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Gabby Petito: Law firm offering $20,000 reward to anyone who leads FBI to Brian Laundrie
A law firm with multiple Florida locations is offering a $20,000 reward for a tip that directly leads law enforcement to Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in Gabby Petito's case.
The same day the cash reward was announced, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Laundrie, according to an indictment filed on Thursday, September 23, by the Denver Field Office of the FBI.
On Sunday, September 19, the FBI confirmed in a news conference that the body found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming, over the weekend has been confirmed to be that of Gabby Petito.
FBI says human remains were located in a campsite in Teton County. The body was said to be "consistent with the description" of the missing 22-year-old travel blogger.
The authorities had been awaiting full forensic identification of the body and, on September 21, it was confirmed that the remains belonged to Petito.
Laundrie, Petito's 23-year-old fiancé - who returned home without her after they went on a cross-country road trip - is a person of interest in the case, the FBI has said.
Boohoff Law, a personal injury law firm, has an office in North Port, Florida, the location of Laundrie's parents' home.
Laundrie was living at his parents' house when they reported him missing last week as investigators searched for Petito.
Laundrie had declined to cooperate with police in their search for Petito.
It comes as Laundrie's arrest warrant accuses him of swiping Gabby’s Capital One debit card and running up a $1,000 balance from August 31 through September 1, according to the indictment.
The purchases made using the debit card appear to violate a federal statute (use of unauthorized access devices), and Laundrie has now been indicted by a federal grand jury.
The news release from the FBI says Laundrie’s spending activities happened following Gabby’s death that was officially determined to be a homicide.
"While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito's homicide," FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider stated in a release accompanying the indictment.
"We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI. No piece of information is too small or inconsequential to support our efforts in this investigation."