Was Brian Laundrie spotted alive and on the run on the Appalachian Trail? It sounds like it, at least according to a Florida hiker who swears he encountered the missing man over the weekend.
Dennis Davis told The New York Post he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail on Saturday morning when a man pulled up next to him on Waterville Road near the border of North Carolina and Tennessee to ask for directions to California using only back roads. The 53-year-old engineer explained that the man in the vehicle claimed he was “lost” and fought with his girlfriend, so he was traveling to The Golden State to see her:
“He said ‘man, I’m lost.’ I said ‘what are you trying to find?’ and he said ‘me and my girlfriend got in a fight, but she called me, told me she loves me, and I have to get to California to see her. I said ‘well, I-40 is right there and you could take it west to California’ and he said, ‘I’m just going to take this road into California.’”
Related: This Poor TikToker Looks JUST LIKE Brian Laundrie! And He Needs Help!
Davis also noted that the stranger “was worried and not making sense.” Following the strange interaction, he whipped out his phone to look up images of the fugitive, and it was at that moment when Davis had “no doubt” he was chatting with Brian. He expressed to the publication:
“There is no doubt in my mind I spoke to Brian Laundrie — none whatsoever. Dog the Bounty Hunter‘s daughter sent me an audio file of Brian’s voice and the voice was the same I heard.”
It honestly wouldn’t surprise us if Brian has been traveling in the Appalachians since Gabby Petito‘s friend previously revealed that he lived in the area before and ‘skilled’ at surviving in the wild.
According to Davis, the “wigged out” 23-year-old was driving a white or light-colored pickup truck looking similar to a Ford F-150 and wearing a dark bandana. He allegedly called the FBI and 911 in North Carolina and Tennessee three times since the incident but has not received any response from the authorities. Davis explained to The New York Post that he just wants to help Gabby’s parents “find closure” and knows his information can help:
“Obviously, as a father with a daughter, I want to do whatever I can to help the family find closure and get this guy off the streets. Law enforcement is probably getting millions of leads on this guy, but I am not some goofball out there doing drugs in the middle of the night; I am a highly educated professional. And I know that was the guy. There is no doubt about it. We have this lead, but no one’s doing anything, not even a phone call.”
As you know, police have been searching for Laundrie since his parents reported him missing on September 17 — just days before Petito’s body was found in Wyoming. There is a warrant out for his arrest at this time for using an unauthorized bank card, and he has been named a person of interest in his fiancée’s disappearance. Over the past couple of days, authorities and Dog The Bounty Hunter have received several tips claiming Laundrie was hiding out on the Appalachian Trail. Meanwhile, his parents still believe their son is still somewhere in Florida.
But as we’ve said before, if they’re saying that, it is probably wise to look somewhere else entirely! Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments (below).
[Image via Brian Laundrie/Instagram]
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