Brian Laundrie Look-Alike Claims He Was Handcuffed By US Marshals On The Appalachian Trail Because Of His Resemblance To The Fugitive
Authorities on the hunt for fugitive Brian Laundrie reportedly tried arresting the wrong guy.
Severin Beckwith — a man with similar resemblance to the wanted 23-year-old — was out camping on the Appalachian Trail when US Marshals began to arrest him.
Beckwith told The New Yorker that he was taking a nap at his lodge at the Fontana Village resort with his partner Anna Brettmann when law enforcement bashed in the door.
“Next thing I see is a bunch of guys with riot shields with ‘U.S. Marshals’ written on them,” he said of the encounter. “Handguns pointed at my face.”
Beckwith recalled being handcuffed and taken into the hallway, all while still in his underwear. He told the outlet that the authorities had him confused with Laundrie, a person of interest in the murder of Gabby Petito.
The mix-up was likely caused by Beckwith’s resemblance to Laundrie, including a shaved head and a beard, along with reports that the fugitive was potentially spotted near the Appalachian Trail, where he had been known to hike before.
Beckwith claimed that he also had “a notch in the upper part of my inner ear just like [Laundrie’s],” and that the pair had used a credit card attached to a New York I.D. to purchase the hotel room, “which I guess was good enough motive to come in,” Beckwith said.
After Beckwith provided his I.D. and his hands didn’t match up with Laundrie’s tattoos, the marshals fingerprinted him and released him, advising that he shave his beard.
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Beckwith admitted that he shaved his beard after the incident, but “immediately regretted” it “because I have much less of a chin than Laundrie does.”
He also told the outlet that the couple were given a free night’s stay from the hotel to make up for the situation.
As for the real Laundrie, he was last seen over a month ago and has yet to be located by law enforcement.
His parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been criticized for their handling of the case, as many believe that the pair are withholding information about their son’s whereabouts.
Protesters have been active in trying to urge the Laundries to come forward with what they know, with many showing up to their residence in North Port, Florida.
Over the weekend, Chris was spotted tearing down a poster in their yard that read, “What if this happened to Cassie [Laundrie]?,” referring to his daughter.
As OK! previously reported, Brian’s sister Cassie previously revealed to the press that she was completely in the dark about her parents possible involvement in the case.
“We are just as upset, frustrated and heartbroken as everybody else,” she said at the time. "I am losing my parents and my brother and my children's aunt and my future sister-in-law on top of this.”
She also stated that she didn’t know if her parents were involved in her brother’s disappearance, and that she also wasn’t sure if he had something to do with Petito’s death.
