It’s been 26 days since Gabby Petito’s body was found and it’s been longer than that since Brian Laundrie, the partner she had embarked on a road trip across the country with in the summer months of 2021, disappeared. As Laundrie’s disappearance made headlines, famous bounty hunter Duane ‘“Dog” Chapman had joined the hunt. But the family of Laundrie seems none too happy about the development.
While members of Brian Laundrie’s family have done limited press (his sister, in fact, has spoken out), this time around the Laundrie family spoke through their lawyer Steven Bertolino has not minced words when it comes to Dog the Bounty Hunter diving into the case. In fact, in a statement (via TMZ) he called the sometimes reality star a “dusty relic” before revealing more fully why he feels the move by Chapman is a TV ploy.
Dusty relics like that Dog and John Walsh need a tragic situation like this so they can clear the cobwebs off their names and give their publicity-hungry egos some food.
The news comes just a short while after Dog the Bounty Hunter got back into the Brian Laundrie manhunt. He initially had joined the hunt late last month and had been offering updates on clues as varied as campsites and more. Unfortunately, in a twist of fate -- and I mean a literal twist -- he’d injured his ankle.
That only took him off the hunt for a short while, however. Yesterday, news broke that Chapman was back in business. Despite his ankle seemingly still causing him problems, he showed up at the home of Laundrie's sister, Cassie, who had previously spoken with the press about her brother.
Previously, Duane Chapman said that while there had been interest in a possible new TV project after he joined the Gabby Petitio efforts, his intent in jumping in was not to revive his reality TV career. He said he felt compelled to help because he was so close to where events were unfolding and also because he possesses a “unique skill set.”
Dog the Bounty Hunter had previously mentioned he had met with Gabby Petitio’s parents, noting they had gotten “close” to the family of the victim in previous comments to TMZ. He’s clearly not receiving the same warm welcome from Brian Laundrie’s family, however.
The fiancé of Gabby Petitio is currently wanted for questioning in relation to he strangling case. There’s a Federal Arrest Warrant out for the outdoorsman in Wyoming and he is wanted for “activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito,” including unwarranted use of a bank card. Over time, details about when he came home and return to his National Parks’ trip with Petito have trickled down. He had returned home to Florida in early September, 10 days before Petitio was filed as missing. His parents later reported him missing, as well.
