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The search for Brian Laundrie continues but is 'scaled back,' police say

The FBI is leading the search for Gabby Petito's fiancé in the vast Carlton Reserve.

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — The search for Brian Laundrie continues, but efforts will be "scaled back" and "targeted based on intelligence," the North Port Police said. 

Spokesperson Josh Taylor says the FBI is now leading the search in the vast Carlton Reserve.

Agents have searched everywhere for Brian Laundrie, from campgrounds in Wyoming to swamps in Florida.

It's been 13 days since Laundrie's family says they've seen him and nine since North Port Police started searching at Carlton Reserve. Still, the question remains, where is Brian Laundrie?

"It kind of indicates that he's trying to get lost in the crowd," Former prosecutor and attorney Jeffrey Swartz said. 

The Cooley Law School professor is following every detail of the case and says evidence shows Brian could still be alive.

Laundrie is the FBI's only "person of interest" in the case of his fiancée, 22-year-old Gabby Petito. The agency now leads the search for the missing man.

But the law expert also says someone close to the 23-year-old knows where he is and what happened.

Despite their son's sudden disappearance, the Laundrie's are staying silent. The one thing officials are trying to avoid is Gabby's story turning into a cold case.

Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, told 10 Tampa Bay Sunday that the FBI requested some personal items belonging to Brian to assist them with DNA matching, which was deemed "routine." 

He says "Brian's parents provided the FBI with what they could."

The Carlton Reserve is nearly 25,000 acres large. 16 different law enforcement agencies are helping in the search. With such a large area to cover, many following this case wonder if Laundrie is in the reserve at all.

RELATED: FBI now leading search; Brian Laundrie is still nowhere to be found

RELATED: 'She was always a pretty happy girl': Gabby Petito's life honored during memorial service in New York

 

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