SOME bizarre Reddit pages idolizing Brian Laundrie have claimed he is innocent and painted him as a victim weeks before it was revealed the fugitive took his own life.

Gabby Petito's fiance was reported missing by his parents after Florida police named him a "person of interest" in the woman's disappearance.

On Tuesday, November 23, the Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino said that an autopsy revealed the 23-year-old killed himself with a bullet to the head.

Petito, a 22-year-old influencer, was found dead in Wyoming on September 18 – and the case sparked numerous reactions and claims on social media.

After Laundrie was reported missing, authorities launched a search that prompted numerous theories also involving online sleuths.

The hashtag #GabbyPetito received over 1.2 billion views on TikTok, with people discussing the case and even some psychics claiming they can channel her spirit.

The subreddit r/GabbyPetito has over 135,000 members who have been talking about the ongoing investigation.

But on Reddit, there are also some people portraying Laundrie as a victim and hero who is misunderstood by the media.

A person claimed Laundrie had been "unfairly maligned" while others have been speculating about his whereabouts and personal life.

A small subreddit named r/FriendsofBrian, which has 1,100 subscribers, claims: "Brian Laundrie is a victim of domestic abuse who is being unfairly maligned in the court of woefully uninformed public opinion.

"This community is dedicated to seeing that Brian receives the treatment that he is entitled to by the Constitution of the United States of America, which is innocence until guilt is proven."

While defending Laundrie, some people also make baseless assumptions about Petito, such as calling her a "white supremacist" and promoting a conspiracy theory claiming she died of Covid-19.

A poster even wrote: "Brian will be remembered more than Gabby."

Gabby's autopsy results were revealed on Tuesday, October 12. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed Gabby died by strangulation. Her death was ruled a homicide.

But while some people idolize Laundrie, others use the channels to criticize him, with a person writing: "Just in time for Halloween, evil has a new face."

ONLINE SPECULATION

It is not clear whether the channels supporting Laundrie violate Reddit's Content Policy, which states: "Everyone has a right to use Reddit free of harassment, bullying, and threats of violence.

"Communities and users that incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned."

A spokesperson for Reddit told Insider: "We are closely reviewing communities related to the Gabby Petito case, including the subreddits in question.

"We are enforcing our sitewide policies across the platform and will continue to action the communities, content, and users that violate these policies."

The Sun previously contacted Reddit for further comment.

Since Laundrie's disappearance, online sleuths have shared several claims, with some suggesting he may be on the Appalachian Trail before his death was confirmed.

Dog the Bounty Hunter joined the hunt, pledging to catch Laundrie before the fugitive's birthday in November. However, authorities located Laundrie's remains in a Florida park near his parents' home.

Dog, whose real name is Duane Chapman, said a lot of the information he has received points to the Appalachian hiking route.

Laundrie was wanted on a warrant for alleged bank fraud after running up $1,000 in charges on a debit card that's believed to have belonged to Gabby.

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