FBI collects 'personal items' from Brian Laundrie's Florida home, LI attorney says

The FBI retrieved "personal items" belonging to Brian Laundrie from his Florida home Thursday afternoon to assist in the search for the 23-year-old man named a "person of interest" in the homicide of his former fiance and Blue Point native Gabrielle Petito, the Laundrie attorney confirmed.

"The FBI is at the Laundrie home today to collect some personal items belonging to Brian that will assist the canines in their search for Brian," Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino, of East Islip, said in a text message. "There is nothing more to this."

Two FBI agents were seen entering the Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida, Thursday afternoon, according to livestreamed video from outside the home. The agents then briefly entered a camper in the driveway before returning back inside the home, where the agents spent roughly 10 minutes. One of the agents carried a small, soft cooler bag from the home.

Bertolino declined to comment when asked about what the FBI had collected. The FBI, which has previously declined to comment on the investigation, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Thursday.

Laundrie and Petito were on a cross-country road trip in Petito's white van when in late August Petito stopped communicating with her family, who reported her missing about two weeks later. Laundrie returned home by himself in her van on Sept. 1 and refused to talk to authorities before going missing.

Her body was found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on Sept. 19.

Laundrie is wanted on a federal arrest warrant for alleged credit card fraud that authorities said took place after Petito’s homicide.

Authorities in Florida have canvassed a massive wildlife reserve for Laundrie and had previously taken Laundrie’s clothing to provide police K-9’s with his scent. Laundrie’s parents reported him missing three days after they said he left home to take a hike in the reserve.

The FBI has also previously seized Laundrie’s newly purchased cellphone, which he left at home when he headed to the reserve, according to Bertolino. Laundrie bought a cellphone at an AT&T store just three days after returning home from the cross-country trip without Petito, his lawyer said.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.