Body found in Florida swamp is Brian Laundrie

Human remains found in a Florida swamp belong to Brian Laundrie, the FBI have confirmed.

The Bureau’s Denver office said on Thursday that a dental comparison on the skeletal remains confirmed they were those of Laundrie, who has been missing from his home in North Port, Florida, since mid-September.

Laundrie’s parents have been informed that their son’s body had been found, and North Port police officers were seen on Thursday afternoon arriving at the house to tell them.  

The FBI’s statement said: ‘On October 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.’  

Steve Bertolino, the Laundrie family lawyer, said they had informed him.

‘Chris had called me to let me know that police had come to his house this evening to inform them that the remains were positively identified,’ Bertolino told NBC News Now. 

‘Every parent out there knows that getting the news that your child is no longer with you is sad in any circumstances. 

‘The fact that the Laundries have been subjected to these people outside the front of their house for the last four weeks, and they continue out there today, is just making it more difficult.’

Bertolino said that he was ‘angry’ that there was speculation the Laundrie family planted evidence in the case. 

The human remains found in a Florida reserve in the search for Brian Laundrie were bones, including part of a skull.  

It is unclear how long they have been in the area, but they were found by Chris and Roberta Laundrie on their first day of searching. 

Laundrie vanished on September 13. 

He is the sole person of interest in the murder of his fiancée Gabby Petito, who was found strangled in a remote part of Wyoming six days after he vanished. She had not been seen alive since August 26, when she was traveling with Laundrie in Utah.  

They made the discovery of the remains along with a backpack and notebook believed to belong to Brian as his parents, Chris and Roberta, joined them in the hunt for the first time.

Bertolino said he did not know how Laundrie died. 

‘I don’t want to speculate,’ he told NBC News Now.

‘I try not to do that. I would hope people would stop doing that as well, especially with respect to this case.

‘And in respect to the cause or how Brian came to be dead I don’t know.

‘We’ll wait, if possible, for some kind of cause of death from the experts.’

He said that the Laundrie family’s decision to finally join the search had an entirely rational explanation.

‘I think the prompt was that the park was finally opened to the public,’ said Bertolino.

‘My understanding is that it was opened either on Tuesday or Wednesday.

‘And Chris and Roberta decided that since it was open they wanted to go and look for Brian by themselves.

‘After speaking with me I told them I wanted to notify law enforcement so we would have no issue.

‘I did text my contact at the North Port Police Department and the response I got was “Thank you for the heads up”.’

He said that the police were waiting for the Laundrie family outside the park at 7am to meet them, and accompany them on the search.  

Bertolino told NBC host Tom Llamas that he was furious people were speculating that there was something sinister about the body being found on the first day the parents joined the search.

Bertolino lashed out at ‘John Q public’ who refused to believe that the Laundries had nothing to do with their son’s disappearance. 

‘I am a little bit angry that people are even speculating this way,’ Bertolino said.

‘Primarily because it’s not just the Laundries – it’s local police department, it’s the FBI, it was an independent news person who happened to be there filming.

‘And that’s all fortunate that police were there and the film crew were there.’

The search of the park continued on Thursday with cadaver dogs, dune buggies and police cars, but authorities are being tight-lipped on what exactly they have found so far, and what they continue to search for.  

Lee County Sheriff Carmen Marceno held a short press conference on Thursday afternoon but he mostly thanked and praised his law enforcement colleagues for working in ‘treacherous conditions’. 

‘Today I got to see the treacherous conditions they were working under,’ Marceno said. 

‘We’re talking about water levels up to the chest area, rattle snakes, moccasins, alligators.

‘These are very, very difficult conditions. 

‘You’re searching in areas where you can’t just walk up and look. It’s not like you’re searching a house or a car. 

‘These areas are huge and they are covered by water.

‘It is challenging times. I know everybody wants to know exactly what’s going on every second possible. All of America is watching. 

‘But we will never jeopardize an investigation to give that information out until the time is right. I want to reiterate, things change by the second, by the minute,’ he said. 

Bertolino emphasized that the FBI said that the area where Laundrie’s remains were found had been under water for some time. 

‘The FBI put out a statement and he said listen, we had searched the area several weeks ago and it was all under water.

‘There have been numerous people who said it was waist-deep under water.

‘People with first-hand knowledge of the conditions of the park have said that this was under two to three feet of water and yet still John Q public can’t get it in their head that this area was inaccessible, and the items that were located yesterday perhaps couldn’t be seen.

‘We’re not just saying it, I’m not just saying it, the FBI is saying it, everyone is saying it, and yet these platforms are running amok with these ludicrous and, I have to say, nonsensical theories of the parents planting things there.

‘I mean, enough is enough.

‘When does it stop?’

Bertolino said he was angry at the ‘nonsensical’ theories circulating in the media and on social media.  

‘Just yesterday on Fox News an anchor was accusing me of communicating with Brian on a burner phone, until his solar power ran out and I could no longer communicate,’ he said.

‘That was an anchor.

‘You had pundits on CNN just last night with all kinds of theories.

‘So my anger and my saying when does it stop – when does it stop with all these conjecturists?People who have no first hand knowledge, and specifically with yesterday’s events.

‘You have people with first hand knowledge telling you how this played out, and yet people still don’t believe it.’

Bertolino dodged the question as to whether he regretted not speaking to the police sooner.

North Port police department were reduced to begging him on Twitter to get in touch and assist them.

He said he had not spoken to the FBI or North Port Police or the district attorney since Laundrie’s remains were confirmed, and he wished to speak to them before considering whether he should have done things differently.

‘There are things that need to be done, I would say wrapped up, before we can say whether things should be done differently,’ he said.  

Asked whether Chris and Roberta Laundrie could face charges, the attorney replied: ‘I have no reason to believe that.’ 

When asked whether they cooperated in any way to be granted immunity from prosecution, Bertolino replied:  ‘I can tell you no. There is no truth to that.’

He continued: ‘I can tell you conversations were had several weeks ago with the FBI with respect to certain charges.

‘When questioned, and when communications were had between myself and the FBI, I think it was realized charges were not appropriate.

‘There was never a threat; there was never a coercion, there was never a deal cut. 

‘There are always conversations about how the case may play out.

The Laundries have been cooperating with law enforcement – both locally and federally – from day one with respect to Brian.’

Bertolino, who has known the family for 25 years, said that Chris and Roberta did not know their son would disappear.

‘What I can tell you is that Brian was very upset when he left,’ he said.

‘And Chris conveyed to me several times that he wished he didn’t let him go but he couldn’t stop him.

‘This has been a painful saga for them since September 13.

‘It’s been a long haul.

‘But Brian was a grown man, a young man, 22 years old; he wanted to walk out the door, he walked out the door.’   

Bertolino said, on Wednesday night, the family knew the remains were likely those of Brian.

‘The probability is strong that it is Brian’s remains, but we’re going to wait for the forensic results to come in and verify that,’ he said.  

Police activity Wednesday was focused on the nearby Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where television news reports showed numerous law enforcement vehicles arriving and a tent set up inside the woods. 

The location is where a Ford Mustang that Laundrie drove to the wilderness was found. 

In the interview, Bertolino said the belongings were found near a bridge connecting the the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and the adjoining Carlton Reserve. 

The bridge is about four miles north of the Laundrie family home. 

When asked why the parents had not joined the search at the park earlier, Bertolino pointed out that it had not been open to the public before Tuesday. 

‘The parents had assumed that the experts, the FBI and all the tracking teams they had, would be able to locate Brian based upon the information that we had provided them to the specific areas and trails in the park that Brian liked to visit,’ he said.  

Until Tuesday, the reserve had been sealed off to the public while investigators searched for any sign of the fugitive. 

It reopened on Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning, Laundrie’s mother and father, Roberta and Chris, joined the search teams in the morning for the first time together. 

Within a few hours, the remains – along with the other items – had been found.  

According to Bertolino, Chris was the one to discover a white plastic dry bag belonging to Laundrie, which he found in the presence of a news reporter about 20 feet off the trail, while police discovered the backpack and human remains nearby. 

‘Chris didn’t want to pick the bag up because he wanted law enforcement to see it,’ Bertolino said. 

‘This was caught on camera. Chris couldn’t find the law enforcement because they were then out of sight, because Chris had been in the woods, so he didn’t want to leave the bag there with the news reporter standing nearby, so he picked it up. 

‘He did meet up shortly with law enforcement. They looked at the contents of the bag. 

‘At that time, law enforcement officers showed him a picture on the phone of a backpack that law enforcement had located also nearby, and also some distance off the trail.

‘At that point, the Laundries were notified that there was also remains near the backpack and they were asked to leave the preserve,’ he continued. 

The Laundrie parents have been under a cloud of public suspicion since their son disappeared, including wild theories that they were hiding their son in an alleged bunker under their garden, but Bertolino said that the family informed the FBI on the night of September 13 that their son had not returned from a hike that day.

Laundrie’s parents had not spoken publicly or to Petito’s parents about what they may know about her murder, which Bertolino insisted had been on his own legal advice.

‘They know it’s been hard. But ultimately, you know, this is the advice I gave them. This is the advice they’re taking, and that’s on me,’ he said. 

‘I’m the one who told them not to talk. That’s been on me from day one. That’s not on the family.’

The FAA has issued a temporary suspension on flights over the park – that applies to drones and aircraft – until 4pm Friday. 

At a briefing at 4.30pm, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson identified Laundrie as ‘a person of interest in the murder of Gabby Petito.’

It marked the first time that the FBI has called Petito’s death a murder, rather than a homicide, as well as the first time Laundrie was identified as a person of interest. 

Previously, authorities had been referring to him just as a wanted suspect for theft, for using Petito’s bank card.  

Pathologist Dr. Michael Baden told DailyMail.com that it is likely the FBI already know whether the remains are Laundrie’s, and that they would have been able to confirm it immediately, but are waiting for more examination to determine the cause of death. 

‘Dental is 99.9 percent immediately accurate. They know it’s him. But the cause of death might still take a while to determine. The cause of death has to be determined at autopsy, which probably won’t be performed till tomorrow or the next day,’ he said.

McPherson confirmed that human remains had been found, but he would not speculate on the identity of those remains, nor would he reveal how long they had been there. 

He told reporters at the scene: ‘I know you have a lot of questions but we don’t have all the answers yet.’ 

‘We are working diligently to get those answers for you,’ McPherson said. 

‘It’s likely the team will be on site for several days.’   

The Sarasota County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed it had been summoned to the reserve but would not comment further.  

Authorities have been searching the park for weeks, but the portion where the remains were found on Tuesday was previously underwater, according to NBC.  

Petito and Laundrie embarked on a cross-country trip earlier this summer with a plan to document it all on film for their social media channels. 

But their loved-up Instagram persona was a far cry from the combative relationship that was playing out behind the scenes. 

Just a few weeks before she vanished, police in Moab, Utah, were called to the pair’s van after fellow travelers saw Laundrie hit Petito. 

They were separated for the night, and Petito was deemed to be the aggressor. 

August 26 was the last time anyone saw or heard from Petito. 

Laundrie returned to his parents home on September 1. 

At first, they told officers they last saw him on September 14. 

They later said it was in fact September 13, when he told them he was going on a hike in the reserve and never returned. 

He has been on the run ever since and his parents refused to speak publicly about the case or help Petito’s parents. 

They retrieved her remains from a mortuary in Wyoming last week. 

On Tuesday, a day before the remains were found, Chris and Roberta Laundrie were seen shopping in North Port. 

Among the items they were seen carrying was a cardboard box, which they shipped from a FedEx store in Venice, Florida. 

Later that night, they said they planned to join Wednesday’s search. The pair were photographed on the search on Wednesday by FOX News.  

They were seen walking with an officer, who was overheard saying: ‘I think we might have found something.’ 

The officer then emerged with a bag that contained articles belonging to Laundrie.   

The Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park is situated on 160 acres of heavily wooded land and connects to the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve.

Laundrie was reported missing by his parents on September 17 after claiming they last saw him three days prior. His whereabouts have been unknown ever since. 

Federal investigators issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie on September 23 for ‘use of unauthorized access device’ last month after alleging he used a Capital One Bank debit card that wasn’t his. 

Until Wednesday, there had been no signs of Laundrie at the Carlton Reserve in Florida, the area his parents cite as the last place he was seen.

Last week, North Port police noted there was ‘nothing to suggest’ whether Laundrie was dead or alive. 

Officials claimed no one had seen him in the reserve and search teams didn’t find any physical evidence of his presence in the area. 

On Tuesday, Chris and Roberta broke cover for a nearly five-hour shopping trip, dodging questions about their son’s whereabouts as they shipped a mysterious package labeled ‘meal kit’.    

The couple emerged from their home in North Port, Florida, at 7.45am Tuesday and climbed into their red Dodge Ram truck for the trip.

After making a few stops, DailyMail.com spotted them at a FedEx store where Chris went inside carrying a parcel with the intriguing words ‘meal kit’ stamped on one end. The addressee could not be seen.

They refused to answer DailyMail.com’s questions when asked ‘is he in the park, did you help him get there?’  

Bertolino issued a statement attempting to express sympathy to Petito’s family on Thursday after her cause of death was revealed. 

‘Gabby Petito’s death at such a young age is a tragedy,’ he said. 

‘While Brian Laundrie is currently charged with the unauthorized use of a debit card belonging to Gabby, Brian is only considered a person of interest in relation to Gabby Petito’s demise.

‘At this time Brian is still missing and when he is located we will address the pending fraud charge against him.’

Petito’s mother texted a reported a curt, blunt response.

‘His words are garbage. Keep talking,’ she wrote to a reporter from WFLA in Florida. 

Petito’s family said earlier this week that they wanted him to spend the rest of his life in a jail cell. 

She was fiercely critical of Roberta and Chris Laundrie for not helping them. 

‘Silence speaks volumes. I believe they know most of the information,’ she said. 

‘I would love to just face to face ask: “Why are you doing this? Just tell me the truth.” 

‘He’s a coward. I don’t want to say he’s insane because he went home, he’s hiding, he used her credit card. That’s not somebody who’s gone crazy. 

‘He knows what he is doing, he knew what he was doing. I just want to get him in a cell for the rest of his life.’   

Jim, her husband, added: ‘We want vengeance. And justice.’