“Where’s Baldo”: The Search For Brian Laundrie Continues

By Nikki Slusher

It’s been almost a month since the search for 22-year-old Gabby Petito began. She was reported missing on Saptember 11th after her fiancé, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, returned home from their “van life” camping trip two months early on September 1st. Laundrie and his parents ignored Petito’s parents pleas for if they knew where their daughter was, unfortunately falling upon deaf ears. The Laundrie’s have still yet to speak.

The entity of this case has been mind-blowing, almost so insane that it feels like a movie plot. Captivating the entire country, law enforcement with the help of internet sleuths located Petito’s remains on September 18th. Her death was ruled as a homicide after the autopsy, yet investigators haven’t released the details as to what happened to her.

Currently, Laundrie is on the run after going “missing” on Sept. 14th but not reported to authorities until Sept. 17th. His parents pointed investigators towards the Carton Reserve in Florida, an almost 25,000 park full of swamp with a harsh, unlivable environment for any human to survive in. Now with the FBI taking the lead, and Nancy Grace, John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted, and Dog the Bounty Hunter throwing their hats into what has been dubbed a classic game of “Wheres’s Baldo?” Mr. Laundrie may still be missing — but not for much longer cause the Dog is on his scent.

It turns out that America’s least favorite family tends to have a common theme of going on camping trips and not returning with everyone. Like Brian not returning with Gabby, it seems as the “Dirty Laundries” took a camping trip to De Soto National Forest right before Gabby’s parents filed her missing, and no one has actually seen Brian since (besides his parents). The Laundrie’s failed to disclose the family’s oddly timed vacation immediately after Petito went missing; however, a recent tip to Dog the Bounty Hunter, whose real name is Duane Chapman, has revealed potential evidence to Brian Laundrie’s whereabouts.

Shortly after searches began in the De Soto park, rumors have began to circulate about what findings the investigators have acquired there. After Chapmen received the tip off about the Laundrie’s stay he led investigators to the campsites where the family stayed. As of Thursday, FBI agents returned to the Laundrie’s home in North Port, FL, where they collected more of Brian’s items. Investigators raided the home with a no-knock search warrant following the discovery of Petito’s remains in the Teton portion of the national parks.

Speculation of what authorities took from the home will be compared to items found at the alleged campsite in the De Soto park could reveal if Brian Laundrie was there and if so, he’s most likely still within or close to it. Investigators have stated to have found a phone that Brian apparently purchased in September and left behind for authorities after he skipped town. This is odd because he already had a phone line that his parents paid for and that phone, along with Petito’s, has remained undiscovered.

The whole case has turned into a really intense episode of Unsolved Mysteries mixed with a Dog the Bounty Hunter crossover. Some positive things have come from this tragedy though. Due to the attention the Petito case has received at least three other missing people in the same area were found and their families were able to lay them to rest. Discussion over the lack of attention minorities and indigenous missing persons cases also has caused law enforcement, the media, and public to start working together to close the disparity gap.

It seems like it has been taking a lifetime to find America’s most wanted balding fugitive. While searches are continuing, we must remember it’s hard when your suspect looks like every other guy named Brian. Internet sleuths have gone so far as to try and confirm any pictures and videos of reported sightings, but all have been false alarms so far. One TikToker who looks almost identical to Brian Laundrie — whose been dubbed as “Brian Detergent” — even posted his concern to attend a wedding in Mexico this weekend and be mistaken for on-the-run Brian.

We send our condolences here at Ringside to the Petito family during this tragic time. Meanwhile, as the country continues to take bets on who will find “Baldo” first, we must also take a moment of silence for all the balding white men in their early 20s since they’re about to go through some things.

One last thing. Dog, if you’re reading this I ask that you do not give Brian Laundrie a cigarette once you snatch his ass out of the Florida boondocks

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