florida: FBI combs nature reserve

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Brian Laundrie during a police check with officers: The picture comes from the video of the bodycam of a police officer in Utah

Photo: HANDOUT / AFP

A mysterious case continues to cause a stir in the USA. After the 22-year-old Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito was reported missing and has since been searched by the authorities, the police and the FBI have now started the search for her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. On Saturday, they combed the Carlton Reserve in Venice, Florida - and posted more photos on Twitter, asking them to come up with information about the young man's whereabouts.

"There are currently false reports of a body found where we're looking," said North Port Police. So far nothing has been found in the forests of the park and the search will continue on Sunday. On Friday, the agency had emphasized that Brian Laundrie was a "person of interest" in the case, but was not wanted for a crime. Will be determined on the basis of "several missing people".

Laundrie and Petito, who lived together in North Port, set out in a converted van on a trip to the western United States in July.

But on September 1, according to the police, the friend returned home alone, ten days later Petito's parents reported their daughter as missing.

Laundrie refused to testify to the police for reasons unknown and disappeared shortly afterwards. Petito's family accused the 23-year-old of hiding.

CNN quoted the family lawyer as saying that he was not missing.

The case had attracted particular attention because the couple shared numerous pictures and videos from their trip on social networks.

However, there was also a police operation in mid-August because of a possible case of domestic violence.

nil / dpa / AP