Gabby Petito case: Brian Laundrie's suspected human remains & items found in Florida

Partial ‘human remains’ were found on Wednesday in a Florida park where authorities were searching for Brian Laundrie, the fiance of Gabby Petito, the FBI said on 20 October. Petito disappeared on a road trip with Laundrie, who has also been missing for over a month after returning to Florida from a trip with his partner. Petito’s body was later found in Wyoming, where the couple was documenting their travel journey.

Laundrie is the person of interest in Petio’s death, and the FBI said on Wednesday that items belonging to him, including bagback and notebook were also recovered from the Florida wilderness. 

Items belonging to Brian Laundrie found

As per The Guardian report, the FBI said that it found other items belonging to Laundrie after his parents also took part in the search. He was reported missing after heading to the vast Carlton Reserve park. In a statement, the FBI reportedly said, “Investigators found what appeared to be human remains, along with personal items … belonging to Brian Laundrie.” The remains have not yet been identified.

The items were found in Myakkahatchee Creek environmental park as the authorities continued to search for clues of Petito’s death. Her body was found in a secluded part of Wyoming in late September. The agency’s Tampa division has reportedly said that FBI investigators were working at Carlton Reserve, which is close to the park.   

Brian Laundrie’s disappearance after Gabby Petito’s death

The 23-year-old Laundrie became the person of interest in Petito’s death, a case that generated enormous public interest while raising other questions such as the difference of attention given to the white woman’s missing case in the face of hundreds of Native Americans, minority women. Laundrie had been missing since 14 September, two weeks after he returned alone from a trip with his fiance. His parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie said that their son left the house in North Port with a backpack leaving behind his wallet and cellphone. 

His disappearance triggered several days of search by the FBI in the Carlton Reserve wilderness. Laundrie was charged in his absence with the unauthorised use of a debit card. Petito’s body was found on 19 September with the coroner concluding that she died of strangulation. Notably, Laundrie and Petito were stopped by police on 12 August in Moab, Utah after they had a physical altercation. But, no charges were filed at the time. Laundrie returned home on 1 September but disappeared.

Is Brian Laundrie dead?

Gabby Petito's death gained massive traction on social media mainly because the couple involved was active on social media and was even documenting their nomadic "van life" trip. Several TikTokers have jumped in to carry their own investigations regarding Petito's death and the couple's life. There are videos on YouTube regarding the investigation, alleged sightings with one of them titled, 'Is Brian Laundrie dead or alive?' Social media's involvement in the case has not only paved the way for misinformation but also sparked conversations about how hundreds of Americans go missing, and none of them receive the attention close to Petito's death. So far FBI has refrained from commenting publicly on Laundrie's death as investigation is currently underway.

(Image: @GABSPetito/Instagram)