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Selfie from the couple Petito and Laundrie's road trip: The case is attracting a lot of attention both in the USA and internationally - not least because they both shared numerous pictures and videos from their trip on social networks
Photo: North Port Police Department / imago images / ZUMA Wire
Florida investigators have admitted a mistake in the Gabby Petito case.
One day in September, Petito's friend Brian Laundrie was apparently mistaken for his mother, said North Port police spokesman Josh Taylor, local television broadcaster Wink News.
Petito, 22, was reported missing on September 11th.
Laundrie's parents' house in Florida, where the couple had lived, was then monitored by police.
Shortly afterwards, Petito's friend also disappeared.
The 23-year-old drove away in his car shortly after Petito was reported missing.
The police initially assumed that the young man had returned to his parents' house two days later.
Now police spokesman Taylor said, "I think it was his mother who wore a baseball cap." Both were of similar stature.
When the person in the baseball cap got out of the car, it was thought to be Brian Laundrie.
"No case is perfect," said Taylor.
Petito had not returned from a trip to the USA with her boyfriend that summer.
After an intensive search, Petito's body was finally found in September in the state of Wyoming.
The couple had traveled there as part of their USA road trip.
According to the coroner, the young woman was strangled.
Last week, body parts of her boyfriend were finally discovered in a wildlife sanctuary in Florida.
Laundrie was not explicitly considered a suspect, but the police classified him as a person relevant to the investigation.
There have recently been contradicting information about when Laundrie's parents reported their son missing.
The police had originally stated that the parents only informed the police days after the 23-year-old disappeared.
The family lawyer said he had contacted the police days earlier on behalf of the family.
aar / dpa