TikTok/Instagram Brian Laundrie (r) and a scene from the Miranda Baker TikTok (l)
Viral videos by TikTok user Miranda Baker claim that she picked up Brian Laundrie while he was hitchhiking in Wyoming – without Gabby Petito – and she thought he was acting oddly.
That’s only four days after Petito told her family she was at Grand Teton National Park, where Baker says she picked up Laundrie. According to Fox News, police in North Port, Florida, where Laundrie and Petito lived, confirm they spoke with Baker.
A massive search is underway for Petito, who vanished while filming a YouTube series called “Van Life” with her fiancee, Laundrie. He later returned to Florida without her, refused to talk to the police, and then vanished. He was named a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance by North Port police. Police are currently searching for both Petito and Laundrie.
Charles Jones, supervisory resident agent in Wyoming for the FBI, said in a September 19, 2021, press conference, “I would like to extend sincere and heartfelt condolences to Gabby’s family.”
“FBI personnel in coordination with our partners…have been conducting investigative activity… earlier today human remains were recovered consistent with the description of Gabrielle, Gabby, Petito,” he said.
Full forensic identification is not yet complete. “The cause of death has not yet been determined at this time.” Authorities were searching a Wyoming area named Spread Creek camping area when the body was found. Jones described it as a “rugged area.” It’s located in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on the border with Grand Teton National Park.
Additional photos from the search for Brian Laundrie around the Carlton Reserve area. If you have seen him please use 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit online at t.co/vlIagGqNPE.
“We have spoken with her and are potentially utilizing her info into our timeline,” department spokesman Josh Taylor said in an email to Fox News.
Here’s what you need to know:
Baker Says in the TikTok Videos That Laundrie Was Acting Weird During the Car Ride
@mirandabaker_##gabbypetito ##findgabby ##brianlaundrie
In a series of TikTok videos, Baker claims that she picked up Laundrie on August 29, 2021, on her way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He asked to get out about 6:09 p.m. when she mentioned that city, she says in videos.
“Once I said Jackson Hole he became agitated,” she said in a TikTok video. “He seemed like he needed to get out, he was kind of antsy. And that’s when things got weird.” She said he continued trying to hitchhike when he got out of her car. She thought it was weird he offered her $200 for a 10-mile ride, she says.
She added, “He kind of hurried out of the car, and then was like ‘I’m going to find someone else to hitchhike,’ and we’re like, okay.’ It was a weird situation.”
@mirandabaker_##findgabby ##brianlaundrie ##gabbypetito ##wheresgabby
In the videos, she claims Laundrie suspiciously didn’t have a full backpack, noting, “You think if you’re going camping for days on end you’d want food and a tent and he had none of that.” She added that he claimed his fiancee was back in their van running their social media accounts.
“We were going south out of the park when he said he was camping north. He had told us that he and Gabby were not camping on a regulated camp site… they were camping out in the middle of nowhere out in the Snake River. He said he had hiked for days out in the Snake River… he said all he had was a tarp to sleep on.” She said he “looked clean and didn’t smell bad.”
She also posted a map showing the “whole journey with Brian” in one of her TikToks.
@mirandabaker_##findgabby ##brianlaundrie ##gabbypetito ##wheresgabby
In another video, Baker stressed she was in contact with the FBI.
@mirandabaker_
Here’s another video:
@mirandabaker_
You can find her page on TikTok here. Some of her videos have been viewed millions of times.
Police Say Laundrie Has Disappeared
InstagramBrian Laundrie and Gabby Petito
As of September 18, 2021, North Port police were conducting a massive search fro Laundrie, who was in an argument with Petito in Moab, Utah, in the days before she disappeared. He has also now disappeared after returning from Florida.
“The North Port Police Department, FBI, and agency partners are currently conducting a search of the vast Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie. His family says they believe he entered the area earlier this week. More details when available,” North Port police wrote on Twitter.
Police revealed in a statement that the attorney for Laundrie’s family called the FBI on Friday night (September 17) and indicated the family wanted to “talk about the disappearance of their son.”
The family “now claims that they have not seen Brian since Tuesday of this week,” police wrote. He was “last seen wearing a hiking bag with a waist strap.”
Police said they are frustrated because, for six days, they pleaded with the family to contact investigators regarding Petito. “Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail. It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime. We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigation.”
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