Amid a full-scale law enforcement search for Brian Laundrie, who is wanted in connection with the death of Gabby Petito, one of America’s highest-profile reality TV stars has joined the hunt.
On Saturday, Duane Chapman, known better as “Dog the Bounty Hunter” visited the North Port, Florida, home of Laundrie’s family.
Chapman, 68, pulled up at around 4:30 p.m. and knocked on the door of the family’s home, according to WFLA-TV.
“I need to speak to the father,” Chapman said, the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported.
“I need to ask him where his son is. Is he in there?”
According to the outlet, no one answered the door.
Petito’s body was found last week in Wyoming and her death was declared a homicide. She was last heard from while alive on Aug. 25. She was reported missing on Sept. 11, which was 10 days after Laundrie, 23, returned alone to North Port.
After his return, Laundrie told his family he was heading to a nature reserve, but a search there has not turned up any sign of him.
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER LOOKING FOR BRIAN LAUNDRIE——->FIND HIM DOG ??? #RIPGabby #BrianLaundrie #Manhunt #GabbyPetito #findbrianlaundrie #dogthebountyhunter #sundayvibes pic.twitter.com/STnDfSFA2r
— Florence Carmela (@FlorenceCarmela) September 26, 2021
Asked if he was confident in his ability to locate Laundrie, Chapman said, “Yes — I will find him.”
“I’m chasing several leads. We’ve got a lot of leads. I can’t tell you more but we are getting leads every ten minutes,” he said, noting that he had created his own tip line of 833-TELL-DOG.
Chapman said he hopes to find Laundrie within the next six weeks.
Chapman was in Florida for his honeymoon, after marrying his new wife, Francie, on Sept. 2. He said he was intrigued by the case and felt sorry for Petito’s family.
A representative for Chapman said he was volunteering his services and will cooperate fully with law enforcement.
The Daily Mail reported an unnamed source said Chapman believes there is a possibility Laundrie is in the Appalachian mountains.
“Unless there is convincing evidence that he’s in the swamp in Florida that we don’t know about, Dog does not think he’s in there,” the source reportedly said.
“He thinks he will stick to what he knows, namely the Appalachians. That’s where he knows he can survive for long periods because he’s done it before.”
Dog the bounty hunter at the house https://t.co/C4o7kSmc4m
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) September 25, 2021
Authorities are still searching the Carlton Reserve, a nature reserve near Laundrie’s home that is heavily populated with alligators.
“These guys, our law enforcement partners are motivated and they are hungry to find Brian Laundrie,” North Port Police commander Joe Fussell said.
“It’s rough out there, it’s hot, it’s wet. We are trying to cover every acre in this reserve.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
