Charlotte County K9 teams play vital role in FBI's search for Brian Laundrie
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office K9 unit is one of many agencies who aided in the search for Brian Laundrie, the fiance of Gabby Petito.
Friday, September 17, Brian Laundrie’s parents reported him missing. That night, deputy first class Steven Sella and K9 Copper went to work.
First, they went to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park where Brian supposedly went for a hike Monday.
“We get to the park and the entire parking lot, which is a dirt parking lot, is completely covered in water,” Sella said.
That was only the first of the challenges the team would face.
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Now K9 crews from all over Florida are involved in the search. This week, NBC2 saw K9 units at the Carlton Reserve from Pasco and Brevard counties.
“Bloodhounds are known to be able to track, especially older scents like that. Their ability, their sniffing abilities are so much higher than a normal dog,” Sella said. “They work a lot slower so they’re able to go a little bit longer and they’re able to really focus in on the scents.”
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There is still more than $100,000 in reward money available to anyone with information on Brian Laundrie’s location. You can call in tips to 1-800-CALL-FBI.