Brian Laundrie - update Dog the Bounty Hunter sued for 13m as weather clears to help search

Brian Laundrie: Police fly drone over Carlton Reserve as activity ramps up

Duane Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, who vowed to find Brian Laundrie just over two weeks ago, has been sued for $1.3m by the producer of his unaired last reality tv show. The defamation suit claims that he used racist language while filming and illegally carried a stun gun. Mr Chapman has denied all claims as an attempt to smear him.

The search for Mr Laundrie slowed somewhat, as the significant law enforcement presence at the Carlton Reserve on Wednesday and Thursday appears to have been scaled back on Friday. Authorities are hopeful that improving weather conditions at the swamp will dry up flooded sections and provide access for them to search previously inaccessible areas.

Police have revealed that Mr Laundrie, the man who is a “person of interest” in the killing of Gabby Petito, was under surveillance before his parents reported him missing.

Josh Taylor, the North Port police spokesperson, told CNN that officers were monitoring the 23-year-old fugitive “as best as they could legally” before he went missing.

Officers never spoke with Mr Laundrie directly but had him under surveillance around the time he disappeared, the broadcaster said.

On Thursday, more than two weeks after Mr Laundrie went missing, his father Chris Laundrie joined law enforcement efforts in Carlton Reserve to help them find his son.

Show latest update 1633707339Teenage girl reported missing in Gabby Petito’s town

A 16-year-old girl was reported missing by the North Port police on Thursday. Gabby Petito, who was also reported missing and was later found dead in Wyoming, lived in North Port with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie before her death.

The missing teenager is Desirae Malava-Ortiz. Police searching for Ms Malava-Ortiz could not find her at her work or at her boyfriend’s house.

They said she may be with an 18-year-old man named Tyler driving a grey, two-door Honda sedan. The man’s relation to the teenager was not clear.

The frenzy of media coverage and public interest in Ms Petito’s case has resulted in calls for more equitable coverage of other missing person cases.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has more on the story below...

Graig Graziosi8 October 2021 16:351633706021Dog the Bounty Hunter reportedly sued for $1.3m over allegedly racist remarks

Duane Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, is reportedly being sued by one of the producers of his unaired tv show, Dog Unleashed.

The Sun made the claim in a recent story, suggesting Unleashed Entertainment President and CEO Mike Donovan was suing Mr Chapman for defamation to the tune of $1.3m.

The lawsuit allegedly claims that Mr Chapman used racial slurs on set aimed at Black Lives Matter participants and that an investigation into that outburst uncovered further allegedly illegal activity.

“Defendant is a disgraced reality TV star who was fired by Plaintiff after his company discovered that the Defendant had used racial epithets to attack Black teenage Black Lives Matter Activists,” the lawsuit allegedly says. “Plaintiff’s investigation into the allegations of racial epithets also uncovered illegal activity.”

The allegedly illegal activity mentioned in the lawsuit is a claim that Mr Chapman operated in the state of Virginia with a taser. Mr Chapman is a felon so he cannot possess a taser in Virginia.

A representative of Mr Chapman told The Sun the claims were a fictitious attempt by Mr Donovan to smear Mr Chapman.

“The claims made against Dog Chapman by convicted felon Mike Donovan are malicious bogus claims without any merit. The lawsuit is nothing more than a response to Dog refusing to enter into an agreement with Donovan and his business, and becoming aware that besides Donovan’s criminal background there were multiple active fraud investigations into his company Libre by Nexus from several state attorneys generals. Dog is very confident that the fictional claims will be dismissed and he then will pursue claims against Donovan for malicious prosecution,” the rep said.

Graig Graziosi8 October 2021 16:131633702252Carlton Reserve to remain closed, unclear if police will search the site today

The North Port police told reporters that the Carlton Reserve would remain closed Friday. It is unclear if the police will continue searching for Brain Laundrie in the swamp today.

Chris Laundrie, Mr Laundrie’s father, accompanied police into the reserve on Thursday to show them possible spots where his son could be hiding.

Graig Graziosi8 October 2021 15:101633700304Dog the Bounty Hunter calls Brian Laundrie’s social media posts “demonic"

Duane Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, appeared on Dr Oz to discuss the ongoing search for Brian Laundrie after he abruptly inserted himself into the case.

During his interview, Mr Chapman - who frequently engaged in Christian evangelism on his former A&E reality tv show - said Mr Laundrie’s Instagram posts were “very dark.”

“One thing, Dr. Oz, that I looked at and we all looked at, is that he has Instagram posts,” Mr Chapman said. “Now if you look at them, there are pictures of what I would call demonic-looking things.

Mr Chapman also critiqued Mr Laundrie’s literary tastes.

“Some of the books that he has read are very, very dark. I mean this kid was not in a very good state of mind before and after this happened,” he said.

Graig Graziosi8 October 2021 14:381633696570FBI ‘pulling out all the stops'

Chris Swecker, a former FBI director, has said investigators are “pulling out all the stops”.

Speaking to Fox News, he said: “They will find him. With the help of the US Marshals and a nationwide dragnet, an international dragnet. I have every confidence they’re going to find him.”

Mr Swecker is a seasoned veteran of the FBI. He served for 24 years, first as a Special Agent, and retired as Assistant Director with responsibility for all FBI criminal investigations.

Tom Batchelor8 October 2021 13:361633693240Everything we know about Petito's mysterious disappearance

Gabby Petito’s cause of death has been confirmed as “homicide” â€" but the location of “person of interest” Brian Laundrie remains a mystery.

Family members and police conducted a nationwide search for the missing ‘van-life’ woman, who was travelling across the United States with her 23-year-old partner before being reported missing.

Her partner returned home without her and no one had heard from her in weeks by the time her body was found.

Here is everything we know so far:

Tom Batchelor8 October 2021 12:401633689540Couple postponed wedding as Covid hit

Gabby Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, has revealed the couple had planned to get married on a beach in Florida but postponed their wedding when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Speaking to Fox News, he said: “Covid happened so they put it [the wedding] on hold. They said they were going to live life.”

A Pinterest page suspected of being Brian Laundrie’s has offered new clues into his state of mind in the weeks before his girlfriend Gabby Petito went missing on or about 25 August.

One folder was titled “Life Goals” and was shared by Mr Laundrie, his mother, and Ms Petito with plans for their wedding.

Tom Batchelor8 October 2021 11:391633685561Neighbours of Laundrie family ‘charging thousands’ to host news outlets

The neighbours of Brian Laundrie’s family in Florida are said to be charging media organisations thousands of dollars so they can use their land to store equipment and set up temporary filming camps.

TMZ reported that Fox News and ABC News were among the channels to be paying neighbours.

Protesters have also been staging demonstrations outside the Laundrie home.

There have been at-times tense scenes in the neighbourhood where the Laundries live, with scuffles between fed-up nearby homeowners and those calling for justice for Gabby Petito.

Tom Batchelor8 October 2021 10:321633679063Petito’s mother describes moment she was told Laundrie had returned to Florida alone

Gabby Petito’s mother says she erupted in anger when she was informed by police that Brian Laundrie had driven back to Florida without her daughter.

“I screamed at the detective, I said, ‘where’s my daughter’,” Nichole Schmidt told Fox News .

“The night I knew the van was in Florida, I instinctively knew that my daughter was not here anymore,” she said.

Here is the story:

Bevan Hurley8 October 2021 08:441633675445Petito’s father launches foundation to help missing persons and domestic violence victims

Gabby Petito’s father has said “amazing things” are coming with the launch of a foundation in memory of his daughter, which will support missing person investigations and victims of domestic violence.

Tom Batchelor8 October 2021 07:44

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