Brian Laundrie: Dental records show remains found at Carlton Reserve to be his, FBI says
The FBI said dental records confirmed the identification.
Two local detectives visited North Port, Florida, the home of Laundrie’s parents shortly before the FBI made their announcement.
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the remains found yesterday on the reserve belonged to Brian,” said family lawyer Steven Bertolino. “We have no further comments at this time and please respect the privacy of the Laundromat at this time.”
A lawyer for the Petito family, Richard Stafford, said they do not do interviews.
âThey are mourning the loss of their beautiful daughter,â Stafford said. “Gabby’s family will make a statement at the appropriate time and when they are emotionally ready.”
Skeletal remains and clothing found
The identification came hours after North Port police said the remains found were skeletal and belonged to a human.
“These are human remains, without a doubt. I would say the remains match those of an individual, you know skeletal remains,” police spokesman Josh Taylor told CNN.
Investigators also found clothes that matched what Laundrie was wearing when he took off on September 13, according to Taylor.
Less than a week after Laundrie went missing last month, authorities in Wyoming found Petito’s remains in a national forest. His death was considered a homicide by manual strangulation.
Investigators on Wednesday also found a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie, 23, near the remains as they searched the Carlton reservation in North Port, according to FBI Special Agent Michael McPherson.
âThe notebook, to my knowledge, has not been opened. You know, this will have to be dealt with,â Taylor said.
A source familiar with the investigation told CNN the notebook was “possibly recoverable.” The source said the notebook was “outside the dry bag.”
“It was clearly wet and they will use all possible means to dry it out before opening it,” according to the source, who added, “They will be very careful with this.”
The source said it is not clear how the notebook ended up out of the bag.
When asked if a gun was found, Taylor replied that he couldn’t comment.
When asked if there was an ongoing search for Gabby Petito’s killer, he replied, “It is certainly beyond the purview of the North Port Police Department.”
During a search with the police, Chris Laundrie was the first to spot an object belonging to his son, according to Taylor.
The research conditions were very difficult
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marcelo said Thursday law enforcement searched in dangerous conditions, including near chest-deep water full of snakes and alligators.
“These are very, very difficult conditions. You are searching in areas where you just cannot walk and look. It is not like you are searching a house or a car,” he said. “These areas are huge and they are covered with water.”
Laundrie, who had returned home on his own to his parents in Florida, refused to speak to investigators and did not return after telling his parents he was going to the nature reserve to hike.
Authorities, including several K-9 units and all-terrain vehicles, returned to the reserve Thursday morning to continue searching the area.
Brian Laundrie’s parents were at the scene when remains were found
Laundrie’s family had refused to speak publicly following legal advice, but they had indicated to authorities where they believed Laundrie could stay on the reservation, Bertolino said.
The parents joined the search on Wednesday morning and found a bag belonging to their son in the park, which their lawyer described as “a fluke.”
According to Bertolino, Laundrie’s parents informed the FBI and the North Port Police Department on Tuesday evening that they wanted to visit the park on Wednesday morning to search for their son.
Law enforcement met them there and accompanied them closely as they entered the park, Bertolino said.
âAs they walked further, Chris ventured off the trail into the woods. He zigzagged through different areas, law enforcement was doing the same. And Roberta Laundrie was walking the trail,â Bertolino said. . “At one point, Chris locates what’s called a dry bag. The dry bag is a white bag, lying in the woods, say about 20 feet from the trail.”
The dry bag was in brambles and he didn’t want to move it because he wanted his law enforcement to see it, Bertolino said. However, Chris Laundrie couldn’t find law enforcement and didn’t want to leave the bag there with a reporter standing nearby, so he picked it up, Bertolino said.
“He met shortly after the police, they examined the contents of the bag. At that time, the police showed him on the phone a picture of a backpack that the law enforcement had also located near and some distance from the trail, âBertolino told CNN.
“At that time, the laundries were informed that there were also some remains near the backpack, and they were asked to leave the storeroom.”
The remains were found “about 2-3 miles inside the Carlton Preserve, or about a 45-minute walk” from the entrance to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, Taylor said Wednesday.
When asked why the parents chose to go to the park on Wednesday, Bertolino said it was the first day it was reopened to the public.
âThe parents had assumed that the experts, the FBI, and whatever tracking teams they had would be able to locate Brian based on the information we provided to them about the specific areas and trails in the park that Brian liked to visit. “said Bertolino. noted. “The park had been closed to the public. There really was no other reason for the laundries to look elsewhere.”
CNN’s Eric Levenson, Steve Almasy, Rob Frehse, Madeline Holcombe, Rebekah Riess, Devon M. Sayers and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
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