Just over a month after Gabby Petito’s body was found, the hunt for the one person of interest in her death is finally over. Unfortunately, only his skeleton remains.
Found Wednesday about 2-3 miles inside the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve in Florida, the FBI confirmed via dental records that the body belonged to Brian Laundrie.
#UPDATE: On October 21, 2021, a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found at the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve and Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park are those of Brian Laundrie. @FBITampa pic.twitter.com/ZnzbXiibTM
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) October 21, 2021
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the remains found yesterday in the reserve are indeed Brian’s,” said Steven Bertolino, the family’s attorney. “We have no further comment at this time, and we ask that you respect the Laundrie’s privacy at this time.”
Though not technically a suspect due to lack of evidence, Laundrie was wanted for information regarding her disappearance.
A warrant was issued for his arrest after the FBI discovered that he’d used two of Gabby’s financial accounts after her death.
Laundrie had evaded police, his suspicious actions leading to a countrywide search that drew the likes of Dog the Bounty Hunter (Duane Chapman) and constant national coverage.
Laundrie returned home without Gabby, even though they had embarked on the trip together. He then disappeared three days after Gabby was reported missing, telling his parents he was headed to the reserve, never to be seen again.
He’d informed his parents where he was specifically going; they were the ones who led police right to the spot where they found what was left of his body.
On Tuesday night, they informed the FBI and the North Port Police that they would look for their son.
The park had finally reopened to the public on Tuesday, the closure previously preventing them from being able to conduct a search. Authorities were unsuccessful in locating Laundrie, though his parents provided specific instructions on where they believed their son was camping.
The search commenced, Laundrie’s father finding a dry bag belonging to his son, while authorities discovered a backpack and the skeletal remains.
A waterlogged notebook was also found. Police are hoping it reveals clues once it’s dried and investigated.
“As they went further in, Chris ventured off the trail into the woods. He was zigzagging in different areas, [and] law enforcement was doing the same thing. And Roberta Laundrie was walking down the trail,” informed Bertolino. “At some point, Chris locates what’s called a dry bag. The dry bag is a white bag, laying in the woods, say 20 feet or so off the trail.”
Suspicions arose about the discovery as Laundrie’s parents were able to find their son so quickly. They’d given the location information to authorities and assumed it was enough.
Their attorney claims that since authorities were unsuccessful, they took it upon themselves to complete the mission once the park opened.
Bertolino clarified, “The parents had assumed that the experts, the FBI, and all the tracking teams they had would be able to locate Brian based upon the information that we had provided them to the specific areas and trails in the park that Brian liked to visit. The park had been closed to the public. There was really no other reason for the Laundries to go search anywhere else.”
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