Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tourist finds water bottle matching Gabby Petito’s close to where Brian Laundrie’s body was found

North Port police confirmed they had the bottle in their possession

Graig Graziosi
Monday 25 October 2021 17:37 BST
Comments
TikTokker finds water bottle in Carlton Reserve that strongly resembles the one used by Gabby Petito
Leer en Español

TikTok user Olivia Vitale and her mother visited the newly reopened Carlton Reserve over the weekend, where they stumbled upon a water bottle that looks nearly identical to the one carried by Gabby Petito.

Ms Vitale was filming her search of the reserve with her mother when she found the bottle lying on the ground. Both the bottle that Ms Vitale recovered and the bottle that Ms Petito carried were of the same type and bore the same placement and pattern of designs.

The bottle was found near the trail where Brian Laundrie’s bones were located.

The women turned the bottle in to the North Port Police Department.

NewsNationNow reporter Brian Entin confirmed with the NPPD that the women handed the bottle over to them after locating it in the reserve.

It is currently unclear if the bottle belonged to Ms Petito or Mr Laundrie.

Ms Vitale was not the only one scouring the area for clues over the weekend.

Mr Entin also shared a statement from the NPPD on Sunday claiming that a number of bones and other items turned in to them by searchers were unrelated to the case.

Mr Laundrie’s skeletal remains – including part of his skull – were found last Wednesday after his parents, Chris and Roberta, joined the FBI to search the protected swampland. The Laundries decided to go search the area as the park had just reopened to the public the day before. Law enforcement joined the couple on their trek, and shortly after entering the park they located items belonging to Mr Laundrie.

Later that day, Mr Laundrie’s remains were found. A day later, it was confirmed that he had died. There was no conclusive cause of death determined during Mr Laundrie’s autopsy, and his remains have been sent to an anthropologist for further analysis.

Mr Laundrie’s backpack and a notebook were found near the park’s entrance, just off a trail. The FBI believes the notebook may be salvageable.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in