The FBI has confirmed that the remains found at a Florida nature preserve on Oct. 21, are those of Brian Laundrie, bringing the six-week long search to an end.
Laundrie was reported missing on Sept. 17, two days before his girlfriend Gabby Petito’s body was found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Petito and Laundrie had embarked on a cross-country road trip, but when Laundrie returned to Florida without her, Petito’s family reported her missing. Petito’s disappearance gained national attention, with many people calling for the arrest of Laundrie.
After several days of pleading from Petito’s family for Laundrie’s parents to cooperate with authorities, the Laundries asked police to come to their home, where, according to CNN, they told officers that they had not seen Brian Laundrie since Sept. 13. Laundrie’s parents told police that he had left on a hike three days prior and had not returned. Petito’s remains were found on Sept. 19, almost three weeks after Laundrie had returned to his parents’ home in Florida.
Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue performed the autopsy on Petito’s body. He determined that Petito had died three to four weeks prior to her remains being found. He had also determined that she was strangled to death, and her death was classified as a homicide. Blue did not release any more details of the case, stating that Wyoming law prevented him from doing so.
On Oct. 21, human remains were found about a 40-minute walk from Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park into Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida. According to the New York Post, a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie were found with the body. A spokesperson for the North Port Police said that the remains were “skeletal” after decaying for weeks and being exposed to the elements. According to police, the remains had been submerged due to recent flooding in the area. The day after the remains were found, the FBI released that they were able to confirm the remains as Laundrie’s using dental records. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
Local police are hopeful that Laundrie’s notebook can be salvaged and that it may reveal something new in the case. Joe Petito, Gabby’s father, told TMZ that he does not want to focus on the case of Laundrie. He instead hopes to use Gabby’s case to raise awareness for other missing women. He also called for more resources for victims of domestic violence, calling it “insane” that up to one in three women experience abuse.
