Brian Laundrie's parents say they drove his car home after he disappeared on hike but cops 'haven't corroborated story'

BRIAN Laundrie's parents allegedly claim they drove his car home from a Florida wildlife reserve after he "failed to return from a hike" -days before they reported him missing.

Police towed away Laundrie's silver Mustang from his parents' home in North Port after they executed a search warrant Monday morning.

The FBI had removed Chris and Roberta Laundrie from the home as more than 20 agents went inside and took out "a lot of stuff" including "boxes and boxes" of evidence, as reported by NewsNation’s Brian Entin.

It's believed that Brian Laundrie may have driven the Mustang when he allegedly went for a hike in a 25,000-acre nature preserve in the Sarasota area on Tuesday, the last time his family says they saw him.

Laundrie's parents reportedly told police they realized Brian hadn't come back from his hike "on Wednesday or Thursday," and that's when they went to pick up the Mustang and drove it back to their home.

When asked by local reporter Brian Entin if Laundrie's parents could be leading them in the wrong direction, police said they are "working to corroborate their story."

"They did not say 'we believe the parents or we know for sure that Brian was hiking in this reserve'," shared Entin.

Cops had previously left a note on the car, which requested it be removed, but the family left the vehicle there until Thursday, hoping Laundrie would return to it, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino told the New York Post.

However, a video appears to show the car parked on the Laundrie’s driveway Wednesday, according to a Crimeonline report.

And footage from reporter Brian Entin appeared to show the Mustang convertible back in the driveway on Wednesday night.

Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…

Laundrie's parents remained at their Florida home as of Monday night.

A search for Laundrie in the swampland started Saturday morning but was called off by police Monday, who said they had “exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there.”

As part of the search police also gained access to a hard drive found in the van belonging to Gabby Petito as details have emerged of the "odd" last texts sent to her mother from her phone.

The search warrant filing also includes the last message Petito's mother received from her phone, which reads:  "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls."

Petito's mother said "Stan" was meant to refer to Petito's grandfather, but since she rarely calls him by that name, she found the text "odd."

Petito's phone was turned off later that day after the text was sent.

HARD DRIVE SEIZED

According to the filing, the hard drive may also contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed," WNYC reports.

The hard drive was recovered from the same van that Brian Laundrie drove back to Florida alone from Wyoming 10 days before Petito was reported missing.

The warrant was granted based upon new information suggesting Petito was "unable to care for herself due to her increased anxiety," including footage of police stopping Petito and Laundrie on a Utah highway after they received a 911 call about the couple.

In the video, Petito appears visibly upset and anxious as she describes a recent fight with Laundrie.

The search for Laundrie continues after he was declared a “person of interest” last week in the disappearance of  Petito.

LAUNDRIE BRIEFING CANCELED

Meanwhile, Laundrie's attorney canceled a planned press conference scheduled for Tuesday.

“As per my conversation with the FBI this evening there will be no press conference tomorrow," Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino told NewsNation.

The latest developments in the bizarre case came after human remains were discovered in Grand Teton National Park, where 22-year-old Petito had been camping with Laundrie when she disappeared.

The vlogger had been traveling across America since July and was last seen on August 24 leaving a Utah hotel with her fiancé.

They visited national parks and tourist attractions, documenting their trip on social media before she went missing.

On September 1, Laundrie returned home to Florida in their white van, without Petito, got a lawyer, and declined to speak to the police.

Gabby Petito timeline

Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito’s disappearance:

• June 2021 – Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
• July 4 – Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
• July 8 – Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
• July 18 – Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah's Zion National Park.
• August 12 – Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
• August 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip. The video receives more than 200,000 views.
• August 24 – Gabby is last spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• September 1 – Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
• September 11 – Gabby's parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
• September 15 – Florida's North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
• September 16 – Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
• September 17 – Brian's parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days.
• September 18 – Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
• September 19 – Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby's but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.

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