Brian Laundrie Search: Sightings of Gabby Petito's Fiance Reported in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina
Law enforcement officials in Georgia on Sunday shot down the reports of a possible sighting of Gabby Petito's fiance, Brian Laundrie, in the city of Newnan.
Newnan Police Department Chief Brent Blankenship told Fox News that they do not have an official sighting of Brian Laundrie within Newnan.
The reported sighting of Gabby Petito's fiance in Newnan, Georgia comes just hours after a Florida man hiking the Appalachian Trail claimed he saw Brian Laundrie driving in a white pick-up truck on Saturday in Tennessee.
Florida Hiker Claims He Saw Brian Laundrie in Tennessee
Florida hiker Dennis Davis claimed that he saw Gabby Petito's fiance driving the said vehicle at around 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time in Tennessee near the North Carolina border.
Together with some other hikers, Davis recalled pulling up alongside the white pick-up truck while about to make a U-turn on Waterville Road after accidentally passing a parking lot near the Appalachian Trail.
He noted that the truck approached from behind and flashed its headlights as if signaling him that he could complete his U-turn.
When he made the u-turn and was driving back in the direction of the pick-up truck, the Florida hiker said the man driving the vehicle, whom he believed was Laundrie, stuck his hand out of the vehicle, so he pulled up.
Davis said he rolled down his window and engaged in small talk with the man. The Florida hiker noted that he could tell that there was something wrong with the pick-up truck driver, thinking that the man could be on drugs. But he later realized that the man "looked mentally shot," adding that the driver "didn't look dirty at all."
The driver told Davis that he and his girlfriend had a fight and he was lost trying to get to California to see her.
"Man, I love her, and she called me, and I need to go out to California to see her," the man said.
Davis then suggested that he take I-40 West, but the driver insisted on staying on Waterville Road by the Pigeon River.
As he started to wonder whether it was Gabby Petito's fiance, Davis then looked up the picture of him on the internet and at that point, he was 95 percent sure he had seen Laundrie and called the FBI as well as Tennesee and North Carolina police.
The Haywood County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina reported receiving about 10 more sightings and calls over the weekend. The sheriff's office then sent a team to mile marker seven near the Waterville exit.
"There is no doubt about it. That was Brian Laundrie I was just talking to. 100 percent," the Florida hiker noted.
Brian Laundrie's Parents Could be Federally Charged
On Sunday, a former legal prodigy and federal prosecutor said that Brian Laundrie's parents, Roberta and Chris, could face criminal charges if they provided false information to authorities.
Former legal prodigy and federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani noted that there could be a basis to charge Laundrie's parents if they sent "law enforcement on a wild goose chase," telling authorities that their son was on the Florida reserve when he wasn't there.
West Coast defense attorney Lara Yeretsian said that Laundrie's parents could be charged related to obstructing justice or accessory-after-the-fact if they misled or misdirected authorities.
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.
Brian Laundrie was named a person of interest by North Port police after returning home on September 1 or 10 days before Gabby Petito was reported missing by her family.
On September 19, Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
The FBI has already issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie over debit card fraud. The manhunt for Gabby Petito's fiance already entered its third week.
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written by: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Dog the Bounty Hunter Offering $10,000 for Info Leading to Capture of Brian Laundrie - From FOX 5 Washington DC
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