Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that he's ordering "all state agencies" to continue to help in the search for Brian Laundrie.
The governor said in a tweet that all agencies under his supervision will assist federal and local authorities as they continue to search for Laundrie, who went missing last week.
Laundrie was reported missing on Friday, just days after his fianceé, Gabby Petito, was also reported missing. Petito had been traveling with Laundrie on a months-long cross-country road trip in a converted van.
But Laundrie returned home to his parent's Florida house on September 1 without Petito.
On Sunday, Petito's body was found at a camping area near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, near where the couple had been traveling.
As of Tuesday afternoon, officials were searching a vast nature reserve for Laundrie, after his parents said he left for a hike at the reserve and never returned.
Florida's North Port Police Department said on Tuesday that the Petito case was officially a criminal investigation.
"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," Josh Taylor, a spokesperson for the department said.
DeSantis added that Florida's Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, which manages the state's wildlife areas, is helping in the search at the request of the North Port Police Department.
"We need justice for Gabby Petito," he wrote.
