Arrest Warrant Issued for Brian Laundrie over Alleged Debit Card Fraud

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito
North Point Police
Paul Bois

The FBI has issued an arrest warrant for Gabby Petito’s former fiancé Brian Laundrie for the alleged fraudulent use of a debit card shortly after her death.

On Thursday, the 23-year-old Laundrie was indicted for the federal crime of fraudulently using a Capital One debit card to purchase $1,000 worth of goods between August 30, 2021, and September 1, 2021.

Petito was last seen alive on August 27.

Despite the indictment, the FBI still only considers Laundrie a “person of interest” in the disappearance of Gabby Petito, whose death was ruled a homicide earlier this week after a formal autopsy.

“While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a Thursday statement. “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.”

Brian Laundrie has been missing since last week when he reportedly went for a hike in the Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve near his home in North Port, Florida. Thursday marked the fifth day of the FBI and local police’s search for the 23-year-old. Per Buzzfeed:

Petito, an aspiring social media star, was reported missing on Sept. 11 and was last seen near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Laundrie has been missing since Sept. 17 — three days after he told his parents he was going on a hike in a Florida nature reserve. The search for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre swath of land in Florida, continues as of Thursday.

Laundrie returned to his home alone in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1, driving Petito’s white van in which the couple had road-tripped across the country. Social media accounts cataloged the couple’s every move. After Petito’s disappearance, the accounts garnered hundreds of thousands of followers as the case became an obsession for true crime fans.

While the warrant does not name the original owner of the Capital One debit card that Brian Laundrie allegedly used, the original missing person’s report from Suffolk County, New York, on September 11 showed that Petito “had a Capital One debit card and checking account,” according to the New York Post.

 

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