Brian Laundrie Indicted Over Debit Card Use

Federal warrant involves crime after Gabby Petito's death
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 23, 2021 6:35 PM CDT
Updated Sep 24, 2021 12:05 AM CDT
New Indictment Allows for Arrest of Brian Laundrie
Kathleen Monaghan brings flowers and a sculpture of an angel for a memorial to Gabby Petito on Thursday in Blue Point, New York.   (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

A federal grand jury has indicted Brian Laundrie, accusing the fiance of Gabby Petito of using a debit card that wasn't his—which will allow police to arrest him once he's found. The Wyoming indictment says Laundrie used the card and its PIN for more than $1,000 in charges from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, CNN reports. Police think Petito died between Aug. 27 and Aug. 30. The filing didn't say whose card it was. The FBI agent in charge tweeted that the warrant means Laundrie, who's been called only a person of interest in the case, now can be arrested and that the investigation is continuing.

Crews searched for Laundrie again Thursday in a Florida wilderness preserve and planned to resume Friday, per the AP. A lawyer for his family issued a statement saying the indictment is related to events after Petito's death, not her killing; her remains were found Sunday in Wyoming. Laundrie has not been charged with any other crime. The agent on Thursday asked anyone who knows where Laundrie is to contact the FBI. "No piece of information is too small or inconsequential to support our efforts in this investigation," Michael Schneider said.

People gathered at events to honor Petito, who was 22 when she was killed. "We won't forget about you. We won't let your light dim," an organizer said to mourners at a vigil in Salt Lake City on Wednesday evening. She added that, "We will remember other women or children who are missing," as well. A roadside memorial was growing in Petito's hometown of Blue Point, New York. "This is so sad," one woman said Thursday. (More Gabby Petito stories.)

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