Brian Laundrie Seen In North Carolina? Man Says He Spoke With Gabby Petito's Boyfriend

An engineer from Florida believes he spoke with 23-year-old fugitive Brian Laundrie on a deserted road near North Carolina's Appalachian Trail over the weekend.

Dennis Davis, 53, claimed a "lost" and "dazed" man waved him down Saturday on Waterville Road, where the Appalachian Trail runs nearby the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, the New York Post reported. Davis said he later determined that the man was the boyfriend of slain Long Island native Gabby Petito.

"There is no doubt in my mind I spoke to Brian Laundrie - none whatsoever," Davis was quoted as saying. "Dog the Bounty Hunter's daughter sent me an audio file of Brian's voice and the voice was the same I heard."

Laundrie is believed to be "well versed" in wilderness survival and is understood to be familiar with the Appalachian Trail, which is the world's longest footpath.

The man Davis said he encountered was wearing a dark bandana on his head. The man believed to be Laundrie allegedly pulled up alongside Davis in a white or light-colored pickup truck resembling a Ford F-150 and asked for directions to California using only back roads.

"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,'" recalled Davis, who is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail.

The man, however, rejected Davis' suggestion to take the nearby Interstate 40.

"He was worried and not making sense," Davis said.

The father of four said he only realized he had spoken with Laundrie after later looking up photos of the fugitive on his phone.

Davis claimed the headlights from both cars were sufficient for him to see the man at such close range despite the road being dark. Additionally, the man's voice allegedly matched Laundrie's voice in an audio file that was sent to Davis.

"I know that was the guy. There is no doubt about it," Davis said.

Davis claimed his three calls to authorities in both North Carolina and Tennessee have not been returned.

"We have this lead, but no one’s doing anything, not even a phone call," Davis said.

"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," he explained.

Laundrie returned to Florida without Petito on Sept. 1 following the couple's months-long road trip across the country. Petito, who was reported missing by her parents on Sept. 11, was found dead in Wyoming on Sept. 19.

A federal arrest warrant was issued against Laundrie on Sept. 22 on fraud-related charges. He remains the sole person of interest in Petito's disappearance, but he has not been charged in her death.

A reward of up to $180,000 is being offered for any information that can lead to Laundrie's arrest.