Dog the Bounty Hunter Says Brian Laundrie's Parents Likely 'Abetted a Murderer' as 'Strangulation Is Not an Accident'

Duane Chapman, also known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, said "strangulation is not an accident" after Gabby Petito's autopsy results were announced.

Dog the Bounty Hunter told WFLA on Tuesday that Petito's cause of death "doesn't look good" not only for Brian Laundrie but also to his family.

"The coroner's report is not good for the entire Laundrie family... Strangulation is not an accident," Chapman noted.

Dog the Bounty Hunter also believed that Laundrie's parents had stonewalled Petito's family because they knew what their son had done and helped him run.

"And now it seems like, based on the [autopsy] report and coupled with their behavior, they have most likely aided and abetted a murderer," Chapman noted.

Dog the Bounty Hunter then urged Gabby Petito's fiance to turn himself in to authorities.

"Brian's only chance is to turn himself in. He cannot run forever... Brian, make a deal, and turn yourself in now," Chapman said.

Dog the Bounty Hunter also told WFLA that he made a "change of plans" to return to Colorado as he "couldn't bring himself to leave."

Duane Chapman earlier said he would return to Colorado to meet with his doctor after injuring his ankle while searching for Laundrie in Florida's Fort De Soto Park, The Sun reported.

On Tuesday, the 68-year-old reality star said he had decided to remain in Florida to continue his search for Petito's fiance despite suffering an ankle injury.

A spokesperson for Dog the Bounty Hunter said Chapman and his team would continue to search until Laundrie is found. Dog the Bounty Hunter has been searching for Gabby Petito's fiance since late last month.

Gabby Petito's Autopsy Results

Teton County, Wyoming coroner Brent Blue said on Tuesday that Gabby Petito was strangled to death by "human force," and the manner of death was homicide. The cause of death is officially listed as "manual strangulation/throttling."

During an appearance on CNN, Blue said that throttling means that "someone was strangled by human force" and "no mechanical force" was involved. He noted that people could be strangled by other means, like individuals on snowmobiles who run into a wire.

"That would be strangling by a mechanical event. But this was, we believe was strangling by a human being," he added.

When host Anderson Cooper asked how they knew it was a human responsible for Petito's killing, Blue answered, "because only humans have opposable thumbs." He added that there's no evidence it was "done by any animal as far as the cause of death."

In a press briefing just hours before the CNN interview, Blue said they conducted a "detailed investigation" in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that included a full-body computed tomography scan and examinations by a forensic pathologist and a forensic anthropologist.

The coroner also revealed that Gabby Petito was not pregnant at the time of her death, and her body was left in the wilderness for three to four weeks.

The Wyoming coroner has declined to answer if he suspects that Laundrie was responsible for Petito's homicide, saying it will be up to law enforcement to determine that. However, he noted that he saw "indications this was a domestic violence case."

Forensic Expert Says Gabby Petito Still Being Strangled Even After She Lost Consciousness

A forensic expert, who reviewed Gabby Petito's autopsy, believed that the YouTuber's killer kept strangling her even after she lost consciousness.

"There's plenty of time where you could stop before the person passes out," forensic pathologist Dr. Priya Banerjee said.

"Generally, it's less than 30 seconds to lose consciousness, but it takes a few minutes to deprives the brain of this life sustaining oxygen to kill someone," she added.

Banerjee further noted that strangulation was "very up close and personal," and filled with anger or rage "toward that one person."

Host of Investigation Discovery's "In Pursuit" John Walsh agreed, saying that strangulation, "up close like that," was a way "angry cowards kill people."

"They're looking in the person's eyes, terrorizing them," Walsh noted. Banerjee also believed that Petito's killer would likely have scratches on his body.

"She's [Petito] a normal healthy girl... she's gonna fight back," said Banerjee, adding that "punching, kicking, wriggling," or "anything you can do to escape" is a normal response to that situation.

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.

Laundrie was named a person of interest by North Port police in Florida after returning home on September 1 or 10 days before Petito was reported missing by her family.

Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19.

The FBI has issued a federal arrest warrant for Laundrie but over debit card fraud. Court documents showed that Laundrie "knowingly with intent to defraud" used a debit card belonging to Gabby Petito in the amount of at least $1,000. It happened between August 30 and September 1.

Authorities are still trying to locate Brian Laundrie after he was reported missing on September 17. His parents said they last saw him on September 13.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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