Brian Laundrie Lookalike Held At Gunpoint By U.S. Marshalls

A man who looks like Brian Laundrie was handcuffed for being mistaken for Laundrie himself.

Severin Beckwith, a recent Cornell University graduate, was hiking on the Appalachian Trail when U.S. Marshals burst into his hotel room where he was napping. The marshals were armed with guns and riot shields and handcuffed Beckwith before realizing the mistake.

Beckwith had been hiking the trail with his girlfriend Anna Brettmann, and stopped at Fontana Lake marina to take a shuttle. An employee took his photo and shared it with authorities, who thought it might be Laundrie. The couple also booked their hotel room with a credit card linked to New York, the state Laundrie’s ex-fiancé was from.

“Next thing I see is a bunch of guys with riot shields with ‘U.S. Marshals’ written on them, handguns pointed at my face,” Beckwith told The New Yorker.

Brettmann had a feeling why he was being arrested and was right. Brettmann didn’t have Laundrie’s tattoos and had his own ID to prove his identity. The marshals told the couple that they now had a good story to tell before leaving.

The lodge gave Beckwith and Brettmann a free night’s stay and a free buffet breakfast after the marshals left.

Laundrie and his ex-fiancé Gabby Petito were on a cross-country road trip together when Laundrie returned home alone. Petito’s body was discovered shortly after.

Shortly after Laundrie was named a person of interest in the case and disappeared. He refused to cooperate with law enforcement before disappearing.