No, Brian Laundrie Has Not Been Apprehended

Police in Florida have denied that Gabby Petito's fiancé Brian Laundrie has been found.

Petito, 22, was reported missing earlier this month after setting out on a cross-county road trip with Laundrie in July.

Her body was found on Sunday, near an undeveloped camping ground along the border of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Her death has been ruled a homicide by a coroner, but the cause of death has not been revealed.

Laundrie was named a person of interest in the case after Petito's family reported her missing on September 11, because they had not heard from her in over a week.

The couple had been visiting national parks in the West but on September 1 Laundrie returned alone to his parents' home in North Port, Florida, in their white 2012 Ford Transit van.

He refused to speak to the authorities about Petito's disappearance and his parents told police on September 17 that he had also gone missing.

Investigators in Florida have been searching a 24,000-acre nature preserve in a bid to find the 23-year-old, after his parents told police he may have gone there.

On Tuesday, North Port Police posted on Twitter that the day's search of the Carlton Reserve had concluded without any sign of Laundrie.

"Search of the Carlton & nearby lands concluded for the evening. Nothing of note," the department tweeted. "The current plan is to return Wednesday with a similar operation."

Authorities are using helicopters, dogs, drones and officers in all-terrain vehicles in their hunt for Laundrie.

In an email sent to reporters, North Police Police public information officer Joshua Taylor said the department had received a "significant amount of requests" seeking confirmation that Laundrie had been located.

"These reports are unfortunately false," Taylor wrote. "Please rest assured that when Brian is found, we will be more than happy to let everyone know. That important detail will come in the form of an email, similar to this one, to everyone, at the same time."

The police department has come under scrutiny for its handling of the case, with questions raised about how Laundrie could have evaded the authorities.

"We understand the community's frustration, we are frustrated too," the department said in a statement shared on Twitter on Saturday.

"For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the [Laundrie] family to contact investigators regarding Brian's fiancé Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they [the family] have spoken with investigators in detail."

The North Port Police Department has been contacted for further comment.