Crime Human Remains Found in Florida Park Belong to Brian Laundrie, FBI Confirms

01:40 22 october 2021

01:40 22 october 2021 Source: people.com

Brian Laundrie Search Site Also Sees 'Training and Searching' Exercise by Police, FBI

Carlton Reserve is also listed on a heavily redacted police report as a location where Laundrie's silver Mustang was tagged "abandoned vehicle."North Port Police said Friday that one of the entrances to Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, which gives access to the 25,000-acre preserve where Laundrie said he was going hiking on September 13, was marked with a do not cross line to give a local special response team space to train.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that the human remains found at a North Port, Florida, park Wednesday belong to 23-year-old Brian Laundrie.

Medical examiners used a comparison of dental records to positively identify the remains, the FBI's Denver Division wrote in a press release on Thursday.

During a search for Laundrie in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park this week, authorities discovered partial human remains and a backpack in an area that was previously underwater.

#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

Why a Former FBI Agent Is Sure Brian Laundrie Is Still Alive

The Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino told Newsweek that unless he is informed that Brian has died, he will "still represent him."While appearing on NewsNationNow on Wednesday night, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer was asked why she believes that Laundrie is receiving help from "allies" and that he is still alive after he has been missing for over a month.

— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) October 21, 2021

Prior to the announcement of the discovery, PEOPLE confirmed that the Sarasota County Medical Examiner's Office and a cadaver dog were called to the scene to assist authorities.

Laundrie, 23, was named a person of interest in the disappearance of his fiancée, Gabby Petito, on Sept. 15.

The couple had spent the summer traveling across the country in a white van together, documenting their adventures on YouTube along the way — but on Sept. 1, Laundrie quietly returned to his parents' Florida home without Petito.

Ten days later, the 22-year-old woman's family reported her missing.

RELATED: 'If You Have Any Decency Left': Gabby Petito's Family Pleads with Fiancé's Parents to Help Find Her

Ex-Fugitive Says Brian Laundrie's Parents Will Do What They Can to Help Him Stay Free

The Laundries have not been legally implicated in Petito's death, but questions have been raised around their behavior after Petito went missing.Laundrie is missing and has been named a person of interest in his girlfriend Gabby Petito's death. Petito was declared missing on September 11, 10 days after not returning from a cross-country tour of national parks with Laundrie.

a person wearing sunglasses posing for the camera: Gabby Petito Instagram Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie

For the first week of Petito's missing persons investigation, the Laundrie family refused to cooperate with authorities, directing all questions to their attorney, police said.

A week after the Petito case began, the Laundrie family spoke to the FBI for the first time — but not to talk about Petito.

Instead, Laundrie's parents wanted to alert investigators that their son, too, had gone missing. They claimed he was last seen on Sept. 13, after allegedly leaving their home to hike in the nearby Carlton Reserve.

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The FBI and local Florida authorities quickly launched a search for Laundrie in the 25,000-acre nature preserve, wading waist-deep through snake- and alligator-infested swamps in some areas. (The Carlton Reserve is connected to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where his remains were found.)

FBI: Remains found in Florida park ID'd as Brian Laundrie

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The FBI on Thursday identified human remains found in a Florida nature preserve as those of Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the death of girlfriend Gabby Petito while the couple was on a cross-country road trip. The remains, a backpack and notebook believed to belong to Laundrie were discovered Wednesday in a Florida wilderness park, according to the FBI. The area where they were found had been under water during earlier searches.The FBI's Denver office said in a news release that a comparison of dental records confirmed that the remains were Laundrie.

RELATED: Gabby Petito's Best Friend Says Brian Laundrie Is Capable of Surviving in the Wilderness

While police were trying to locate Laundrie in Florida, separate search teams continued looking for Petito in Wyoming — her last-known location.

On Sept. 19, Petito's body was discovered in Grand Teton National Park. Her death was ruled a homicide by the county coroner, who said she died from strangulation.

a man and a woman standing in front of a mountain: Find Gabby/Facebook Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie

Days later, even as his whereabouts remained unknown, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a warrant for Laundrie's arrest in relation to activities that occurred after Petito's death.

The FBI revealed that a federal grand jury charged him with using an unauthorized debit card with intent to fraud.

"While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito's homicide," FBI Denver wrote in a statement Sept. 23.

"The FBI is focusing on locating Brian and when that occurs the specifics of the charges covered under the indictment will be addressed in the proper form," the statement read.

The discovery of Laundrie's body ended a 32-day search involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

Laundrie was never charged with Petito's death or disappearance, and a suspect for those crimes has not yet been named.

Brian Laundrie Was Likely Dead When Cops Confused His Mother for Him During Surveillance: Police .
North Port Police spokesman Joshua Taylor tells PEOPLE "this misidentification did not have a big impact on costs and the investigation"Joshua Taylor, public information officer for the North Port Police, tells PEOPLE "there is a very good possibility" that the 23-year-old fugitive was deceased two days after his fiancée, Gabby Petito, was reported missing.