'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Reportedly Lands Another Big Lead in Search for Brian Laundrie

By Daniel S. Levine

Dog the Bounty Hunter star Lyssa Chapman claims her father, Duane "Dog" Chapman, has more leads in the search for Brian Laundrie. The Florida man is the person of interest in the death of Gabby Petito, who went missing in late August and was found dead in Wyoming. Laundrie, 23, is also wanted on a federal warrant for his arrest on a debit card fraud charge. Dog joined the hunt on Sept. 25, when he made a show of arriving at the North Port, Florida home where Laundrie lives with his parents. Laundrie's parents have not seen him since Sept. 14 and reported him missing.

"Update: Following up on ALL leads. I HAVE seen the two leads coming out of [Fort De Soto Park] campsite. & the woman who's husband believes he spoke to her. We are working on confirming these. Thank you to our tipsters," Lyssa, who is working on the case from her home in Hawaii, tweeted on Saturday. She also noted that "no lead or tip is too small," and asked social media users not to harass people who share tips publicly. The former reality TV star added that she also checks her direct messages constantly, so people can send her tips privately or text 833-TELLDOG.

In another tweet on Saturday, Lyssa stressed that not all members of the Chapman family are working on the case. "The only family members working this case are Me, Dad, Francie, and Francie's son Greg. Please streamline tips and beware of imposter posing as family members or allies," she wrote.

Petito and Laundrie, who were engaged, started a cross-country trip early this summer, but Laundrie returned to his parents' house without Petito on Sept. 1. On Sept. 11, Petito's parents in New York reported her missing. On Sept. 19, authorities discovered her remains in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Later that same week, the FBI issued a warrant for Laundrie's arrest on charges of debit card fraud because he allegedly used someone else's card to make cash withdrawals between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.

On Wednesday, Chaman visited Fort De Soto Park, where Laundie and his parents camped on Sept. 6. The Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, confirmed the Laundries were at the park on Sept. 6 and 7, but disputed Chapman's claims they were there until Sept. 8 and his parents left without Laundrie. During Chapman's visit to the park, he told Fox News he found a fresh campsite but saw no firm evidence that Laundrie was still there. "We're here at the island. This would be and could be the perfect spot for him to hide. Not too many people out here but there's a lot of environmental things that we're going to fight," Chapman said in a Twitter video. "So here we go. The search now is really on. The search has just begun."

Chapman has not been without his critics, especially because he is not working with local law enforcement. "I guess we kind of do the same thing but I really don't pay too much attention like they don't pay too much attention to me," he said in an interview with Newsmax. "After 45 years, I don't call the police, they're usually called on me - so I don't know what they're doing." 

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