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Authorities are wading through 'gator- and snake-infested swamps' to search for Brian Laundrie in Florida's 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve

Members of law enforcement at Florida' Carlton Reserve in search of Brian Laundrie.
Several law enforcement agencies prepare to head back into Florida's Carlton Reserve on September 21 in search of Brian Laundrie. North Port Police Department
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Florida police said Tuesday that authorities will continue searching a vast nature preserve for Gabby Petito's fiancée, Brian Laundrie, just a day after they said they had "exhausted all avenues" in scouring the grounds.

Members of several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, will head back into the sprawling Carlton Reserve where Laundrie's parents have said the 23-year-old North Port, Florida, man went for a hike a week ago and never returned, police said.

"This time, moving in from the Venice side of the area, along with adjoining lands," North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor said Tuesday, adding, "A weekend ground search and aerial search Monday of the 25,000-acre preserve has yet to yield any answers, but we must press on."

Taylor noted that the Carlton Reserve, located nearby the Laundrie family home, "is a vast and unforgiving location at times."

"It is currently waist deep in water in many areas," Taylor said. "This is dangerous work for the search crews as they are wading through gator and snake infested swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails."

Taylor added: "This is an FBI-led criminal investigation and North Port Police are assisting our federal partner in any way we can to bring this investigation to a close."

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito.
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito.  North Port Police Department

On Monday, the FBI raided the North Port home where Laundrie and Petito lived with Laundrie's parents after FBI investigators announced Sunday that a body believed to be Petito's was discovered at a campsite in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest.

The Teton County Coroner's Office will perform an autopsy on the human remains on Tuesday.

Petito's family reported her missing in New York on September 11, 10 days after Laundrie returned home from a cross-country road trip out West without Petito in their van.

Laundrie, who was named as a person of interest in Petito's disappearance, quickly retained a lawyer and refused to speak to authorities about the case.

His family reported him missing on Friday.

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Natalie Musumeci
Natalie is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Business News team covering the AI and data center boom.She was previously on BI's Legal Affairs team, where she handled major cases coming out of state and federal court, as well as bankruptcy. Her coverage often focused on stories at the intersection of law, business, politics, and technology. Natalie has covered Donald Trump’s criminal and civil cases, the wave of lawsuits against the second Trump administration, the indictment and criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the legal battles facing Elon Musk and his companies. Natalie came to Business Insider in June 2021 as a breaking news reporter, focusing on the most interesting angles on the day's trending news. Natalie largely drove BI’s coverage around the fatal “Rust” shooting involving Alec Baldwin and the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito.Prior to joining BI, Natalie worked for the New York Post, the New York Daily News, and The Brooklyn Paper. She has an extensive background covering crime and courts. During her more than 12-year journalism career, she did a stint covering the police beat out of the New York Police Department's headquarters. Natalie, a Brooklyn native, graduated from Brooklyn College in 2012 with a degree in journalism.