Brian Laundrie’s family believes that he is still somewhere in the state of Florida, and they are hopeful that he will be found alive. “They are concerned, but hopeful that he is found alive,” Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino told People magazine. Bertolino also shared a lengthy statement from the Laundrie family, which was published by CNN. “Chris and Roberta Laundrie do not know where Brian is. They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him. The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, experts told CNN that time is of the essence in this case, which has been made more challenging by Laundrie’s apparent decision to go off the grid. “Unlike other fugitives or people that are missing, we typically have reason to believe they’re in a populated area. In this case, it looks like he attempted to maybe go off the grid and is not living in society. So it makes it even harder to find him,” former FBI special agent Bryanna Fox told CNN.