Hiker claims he saw Brian Laundrie near Appalachian Trail days ago
Dennis Davis, who believes he saw Brian Laundrie while hiking, says the man he encountered wanted to go to California. Davis said he is speaking out in hopes authorities will send resources to that location.
A former federal fugitive who spent two years on the lam is urging Florida’s Brian Laundrie to surrender to authorities following the homicide of his fiancée Gabby Petito.
"You just gotta turn yourself in man — you gotta face the music," said Seth Ferranti, an ex-con turned writer and producer. "And if you did do something to that girl, you gotta pay the price. And if you didn’t do anything to that girl, you’ve got to present it to the jury and trust in your innocence."
Ferranti was on the U.S. Marshals’ Top 15 Most Wanted list from 1991 to 1993, on the run from a 25-year sentence for nonviolent drug trafficking charges during the height of the government’s War on Drugs. So he knows what it takes to avoid arrest.
"You got to have money, money, money," Ferranti told Fox News Monday. "If you have money, as long as you have money, you can stay hidden."
And that's money in cash, because a fugitive can't use credit cards. You also need self-discipline, and a fake ID is the next important thing, he said. And support from a friend of relative helps, too.
He acknowledged Laundrie’s skills as an outdoorsman but said the Florida man might be hiding in plain sight because "he looks like a pretty average dude."
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"In a way, when you're on the run, it's like you're in your own little movie," Ferranti said. "Everything is so intense."
Ferranti’s case differs from Laundrie’s in a variety of ways. He was wanted for selling LSD and pot to students, and he went on the run before the rise of the Internet, social media and widespread surveillance. Laundrie is wanted for alleged debit card fraud and is a person of interest in Petito’s death.
Former federal fugitive Seth Ferranti says Brian Laundrie should turn himself in and "face the music." (Seth Ferranti/Moab Police)
"There probably wasn't 75% of the scrutiny [back then] than there is now," he said. "Everything is digital now. There's cameras everywhere."
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And he didn’t have a supporting cast, like Laundrie’s parents, who may have given conflicting reports of their son’s whereabouts to police after initially saying they last saw him on Sept. 14 before their lawyer said weeks later the date was actually the day prior.
Ferranti said that the most stressful part of his own time as a fugitive was the beginning.
"The first six months, man, especially the first couple of weeks, I was super paranoid," he said. "I was looking over my shoulder — it was like cloak and dagger type stuff, because I thought … the feds … they knew everything."
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After that he got more comfortable, even returned to drug trafficking. And he was less careful about covering his tracks, even though he used aliases and fake IDs.
Laundrie was last seen on Sept. 13, his family attorney said Tuesday, and was indicted on the debit fraud charge on Sept. 23.
Ferranti spent more than 20 years in federal prison, gaining a master’s degree while incarcerated. Upon his release, he had already become and established writer and turned his life around.
His latest project is Netflix’s true crime documentary "White Boy," which explores the alleged teenage drug lord and FBI informant, Richard Wershe Jr., also known as "White Boy Rick."
Ferranti said that when authorities finally caught him, it was after he resumed drug trafficking, running shipments of marijuana from Dallas to St. Louis. Someone ratted him out, and the jig was up.
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But finally, he said he could let go of his aliases and the shadow of fear over his shoulder.
"It was kind of a relief when I did get caught, even though I had to face that 25 years," he said. "At least I could be myself again."
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