Brian Laundrie – Mystery Gun Found in Florida Park Where Dog the Bounty Hunter Searched for Gabby Petito's Fiance
A gun was found in a Florida park where Dog The Bounty Hunter had earlier looked for Brian Laundrie.
The Sun reported that a fisherman named Christopher Sacco found the gun at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County on October 23. At first, the 35-year-old fisherman thought the firearm was a large fish but later discovered it was an abandoned gun.
Sacco and his friend were fishing near a playground area at the park at the time when they found the black revolver inside a Publix shopping bag, Tampa Bay Times reported.
The fisherman then called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to report the gun at around 11:46 a.m., and some officers rushed to the area.
A sheriff's office spokesperson said the deputies took possession of the firearm and placed it in property and evidence. The spokesperson noted that the gun was entered into the Florida Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information Center.
WFLA-TV reporter Josh Benson tweeted Tuesday that the sheriff's office currently has the gun, but it has not provide any further updates.
Benson also said the fisherman confirmed that he found a gun at Fort De Soto Park, and he took a pic of it before he turned it over to authorities.
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Dog The Bounty Hunter Searches for Brian Laundrie at Fort De Soto Park in Florida
It was still unclear if the gun was connected to Brian Laundrie or not. But the Fort De Soto Park was one of the areas that Dog The Bounty Hunter was previously looking for Laundrie.
The 68-year-old reality star, whose real name is Duane Chapman, has started searching for Gabby Petito's fiance in late September.
He began searching the area around the Fort De Soto campground after receiving tips that Petito's fiance could be there. However, he was not lucky enough to find Laundrie in the park.
Dog the Bounty Hunter earlier told Fox News that he had received a tip that Laundrie's parents spent the night in Fort De Soto Park with their son twice in early September.
He claimed the family took two trips to Fort De Soto, September 1-3 and September 6-8. However, he said on the Laundries' second trip, three people went into the park and only two left.
Earlier, Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, said that Laundrie went camping with his parents at Fort de Soto Park five days before Petito was reported missing on September 11.
He said the Laundries camped together at Fort De Soto from September 6, and they all left the park the next day. Fort De Soto Park is about 75 miles away from the Laundries' home.
Brian Laundrie has also visited Fort De Soto with Gabby Petito. One of Petito's Instagram posts showed that they went to Fort De Soto Historical Fort in February.
Dog the Bounty Hunter has called off his search after officials confirmed that the remains found at a swampy area in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20 belonged to Laundrie.
Dog The Bounty Hunter Blames Brian Laundrie's Parents
Dog the Bounty Hunter said Brian Laundrie's parents were partially to blame for what happened to their son. Chapman earlier told InTouch that Laundrie "might still be alive" if his parents had fully cooperated with authorities sooner.
"I believe if the Laundrie parents had fully cooperated from the beginning, Brian Laundrie might still be alive," the reality star said.
The "skeletal" remains were confirmed to be Gabby Petito's fiance after a review of dental records. Dog the Bounty Hunter said he hopes the discovery of Laundrie's remains will bring "closure" to Petito's family.
"The positive ID of Brian Laundrie's remains gives some measure of closure to this case, if not to Gabby's family, who will likely now never know what truly happened," Chapman noted.
"We are praying for Gabby's family... As a parent who also lost a child, I know there's no ending to this story that brings Gabby back. But now the family can begin the process of grieving. Our thoughts are with them," he added.
Laundrie was named a person of interest by North Port police after returning home on September 1 or 10 days before Petito was reported missing by her family.
Gabby Petito disappeared on a cross-country road trip with Brian Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when the YouTuber stopped communicating with her family in Wyoming in late August.
Gabby Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19.
A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said the YouTuber was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Joshua Summers
WATCH: The Little-Known History of Fort De Soto Park - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay