Brian Laundrie ‘well versed’ in surviving in the wild
Brian Laundrie, who is being hunted in connection to girlfriend Gabby Petito’s death, is “well versed” in surviving long periods of time in the wild, a former co-worker told The Post.
Laundrie, 23, identified as a person of interest in Petito’s death during the couple’s cross-country trip, disappeared last week and is the subject of a massive manhunt at a 25,000-acre reserve near his Florida home.
But Laundrie could prove hard to find — he once bragged to co-workers that he survived on just crackers for six weeks while camping, the co-worker said.
“In conversation about hiking … Brian talked about the longest time that he spent in the woods was 6 weeks and bragged about only having a large pack of either cheese or peanut butter crackers to sustain him for that time,” the source told The Post in a text.
“He is well versed in spending a long time in the woods and living off nearly nothing,” they said.
Laundrie and Petito, 22, left on their trip from her parents’ Long Island home on July 2, and blogged about their trek through national parks until late last month.
Photos on Laundrie’s Instagram page show him renovating Petito’s white 2012 Ford Transit van, including adding solar panels, and images of the couple camping.
Laundrie’s posts also indicate a love for the outdoors and solitude.
“Zion is proof that mankind can ruin anything even in an effort to preserve it,” he wrote in a July 18 Instagram post from Zion National Park in Utah. “Beautiful park just with an unfortunate infestation of human beings.”
If he’s not in the Florida reserve, Laundrie would have had a head start in getting away from authorities — neighbors said he went camping with his parents after returning home, while his parents waited for days before they reported him missing on Friday.
Meanwhile, tension between Laundrie and Petito during their trip became evident during an Aug. 12 traffic stop in Utah, where Moab police questioned the couple over an alleged domestic incident.
Bodycam footage shows Petito sobbing hysterically while being questioned, with Laundrie claiming she attacked him. Although he had scratches on his face, a 911 call released by police indicates the report was over Laundrie slapping Petito.
Police did not file charges and separated the couple for the night.
On Aug. 27 — the last time Petito was seen alive — witnesses said Laundrie flipped out on the staff at a Wyoming restaurant, forcing Petito to apologize for him.
The incident at the Merry Piglet happened about 30 miles from where Petito’s body was found Sunday at the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Laundrie returned home without Petito on Sept. 1 and has since disappeared.
According to police, his parents said he went for a hike at the Carlton Reserve and never returned. An FBI-led search has been searching the dense, marshy park since Saturday.
