'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Investigating Latest Brian Laundrie Tip After Florida Search Falls Short
Duane "Dog" Chapman might have a new location for his search of Brian Laundrie, the person of interest in Gabby Petito's death. On Sunday, a hiker claimed he saw Laundrie on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, far from Florida, where the Dog the Bounty Hunter star has spent the last week searching. Chapman's daughter, Lyssa Chapman, confirmed that Chapman and his team are taking the hiker's tip seriously, even as Chapman remains in Florida.
Hiker Dennis Davis told the New York Post Sunday he spoke with Laundrie on Waterville Road, the Appalachian Trail near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. "There is no doubt in my mind I spoke to Brian Laundrie - none whatsoever," Davis said, adding that Lyssa sent him an audio clip of Laundrie's voice. Davis is convinced the voice was "the same I heard" when he spoke to a man Saturday morning.
The man Davis believes is Laundrie drove up to Davis to ask for directions to California using backroads. Davis suggested he take Interstate 40, but Davis claims Laundrie refused the suggestion. Davis claims the man acted "skittish and rambled" about fighting with a girlfriend. "He was worried and not making sense," Davis told the Post. Davis said he did not immediately think the man was Laundrie until he saw photos of Laundrie on his phone. Davis claims he called the FBI and 911, but his calls have not been returned.
After Davis spoke to the Post, Lyssa, who was known as "Baby Lyssa" on Dog the Bounty Hunter, confirmed her father is taking it seriously. "I do believe Dennis. I am convinced he's convinced," Lyssa told the New York Post. "We're doing everything we can to verify Dennis' tip but there isn't much to go off other than the location. But we're working that tip for sure."
They are taking Davis' tip seriously because his description matches their "profile" of Laundrie. Chapman's team doesn't believe Laundrie "is in a high technological area because in this day and age we would have a lot more footage of him," Lyssa said. "I do think wherever he is, he is stashed among a community of people who don't read the news or could be traveling solo or with a group that's helping him."
Chapman has been searching for Laundrie in Florida the past week. He focused on Fort De Soto Park, since that's where Laundrie and his family camped in early September. Chapman claimed they were there from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8, but Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino said the family left on Sept. 7. Early Sunday, Chapman posted a video of himself wading in the water off the coast of Florida. "The search has continued throughout the weekend on the islands off the west coast of Florida," Chapman's team wrote in the caption.
Laundrie and Petito were on a cross-country trip from New York to the West Coast when Petito went missing in late August. On Sept. 1, Laundrie arrived at his parents' home in North Port, Florida without Petito. Her parents reported her missing on Sept. 11, and her body was found in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on Sept. 19. Laundrie's parents claimed they haven't seen him since Sept. 14 and they reported him missing three days later. A federal court in Wyoming also issued a federal arrest warrant after a grand jury indicted Laundrie on debit card fraud because he allegedly used a debit card that didn't belong to him to withdraw $1,000 between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.