Remains belonging to murder suspect Brian Laundrie found in Florida

Peyton Renwick, Reporter

On Wednesday Oct. 20, Brian Laundrie’s remains were discovered by Denver police in a nature reserve in Florida named T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve and Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Laundrie was a major person of interest in his fiancé, Gabby Petito’s, death back in September. Her remains were found on September 20, and Laundrie went missing shortly before the discovery was announced. His discovered remains are the first time he has officially turned up since he went missing.

The FBI compared Laundrie’s dental records to the remains, officially confirming they were Laundrie’s. Among the remains were teeth and personal belongings that were positively identified (CNN). Some items were not able to be verified, so the investigation is still ongoing. It was known that Laundrie’s attitude was quite different before he went camping. This raised a lot of suspicion, and police were wondering if he could have played a part in this. 

Laundrie and his fiancé were on a trip around the country when they went missing, as announced on Sept. 11. They were visiting several national parks and attractions and camping in their van, with their final destination being Wyoming.

As a timeline, on Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his home in North Port on without Petito, 19 days before her remains would be discovered. At this point, she was not assumed to be dead, but she was being looked for, and this is when the search for her on social media began. Then, on Sept. 20, Petito’s body was found in the Wyoming desert, where the couple was supposed to be camping in late August (ABC7NY). Upon finding Petitio’s remains, authorities came up with the conclusion that she was strangled to death. Now, a month later, Laundrie’s remains have been found in a Florida nature reserve, presumably caused by a suicide. This continues to make him a person of suspicion.

After the couple’s disappearance, police have been keeping a close eye on Chris and Roberta Laundrie, Brian Laundrie’s parents. Because Laundrie was a major person of interest before he died, police went directly to his parents. They’ve been accused of suspicious activity following the deaths. For example, they had told the police where the remains of the couple may be, which were surprisingly accurate. Gabby Petito’s parents said that Brian’s parents never responded to their calls or worried texts. While the Laundrie parents spoke to the press earlier in the case, they are currently denying any accusations and have gotten much quieter since the discovery of Laundrie’s remains. They have yet to be charged with any crimes (WFLA).