The FBI on Thursday evening confirmed that the human remains discovered in a Florida wildlife park on Wednesday belonged to those of manhunt suspect Brian Laundrie, who is a person of interest in the death of his ex-girlfriend Gabby Petito.
Steven Bertolino, the lawyer representing the Laundrie family, confirmed the FBI’s findings to news outlets.
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the remains found yesterday in the reserve are indeed Brian’s. We have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundrie’s privacy at this time,” Bertolino said.
A day before, the FBI announced that officials discovered items that were believed to have belonged to Laundrie. His parents partook in the search with the FBI and local police about a month after he was reported missing after going to the Carlton Reserve park.
“These items were found in an area that up until recently had been under water,” Michael McPherson, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Tampa office, said Wednesday.
Laundrie’s parents helped lead the FBI the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, Bertolino told news outlets this week.
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie were at the reserve earlier today when human remains and some of Brian’s possessions were located in an area where they had initially advised law enforcement that Brian may be,” he said Wednesday.
Petito’s body, meanwhile, was discovered in a remote part of Wyoming in late September, while a coroner later confirmed her cause of death was strangulation. She was reported missing by her parents on Sept. 11 while the couple were on a cross-country trip.
Weeks later, the FBI charged Laundrie with unauthorized use of a debit card. He was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly using a Capital One Bank card and a personal identification number.
The couple was stopped Aug. 12 by police in Moab, Utah, after they had a physical altercation, but no charges were filed.
Laundrie returned home alone Sept. 1 in the Ford van the couple took on their trip.
The activity in the park Wednesday was focused on the nearby Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where television news reports showed numerous law enforcement vehicles arriving and a tent set up inside the woods. The location is where a Ford Mustang that Laundrie drove to the wilderness was found.
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