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Severin Beckwith, of Ithaca, and his girlfriend were napping at a lodge at Fontana Village Resort near the trail recently when their door was busted down by the marshals.
The couple, who had been on the trail since late September, took a break for a day at the Lodge and heard knocking at the door.
“Next thing I see is a bunch of guys with riot shields with ‘U.S. Marshals’ written on them,” Beckwith who had guns pointed at his face, told the New Yorker.
After it was discovered he didn't have a tattoo that matched Laundrie's and he was able to show a valid ID, Beckwith was let go.
The marshals suggested he shave his beard so he would not look so much like Laundrie, age 23, who is a person of interest in the death of Gabby Petito, a Suffolk County native.
According to Beckwith, the marshals also told him he would "have a good story to tell."
Beckwith, who is balding and has a beard like Laundrie, told the magazine he thinks an employee at an area marina may have tipped off authorities as the man had stared at him strangely and taken his picture.
The marshals showed him the photo during the incident and he does look similar to Landrie who is known to have hiked the trail.
After the incident, the lodge gave Beckwith and Brettmann a free night’s stay and free breakfast. “It was a buffet,” Beckwith said. “We took as much as we could.”
Beckwith is just one of the thousands of sightings reported to the FBI and US Marshalls during the nationwide search for Laundrie who is also wanted to allegedly using Petito's credit and debit cards after her death.
Laundrie and Petito were on a cross-country trip in Petito's van.
The 22-year-old woman was reported missing on Saturday, Sept. 11, after her mother learned that Laundrie had returned to Florida in Petito's van, by himself.
Her body was found a week later in a Wyoming national park on Sunday, Sept. 19.
The Teton County coroner said her death was caused by strangulation.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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