Partial human remains that were found on Wednesday in a Florida wilderness area were confirmed on Thursday afternoon to be those of Brian Laundrie, the fiance of Gabby Petito, a young woman who disappeared on a road trip with Laundrie, the FBI said.
Authorities had also found items believed to belong to Laundrie after his parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, took part in the search with the FBI and police more than a month after Laundrie was reported missing after heading to the vast Carlton Reserve park.
“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,” the FBI tweeted.
#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
Petito’s body was found in a remote part of Wyoming in late September. FBI investigators in Florida had been searching at Carlton Reserve, which is near the park, the agency’s Tampa division said.
The Sarasota county medical examiner’s office had confirmed on Wednesday that officials had been summoned to the reserve after the items were found.
Laundrie, 23, had been a person of interest in the killing of Petito, who was reported missing on 11 September by her parents while the couple were on a cross-country trip out west.
The case generated enormous public interest but also raised uncomfortable questions over the unequal attention given to the hundreds of cases of Native American and other minority women missing or murdered across the United States. Petito was white.
Laundrie had been missing since 14 September, two weeks after he returned home alone from the cross-country trip. His parents said he left their house in North Port with a backpack, but left behind his wallet and cellphone.
Laundrie’s disappearance prompted days of searching in the swampy Carlton Reserve wilderness park by scores of FBI agents and law enforcement teams using drones, sniffer dogs and underwater equipment.
In late September, Laundrie was charged in his absence with the unauthorized use of a debit card.
He was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly using a Capital One Bank card and someone’s personal identification number to make unauthorized withdrawals or charges worth more than $1,000 while Petito was missing.