Police have swarmed the home of Brian Laundrie, the fiancé of dead American woman Gabby Petitio, after receiving a report of gunshots.
Up to 12 police cars rolled up to Laundrie's parent's North Port, Florida home on Saturday morning (NZT), with officers circling the house, walking the surrounding roads and approaching the front door before dispersing.
According to a report from Fox News, the local police department received "a report of gunshots in the area of Brian Laundrie's home from an unknown number". However, after checking the scene, no evidence of any shots were found and there were no reports of injuries. Media who have congregated outside the home also didn't report hearing any gunshots.
Laundrie, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, is a person of interest in the death of Petito, whose body was found earlier this week in a Wyoming national park. An autopsy was carried out on Wednesday, confirming it was the 22-year-old blogger and that her death was a homicide. It hasn't been revealed how she was killed.
The case has captured the world's attention since Petito's family reported the young woman missing on September 11. Petito and Laundrie had been on a cross-country trip in an RV - which the young woman was documenting on social media - before her disappearance.
Laundrie returned to his Florida home at the start of September without Petito. Despite pleas, Laundrie wouldn't cooperate with police in their search for the young woman. Last week, the fiance was reported missing himself.
On Friday, Laundrie was charged with unlawfully using Petito's bank debit card, believed to have occurred before his return to Florida. A warrant is out for his arrest.
Petito's death and the disappearance of Laundrie has gripped social media in large part due to Petito's documentation of her trip, Laundrie's silence, and users having assisted with the investigation. The young woman's body was found after a pair of YouTubers captured footage of Petito and Laundrie's van parked on a forest road, while two TikTokers are working with police after claiming to have given Laundrie a ride in their cars.
Police had earlier spoken with Petito and Laundrie after a 911 caller said Laundrie had been seen hitting Petito in Utah. However, when officers pulled their RV over, a crying Petito said she had been slapping Laundrie after an argument. Police didn't consider it a domestic assault case, had the pair separate to calm down for a night, and then allowed them to continue their trip.
The last contact Petito's family had with her was in late August when her mother received unusual texts from the woman's number. One referred to Petito's grandfather by his first name, which was out of character.
