The parents of Gabby Petito’s boyfriend have called 911 on Dog The Bounty Hunter after he turned up outside their house promising to join the search for the missing man who he believes is fleeing authorities on a canoe.
Audio has emerged of a 911 call made by Roberta Laundrie at around the time the reality star real name Duane Chapman knocked on the door of her family home in North Port, Florida.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Mr Chapman said it was a shame Mr Laundrie’s parents wouldn’t speak to him because he had “1,000 leads” as to where her son is.
“The police said we were welcome to knock on the door so we did. I wanted to tell the Laundries that our goal is to find Brian and bring him in alive.”
In his Fox interview, Dog said he had a tip that Brian could be fleeing authorities on a canoe by island hopping at Fort De Soto Park 75 miles away from his family home.
“This kid is an outdoorsman, so I think he went where he’s comfortable,” Dog concluded.
Dog joined the hunt as Brian’s parents released a new statement through their attorney to address rumours about their knowledge of his whereabouts.
It reads: “Chris and Roberta Laundrie do not know where Brian is. They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him.
“The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong.”
Petito’s death has been classified as homicide, meaning she was killed by another person, but medical examiners haven’t disclosed how she died pending further autopsy results.
The couple posted online about their trip in a white Ford Transit van converted into a camper. They got into a physical altercation August 12 in Moab, Utah, that led to a police stop for a possible domestic violence case.
Ultimately, police there decided to separate the quarreling couple for the night. But no charges were filed, and no serious injuries were reported.
On Thursday, federal officials in Wyoming charged Laundrie with unauthorized use of a debit card, alleging he used a Capital One Bank card and someone’s personal identification number to make unauthorized withdrawals or charges worth more than $1,000 during the period in which Petito went missing. They did not say who the card belonged to.
