Brian Laundrie: Human Remains Found In Florida Park Confirmed To Be Fugitive’s

The Brian Laundrie case has hit a somber breakthrough.

The partial human remains found in a Florida park this week near items belonging to the missing fugitive have been confirmed as his, the FBI’s Denver office confirmed via Twitter on Thursday.

According to the announcement, Laundrie’s dental records matched those of the remains, which a law enforcement official told NBC News included a portion of a human skull.

The discovery was made on Wednesday at the Carlton Reserve inside Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where Laundrie’s parents were looking for their son. The North Port Police Department has been conducting searches in the 25,000-acre wildlife refuge for weeks, per NBC News.

Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino told reporters that authorities joined Chris and Roberta Laundrie in their Wednesday search and located a backpack and notebook believed to be Laundrie’s.

“The FBI and NPPD were informed last night of Brian’s parents’ intentions, and they met Chris and Roberta there this morning,” Bertolino said in a statement, per NBC News. “After a brief search off a trail that Brian frequented, some articles belonging to Brian were found. As of now, law enforcement is conducting a more thorough investigation of that area.

Laundrie, 23, had been missing since mid-September, after he returned home alone to Florida in the middle of a cross-country road trip with fiancée Gabby Petito.

Her family had reported her disappearance on Sept. 11 and her body was found in Grand Teton National Park a week later following a nationwide search. Initial autopsy results released on Sept. 21 ruled Petito’s death a homicide. She was laid to rest near her hometown of Holbrook, N.Y., the following week.

Earlier this month, Petito’s cause of death was confirmed to be strangulation. Teton County coroner Dr. Brent Blue shared the news during a press conference, revealing that the 22-year-old died 3 to 4 weeks before her remains were found.

Laundrie was named a person of interest in Petito’s case but not an official suspect. He had been wanted on a federal warrant for alleged fraudulent use of a Capital One debit card.

His family claims to have last seen him on Sept. 14, when they believe he went to Carlton Reserve for a camping trip.

— Erin Biglow

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