Brian Laundrie's Remains Found After Monthlong Manhunt

Oct 22, 2021 by apost team

Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old Instagram blogger, was declared missing on Sept. 11 while traveling across the U.S. in a van with her fiancé, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie. Two weeks later, authorities discovered her body in northwestern Wyoming, classifying her death as a homicide.

Since then, the Petito case caught the internet by storm, and authorities have been hunting for Laundrie, law enforcement’s only person of interest. That search came to an end on Thursday when the FBI identified Laundrie’s human remains with the help of dental records, according to the Associated Press. Authorities have yet to release a cause of death.

The FBI found Laundrie’s body in a Florida nature preserve on Wednesday, along with what appeared to be the 23-year-old’s backpack and notebook. Law enforcement officials have been searching the 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve with the help of drones, dogs and all-terrain vehicles, but the area where they found Laundrie’s remains had been under water during earlier searches.

Steve Bertolino, the Laundrie family’s lawyer, confirmed that the remains were Laundrie’s in a statement.

​​“We have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundrie’s privacy at this time,” the statement read, according to the Associated Press.

On Sept. 24, Gabby Petito’s family, friends and community members from Long Island, New York, held a public memorial service to mourn the loss of the 22-year-old as the search for Laundrie continued into its second week.

“I want you to take a look at these pictures, and I want you to be inspired by Gabby," said Gabby Petito’s father, Joe Petito. "If there’s a trip you guys want to take, take it now. Do it now while you have the time.”

Gabby’s father also hinted at his daughter’s troubled relationship with Laundrie, adding, “​​If there is a relationship that you’re in that might not be the best thing for you, leave it now."

Since investigators have looked into Gabby Petito’s disappearance, authorities have released police body camera footage from Aug. 12 of Gabby Petito shortly before her disappearance.

Police were called after a witness reported a domestic violence dispute.

"We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl," the caller said, according to CNN. "Then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off."

On Oct. 1, CNN reported that while “Laundrie has not been explicitly connected to Petito's death,” there was a federal warrant for his arrest in connection with illegally using another person’s debit card on Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.

Gabby Petito’s story has caused a media frenzy, as outlets from across the world cover the 22-year-old’s case. Users on social media — where Gabby Petito has more than 1.2 million followers — have also started entire accounts dedicated to her search and are using the hashtag #JusticeForGabby.

The FBI’s announcement on Thursday ends a weeks-long search for Laundrie, which began shortly after he disappeared on Sept. 14. The 23-year-old went missing two weeks after he returned to his family home in North Port, Florida.

Although both Petito and her boyfriend’s remains have been found, the investigation is ongoing, and as of Thursday, Laundrie is the only person whom law enforcement officials have named as a person of interest in the case.

The Associated Press reports that if Laundrie had been alive, then the authorities could have arrested him because of the indictment for using someone else’s debit card.

apost.com

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