Partial remains found by authorities searching for Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito’s fiancé, were confirmed to be his after a review of dental records.
via: People
Medical examiners used a comparison of dental records to positively identify the remains, the FBI’s Denver Division wrote in a press release on Thursday.
During a search for Laundrie in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park this week, authorities discovered partial human remains and a backpack in an area that was previously underwater.
#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
Prior to the announcement of the discovery, PEOPLE confirmed that the Sarasota County Medical Examiner’s Office and a cadaver dog were called to the scene to assist authorities.
Laundrie, 23, was named a person of interest in the disappearance of his fiancée, Gabby Petito, on Sept. 15.
The couple had spent the summer traveling across the country in a white van together, documenting their adventures on YouTube along the way — but on Sept. 1, Laundrie quietly returned to his parents’ Florida home without Petito.
Ten days later, the 22-year-old woman’s family reported her missing.
For the first week of Petito’s missing persons investigation, the Laundrie family refused to cooperate with authorities, directing all questions to their attorney, police said.
A week after the Petito case began, the Laundrie family spoke to the FBI for the first time — but not to talk about Petito.
Instead, Laundrie’s parents wanted to alert investigators that their son, too, had gone missing. They claimed he was last seen on Sept. 13, after allegedly leaving their home to hike in the nearby Carlton Reserve.
The FBI and local Florida authorities quickly launched a search for Laundrie in the 25,000-acre nature preserve, wading waist-deep through snake- and alligator-infested swamps in some areas. (The Carlton Reserve is connected to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where his remains were found.)
Nothing about this story adds up.
