New Development in Brian Laundrie Manhunt: Fugitive’s Father Is Now Joining Authorities in Their Search

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Christopher Laundrie is assisting authorities in the search for his son.

Fugitive Brian Laundrie was last seen on Sept. 13th.

Just days prior to vanishing, his fiancée Gabby Petito was named a missing person.

The FBI found Petito’s remains at a remote Wyoming campsite on Sept. 19th.

“Chris Laundrie was asked to assist law enforcement in their search for Brian at the preserve today,” Steve Bertolino, the family’s attorney said.

“Since the preserve has been closed to the public, Chris has not been able to look for Brian in the only place Chris and Roberta believe Brian may be,” he added.

The family lawyer claims that North Port police “had to postpone” the father’s participation.

However, North Port Police Department’s chief spokesman Josh Taylor rejected this claim.

Taylor said his department did not ask for Chris Laundrie’s involvement nor did police “postpone” it.

“In no world would we be the agency asking the family to help search in an FBI led investigation,” Taylor said.

More from Fox News:

Pat Diaz, a former Miami-Dade homicide detective who also served on FBI task forces, said he doubted federal investigators would bring in a suspect’s father to help their search.

“They may have found stuff in the reserve for the father to identify,” he said. “Not a body, but belongings.”

“The North Port police informed me that they were focusing on certain areas of the preserve today and they were actually hoping that Mr. Laundrie could join them on that search,” Bertolino told the newspaper. “Mr. Laundrie has consented and we are waiting for the call from the North Port Police Department to make that happen.”

Brian Laundrie had been named a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance days before authorities found her dead. On Sept. 23, the FBI announced a federal warrant for bank fraud charges after he allegedly used someone else’s debit card without authorization for more than $1,000.

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His whereabouts remained unknown as of Wednesday evening – but a search at the reserve has continued for weeks, even with reports of possible sightings in other parts of Florida and along the Appalachian Trail where it runs down the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.