$20,000 Brian Laundrie Reward Issued After FBI Releases Arrest Warrant; Gabby Petito's Neighbor Offers $5,000 For Information

(Photo : Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
North Port, Florida Police Hold News Conference Regarding Case Of Missing Women Gabby Pepito
NORTH PORT, FL - SEPTEMBER 20: A makeshift memorial dedicated to missing woman Gabby Petito is located near City Hall on September 20, 2021 in North Port, Florida. A body has been found by authorities in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming that fits the description of Petito, who went missing while on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

A legal company in Tampa Bay is offering a $20,000 reward to the first individual who offers information that leads to Brian Laundrie's arrest. The offer came on the same day as a $5,000 incentive for similar information was purportedly offered by a person who characterized the Petito family as his "neighbors."

On Thursday, a warrant was issued for Laundrie's arrest, and the alleged homicide investigation involving his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, continues to engulf the country. When Laundrie returned to his parents' Florida home on September 1 without Petito, 22, they were in the middle of a four-month journey across America.

Law firm offers reward to help to search Brian Laundrie

Petito's corpse was discovered in a Wyoming campground on Sunday and was later identified. Laundrie, on the other hand, has been missing since last Tuesday, and investigators are scouring the Carlton Reserve in Florida after his family informed authorities that their son had gone hiking. Boohoff Law, P.A. issued a statement about its award on Thursday, as per The Sun.

According to the FBI, Laundrie is wanted for the use of an illegal access device in connection with his activities between August 30 and September 1, following Petito's death. He used the card to purchase things worth $1,000 or more.

"While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances underlying Petito's homicide," according to a statement released today by the Bureau's Denver bureau, Daily Mail reported.

Laundrie, 23, was last seen by his parents and attorney last week, and authorities are still looking for him. After the FBI's arrest warrant for his fugitive client was made public Thursday evening, Laundrie's attorney, Steve Bertolino, released a statement emphasizing that the warrant was not for Petito's death but for connected acts that occurred after her death.

Arrest warrant issued for Gabby Petito's boyfriend

The corpse was autopsied Tuesday by the Teton County Coroner's Office, which confirmed it was Petito's and that the manner of death was a homicide. The FBI raided the North Port home where Laundrie and Petito resided with Laundrie's parents on Monday. Laundrie's parents allege that their son informed them he was going on a hike before his disappearance.

Diane Birnholz, a former federal prosecutor and UCLA law instructor, told Insider that Laundrie's pending warrant allows law officials to arrest him properly.

Authorities in Florida, where Laundrie is being sought, can only arrest someone without a warrant if they have a reasonable suspicion that they committed a crime or if there is sufficient cause. With a warrant out for Laundrie's arrest, law enforcement officers who come across him can arrest him.

Furthermore, anyone considering defending Laundrie may now be deterred from doing so. According to the Department of Justice, it is illegal to harbor or conceals anybody for whom an arrest warrant has been issued. According to the DOJ, anyone who tries to impede Laundrie's arrest might face jail time.

Separately, the North Port Police Department has been searching the huge Carlton Reserve in Florida for Laundrie with sniffing dogs, drones, and swamp buggies to no success. On September 23, the NPPD tweeted that the ground search in reserve had been suspended for the day but would be "back at it" on Friday.