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The search for Gabby Petito's fiancé Brian Laundrie resumed today. Here's why it's been so hard to find him
By Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 5:36 PM ET, Tue September 21, 2021

Police in Florida resumed their search Tuesday for Brian Laundrie, the fiancé of Gabby Petito, whose remains were found Sunday.

Investigators are searching for Laundrie on the Venice side of the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre nature reserve near the family's home in North Port, Florida. Agents were requested Monday afternoon, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Adam Brown.
The ongoing search comes as investigators try to piece together what happened to Petito, 22, and Laundrie, 23, on their road trip through the American West this summer. The couple had posted online regularly about their travels with the hashtag #VanLife, but those posts abruptly stopped in late August.
Laundrie returned to his parents' home in Florida without her on September 1, according to police. Petito was reported missing by her parents on September 11. A coroner confirmed Tuesday the remains found Sunday in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest are those of Petito.

Meanwhile, Laundrie's family told police on Friday night they had not seen him since September 14. His family told police he left home with his backpack and told them he was going to the nearby Carlton Reserve.
Laundrie had refused to speak with police about Petito's whereabouts prior to going missing, but he has not been charged and is not suspected of a crime, authorities said.
The case has become an obsession for many, spurring digital detectives to comb through the couple's online trail and try to solve the case. At the same time, that intense attention has highlighted how race and gender impact which of the nearly 90,000 unsolved missing persons cases get attention, and which ones don't.
CNN spoke with several experts in policing and search and rescue efforts to understand the challenges in attempting to locate Laundrie. Here's what they said.
Laundrie had a multiple-day head start
Police in North Port, Florida, have focused the search on the wilderness of the Carlton Reserve, relying on drones for video and bloodhounds who used Laundrie's clothing to get his scent, police spokesperson Josh Taylor said.

North Port police said Monday they shifted the focus of their search and are no longer looking for Laundrie in the nature reserve. "At this time, we currently believe we have exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there," Taylor said.
However, police said Tuesday morning they were again searching for him at the reserve. Authorities have been on site since 8 a.m. Tuesday, the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
The search "has yet to yield any answers, but we must press on," police said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Gabby Petito's conversations with her mother revealed 'more and more tension' with fiancé, affidavit says
Gabby Petito's conversations with her mother revealed 'more and more tension' with fiancé, affidavit says
"Please be aware, the Carlton Reserve is a vast and unforgiving location at times. It is currently (waist) deep in water in many areas," police said. "This is dangerous work for the search crews as they are wading through gator and snake infested swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails."

Before he disappeared, Laundrie was home in North Port for about two weeks. The family told police on Friday, September 17, that the last time they saw him was three days prior.
Cheryl Dorsey, a retired Los Angeles police sergeant, told CNN on Monday she was curious why Laundrie's parents did not alert authorities about his leaving Tuesday.
"I get that he's a grown man," Dorsey said, adding that he's still just in his early 20s. "What influence, if any, do (his parents) have over him? He decides to go backpacking and they couldn't stop him?"
Wilderness searches are difficult
In this photo provided by the North Port Police Department, law enforcement officials search for Brian Laundrie on September 18 in the vast Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota area of Florida.
In this photo provided by the North Port Police Department, law enforcement officials search for Brian Laundrie on September 18 in the vast Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota area of Florida.
In a place like a nature reserve, foliage and the lack of sunlight affects visibility, according to Chris Boyer, executive director of the non-profit National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR). The night can also hamper efforts, especially if the person being sought has no source of light or fire.