A man, who looked like Brian Laundrie, spent a few hours in hell after being awakened at gunpoint by federal investigators, questioned, and forced to shave his beard as authorities tried to solve the Gabby Petito case.
Severin Beckwith revealed that he and his traveling companion, Anna Brettmann, rented a loge for a night because of heavy rain.
The pair, who has a passion for the outdoors like Brian Laundrie and the late Gabby Petito, had been camping and hiking on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina for several weeks.
Severin Beckwith revealed that he and fellow traveler Anna Brettmann rented a loge for a night because of heavy rain.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Severin Beckwith revealed that he asked the employee of a nearby marina to call a shuttle.
The person quickly noticed that Severin Beckwith had an uncanny resemblance to fugitive Brian Laundrie and immediately called the police.
Beckwith said he was sleeping in his underwear when he was brutally awakened by multiple gun-pointing U.S. Marshals who are on a search for Gabby Petito’s alleged killer.
He said that there was a knock on the door and it rapidly flew open, and this is what followed: “Next thing I see is a bunch of guys with riot shields with ‘U.S. Marshals’ written on them. Handguns pointed at my face.”
The doppelgänger told the magazine that he was placed in handcuffs, and they took his fingerprints.
The hiker said the authorities thoroughly searched his hands to see if he had the same tattoo as Petito’s fiancé.
U.S. Marshals also demanded that Severin Beckwith shave his thick beard to ensure that he is not Brian Laundrie.
He said that he “immediately regretted shaving his beard because I have much less of a chin than Laundrie does.”
Not having the tattoo and his ID helped Severin Beckwith clear his name to prove that he is not Brian Laundrie.
Beckwith revealed that the federal agents told him and Brettmann that they “now had a good story to tell after the ordeal.”
Severin Beckwith and Anna Brettmann received a free night’s stay and complimentary breakfast for their traumatizing experience.
He concluded by: “It was a buffet. We took as much as we could.”
Many have taken to Facebook and Instagram to show support for the look-alike while demanding justice for Petito.
In a statement, the US Marshals Service confirmed that the investigation led to North Carolina but declined to give any further information.
The authorities explained: “The USMS often supports investigations conducted by our federal, state, local, and tribal partners ‘In this instance, the Graham County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) in North Carolina had received a tip that the fugitive Brian Laundrie had been sighted in their jurisdiction.”
They added: “GCSO asked the USMS task force to support them in making contact with the subject. The USMS was not the lead investigative agency in this matter and was acting in support of the GCSO.”
On September 13, Brian Laundrie went missing after the FBI issued a warrant for his arrest for using an unidentified person’s credit card.
He is also a person of interest in Petito’s killing.
The body of 22-year-old Petito was found in Wyoming on September 21, and autopsy results revealed that she died of strangulation.
