A second individual has come forward to claim that they gave Brian Laundrie a ride while he was hitchhiking across Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park on August 29.
This comes after the FBI confirmed in a news conference on September 19 that the body found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming, over the weekend has been confirmed to be that of his fiancée Gabby Petito.
Petito - whose death has been ruled by the coroner's preliminary findings as a homicide - went missing while on a road trip across the US with her fiancé, Laundrie — who has since disappeared.
Laundrie was named "a person of interest" in the case, after he returned home to Florida alone and reportedly refused to cooperate with law enforcement.
He is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt.
Floridian, Norma Jean Jalovec, has told Fox News that she gave the 23-year-old a lift at around 6:15 PM on August 29 — close to the Jackson Lake Dam, Wyoming.
His travel vlogger fiancé was last seen in the area on August 27, at a Tex-Mex restaurant, where they reportedly got into an argument.
After attending mass, she says she spotted Laundrie walking backward, and holding out his thumb.
He reportedly asked her to drive him to the Spread Creek camping ground, but as they drew close, she claims he "freaked out and tried to jump out" of the car.
"I picked him up. Something just said, ‘Hey ask him where he’s going," she told the publication, detailing that he had apparently told her that he had been hiking and that he was engaged.
"Everything’s legitimate. Everything’s corroborated. I already talked to the FBI."
Now, however, she cannot explain why she picked him up. "I've gotten so much s*** from family and friends," she said.
This alleged incident apparently occurred just minutes after Laundrie was said to have asked Miranda Baker and her boyfriend for a ride.
In a series of TikTok videos, Baker claimed that they were approached by the missing man at the Grand Teton National Park. Laundrie reportedly offered them $200 for the trip — which she deemed to be "kind of weird".
On Thursday, September 23, prosecutors issued an arrest warrant, and indicted the 23-year-old for alleged "use of unauthorized access devices".
The warrant accuses him of taking a Capital One debit card that wasn't his own and cashing up a $1,000 spend from August 31 through September 1, per the indictment.
This appears to violate a federal statute, and Laundrie has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Special Agent in charge Michael Schneider said: "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 Petito’s homicide. We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI."
North Port police resumed their search for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve in Florida on Tuesday (September 21). "A weekend ground search and aerial search Monday of the 25,000-acre reserve has yet to yield any answers, but we must press on," spokesperson Josh Taylor said at the time.
The reserve is nearby to the Laundrie family home in North Port. His parents say he headed to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, which intersects the reserve, on September 14, with just a backpack.
"Large parts of the reserve are underwater, and packed with dangerous wildlife," Taylor continued. "Please be aware, the Carlton Reserve is a vast and unforgiving location at times. It is currently waist-deep in water in many areas."