Brian Laundrie pictured with Gabby Petito. Photo / Instagram

A hiker from Florida says there is no doubt in his mind that he spoke to Brian Laundrie, the man being searched in relation to the death of Gabby Petito, on a deserted road near the Appalachian Trail (AT) this weekend.

Dennis Davis, an engineer from Florida, says he spotted the man who looks just like Laundrie just off the trail in North Carolina.

The encounter comes just as police is flooded with tips that indicate that Laundrie may be traversing the AT, the longest hiking-only footpath in the world (which goes from Maine to Georgia).

He says not only did the man look like Laundrie but he sounded exactly like him too.

"There is no doubt in my mind I spoke to Brian Laundrie — none whatsoever," the man said.

"Dog the Bounty Hunter's daughter sent me an audio file of Brian's voice and the voice was the same I heard."

Davis says the "lost and dazed" man waved him down on Waterville Rd, near the border between North Carolina and Tennessee.

He says the man asked him for directions to get to California, using only back roads. He also reportedly rambled about getting into a fight with his girlfriend.

"He said 'man, I'm lost.' I said 'what are you trying to find?' and he said 'me and my girlfriend got in a fight but she called me, told me she loves me, and I have to get to California to see her'," Davis recalled.

"I said 'well, I-40 is right there and you could take it west to California' and he said, 'I'm just going to take this road into California'.

"He was worried and not making sense."

The Florida engineer did not immediately recognise the man as Laundrie but then pulled over and looked up photos on his phone.

He says the Laundrie-lookalike was driving a white or light coloured truck and wearing a dark bandana on his head.

"Obviously, as a father with a daughter, I want to do whatever I can to help the family find closure," the man said.

Davis was frustrated that his calls to the FBI have not been returned.

"Law enforcement is probably getting millions of leads on this guy, but I am not some goofball out there doing drugs in the middle of the night, I am a highly educated professional," he said.

"And I know that was the guy. There is no doubt about it.

"We have this lead but no one's doing anything, not even a phone call."

Authorities are looking for Laundrie over the death of his girlfriend and travel companion, Gabby Petito.

He returned to Florida without her on September 1 and she was officially reported missing on September 11, then later found dead in Wyoming.

He is the sole person of interest in the investigation into her death but, according to his parents, he went missing on September 14.