UNITED STATES—The FBI confirmed in a press release that the human remains of Brian Laundrie were found on October 19, at T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve and Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida.
Dental records were used to assist in identifying the suspect. Laundries’ backpack and notebook were found nearby.
#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
Reports indicate that Brian’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, were assisting law enforcement and search and rescue teams in their efforts to locate their son.
Steve Bertolino, the attorney for the Laundries, told reporters that it was Brian’s father, Chris, who found the bag with his son’s remains in it. They were reportedly found on the far side of a trail that Brian frequented.
Those familiar with the trail have stated that the area in which they believed Brian trodded was ridden with rattlesnakes and alligators. Video footage captured by various news teams shows footage of Florida swamplands.
Dog trainer Kyle Heyen was included in the search with the K-9 cadaver dogs. The K9 handler, Kyle Heyen told Dan Abrams of News Nation on social media that he found it, “highly suspicious,” that the cadaver dogs missed the bag.
Authorities later returned to the Laundrie home to confirm the remains belonged to their son.
Laundrie, 23, and his fiance, Gabby Petito, 22, reportedly left the Laundrie home on their cross-country trek on August 13. Gabby’s mother Nicole Schmidt and her father Joe Petito reported their daughter missing on September 11 after Schmidt hadn’t heard from her in 13 days.
Schmidt shared that the last text she received only said, “No Service In Yosemite.” She also indicated there were other texts around the 27th and the 30th, but Schmidt relayed that she was not certain they were from her daughter.
The North Port Police Department obtained a search warrant on September 15, for the hard
drive they had in their possession in the North Port Police Department locker.
UPDATE: Items of interest were located at the Carlton Reserve this morning in connection with the search for Brian Laundrie. An #FBI Evidence Response team is processing the scene. The reserve is closed to the public and no further details are available at this time. @FBIDenver pic.twitter.com/itOYRpY6fp
— FBI Tampa (@FBITampa) October 20, 2021
On September 17, Brian Laundrie was reported missing. The FBI reportedly removed items from the phone to aid them in their search.
According to the Teton County Coroner’s Office, Gabby Petito died from strangulation sometime between August 22 and August 29.
