Brian Laundrie – update: Police say fugitive was likely dead two days after Gabby Petito was reported missing

Brian Laundrie – update: Police say fugitive was likely dead two days after Gabby Petito was reported missing

Police investigating the deaths of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie have denied “false reports” that the DNA of human remains found in Florida last week did not match the young man’s. A spokesman for the North Port police department also said there was a “very good possibility” that Mr Laundrie was dead two days after Ms Petito was reported missing.

A medical examiner has confirmed the remains were Mr Laundrie’s, and no DNA analysis has been conducted yet, said North Port Police in a statement posted to Twitter.

The FBI confirmed Mr Laundrie’s identity through dental records, suggesting he had been dead for a significant period of time before his remains were found. His belongings, which include a notebook and a backpack, were described as “salvageable” and may yet provide further clues.

Meanwhile, Steven Bertolino, the lawyer for Chris and Roberta Laundrie said Mr Laundrie would be cremated without a funeral. His parents acknowledged the death of their son in a short and unemotional statement, released through their lawyer, and asked for privacy.

The Petito-Schmidt family attorney, Rick Stafford, has said they would not make any statements on the identification of Ms Petito’s fiance until they were “emotionally ready”.

Read More

Brian Laundrie: FBI confirms remains found in Florida are missing fugitive

Gabby Petito timeline: When was she found and how did she die?

How were remains thought to be Brian Laundrie missed for 33 days but then found by his parents in a few hours?

Brian Laundrie: When will FBI be able to establish cause of death?

Key Points

  • Police refute ‘false reports’ that remains found in search for Brian Laundrie did not match his DNA

  • No funeral for Brian Laundrie, who will be cremated, lawyer says

  • Police return to spot where Brian Laundrie's remains were found

  • Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

  • ‘Let me grieve,’ Brian Laundrie’s father says

  • ‘I’m upset, I’m angry’: Brian Laundrie’s lawyer Steven Bertolino’s TV outburst

  • Brian Laundrie’s parents reveal final moments with him: ‘He was visibly upset’

  • Brian Laundrie search: Did parents lead FBI to spot where remains and Brian’s notebook were found?

Moab community shaken by Petito case and double homicide

Thursday 28 October 2021 00:30 , Nathan Place

The community of Moab, Utah is still traumatized not only by the death of Gabby Petito, but by the murders of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner as well, NewsNationNow reporter Brian Entin says.

“I did not fully realize until being here that while the cases are very different – and law enforcement says not related – to the people here it is all part of one devastating time period over the last several months,” Mr Entin writes.

Forensic expert examining Laundrie’s remains may have results by end of November, lawyer says

Thursday 28 October 2021 00:00 , Nathan Place

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, said that the results of a forensic anthropologist’s examination of Brian Laundrie’s remains are expected by the end of November.

Mr Bertolino told Fox News that he believed the forensic anthropologist’s examination will conclude within two to three weeks.

The lawyer said the results of the anthropologist’s exam would likely reveal Mr Laundrie’s time of death. When asked if it would reveal his cause of death, he said “we’ll see.”

Read more here:

Anthropologist examining Brian Laundrie’s remains may have results by end of November

Police installed hidden cameras around Laundrie house, reporter reveals

Wednesday 27 October 2021 23:30 , Nathan Place

According to NewsNationNow reporter Brian Entin, police set up hidden cameras to monitor the Laundrie family’s house after Gabby Petito went missing.

Mr Entin says some of the cameras went up before Brian Laundrie went missing, and some went up afterward.

Read the medical examiner’s full statement on Brian Laundrie’s remains

Wednesday 27 October 2021 22:38 , Nathan Place

Despite rumors to the contrary, the medical examiner who identified Brian Laundrie’s remains says they are definitely his.

“The identity of the remains found at the Carlton Reserve on October 20th was confirmed by comparison to known dental records of Brian Laundrie,” Florida’s District 12 Medical Examiner said in a statement. “No DNA analysis has yet been performed on the remains. Samples will be submitted for DNA testing once the examination of the remains by the medical examiner’s office is complete.”

Locals reveal spot where Brian Laundrie remains found is full of alligators and ‘evil’ wild pigs

Wednesday 27 October 2021 22:10 , Graig Graziosi

Locals living near the Florida reserve where the remains of Brian Laundrie were found have said it is full of alligators and “evil” wild pigs which wouldn’t have left any flesh for investigators to identify.

Several locals have told media outlets that the 25,000-acre Carlton reserve is full of hungry wetland creatures which would have eaten any flesh found there.

“I walk there all the time and there won’t be much of the remains left,” John Widmann, who lives about a mile from the reserve, told the New York Post.

The Independent’s Stuti Mishra has more in the story below...

Locals reveal spot where Brian Laundrie remains found is full of ‘evil’ wild pigs

Internet obsessives scour Florida reserve for Laundrie clues showcasing possible ‘gator bones’ on social media

Wednesday 27 October 2021 21:40 , Graig Graziosi

After the partial skeletal remains of Brian Laundrie were found in a park connected to the Carlton Reserve, internet-obsessed sleuths have been scouring the area searching for additional clues.

One woman, whose Twitter name is just “Olivia”, claimed she found bones 60 yards from the spot where Mr Laundrie’s remains were located. She shared imaged of the bones, which included long spikes along their edges.

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more on the strange discovery in the story below...

Internet obsessives scour Florida reserve for Laundrie clues

Forensic anthropologist examining Brian Laundrie’s remains may have results by end of November

Wednesday 27 October 2021 21:11 , Graig Graziosi

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, said that the results of a forensic anthropologist’s examination of Brian Laundrie‘s remains are expected by the end of November.

Mr Bertolino said the results of the anthropologist’s exam would likely reveal Laundrie’s time of death. When asked if it would reveal his cause of death, he said “we’ll see.”

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more in the story below...

Anthropologist examining Brian Laundrie’s remains may have results by end of November

Police say ‘very good possibility’ Brian Laundrie was dead two days after Gabby Petito was reported missing

Wednesday 27 October 2021 20:30 , Graig Graziosi

A spokesman for the North Port police said that there was a “very good possibility” that Brian Laundrie was dead two days after Gabby Petito was reported missing.

North Port Police spokesman Josh Taylor made the claim to PEOPLE while discussing a blunder the department made misidentifying Mr Laundrie.

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more in the story below...

Police say Brian Laundrie likely died two days after Gabby Petito went missing

Change.org petition calls for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to investigate North Port police handling of Gabby Petito case

Wednesday 27 October 2021 19:57 , Graig Graziosi

A Change.org position with 2,000 signatures is calling on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to open an investigation into the North Port police department’s handling of the Gabby Petito case.

The user that posted the petiton, Gabby’s Safe Haven 2.0, wrote that they wanted to “request a formal internal investigation into the missing person and person of interest in Gabby Petito’s death, Brian Laundrie’s case. Specifically the handling of the case by the North Port Police Department, City of North Port Public Information Officer Josh Taylor and North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison.”

The petition claims the department was incompetent in their search for Mr Laundrie after he disappeared into the Carlton Reserve.

The creator said the petition is “is solely to get Governor DeSantis to start an internal investigation into this case, but the bigger picture is to bring about change. Police deal with citizens on a daily basis, and the actions of incompetence can have tremendous, life-altering effects on numerous people in their communities. What happens when you have a department that’s full of incompetence? Well Governor DeSantis, this case right here is what happens.”

People in Moab, Utah, reluctant to discuss Gabby Petito case after grisly double murder in the town

Wednesday 27 October 2021 19:30 , Graig Graziosi

News Nation Now’s Brian Entin traveled to Moab, Utah, where Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito had a fight that resulted in a police stop in August.

Mr Entin said that people in the town are reluctant to discuss the Petito case due to the looming dread associated with the still unsolved double murder of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner, who were found murdered at a campsite near the town.

North Port police admit there is a “very good possibility” Brian Laundrie was dead two days after Gabby Petito was reported missing

Wednesday 27 October 2021 18:20 , Graig Graziosi

North Port police spokesman Josh Taylor told PEOPLE that there was a “very good possibility” that Brian Laundrie was dead two days after his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, was reported missing.

Mr Laundrie left his home “very upset” on 12 September, according to the family’s attorney, Steven Bertolino. Ms Petito was reported missing on 11 September.

Mr Taylor said it was likely that Mr Laundrie was dead by 13 September, four days before police began searching for him at the Carlton Reserve.

“Other than confusion, it likely changed nothing. There is a very good possibility that Brian was already deceased. He still needed to be found. We just wanted people to better understand why we thought we knew Brian was in his home,” he said.

ICYMI: Early police ‘sighting’ of Brian Laundrie was actually his mother in a baseball cap, force admits

Wednesday 27 October 2021 18:01 , Graig Graziosi

North Port police confirmed that they mistook Roberta Laundrie for her son, Brian, when they reported that the man was at his house.

This blunder led North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison to tell the press on 16 September that he knew where Mr Laundrie was located.

A spokesman for the department said that officers saw Ms Laundrie in a baseball cap and mistook her for her son, as she had been driving his silver Mustang earlier that day.

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more below...

Early police ‘sighting’ of Brian Laundrie was actually his mother in a baseball cap

Gabby Petito’s father says he expects no closure from Brian Laundrie’s notebook

Wednesday 27 October 2021 16:58 , Graig Graziosi

Joe Petito, Gabby Petito’s father, told TMZ that he does not think he will find any closure in the pages of Brian Laundrie’s notebook, should it be salvaged by law enforcement.

Mr Laundrie’s notebook was found along with a drybag and his skeletal remains in the Carlton Reserve on 20 October.

Mr Petito said that nothing in Mr Laundrie’s notebook would bring his daughter back, or help alleviate his grief. He also doubts it will shed any significant light on how his daughter’s death could have been avoided.

Forensic anthropologist examining Brian Laundire’s remains should know time, manner of death in a few weeks, attorney says

Wednesday 27 October 2021 16:33 , Graig Graziosi

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, told reporters that the forensic anthropologist examining Mr Laundrie’s remains should have answers about the man’s death soon.

Mr Bertolino told Fox News that the anthropologist should have additional information detailing the time and possibly manner of Mr Laundrie’s death sometime in the next two to three weeks.

The skeletal remains found in the Carlton Reserve on 20 October were confirmed as Mr Laundrie’s through the use of dental records. The North Port Police Department confirmed Tuesday that the remains have not undergone DNA testing yet, but will in the near future.

The Sarasota County medical examiner’s officer could not determine Mr Laundrie’s cause of death, after which the remains were sent to the anthropologist.

Police refute ‘false reports’ that remains found in search for Brian Laundrie did not match his DNA

Wednesday 27 October 2021 14:00 , Jon Sharman

#icymi

The North Port police department has denied ‘false reports’ that DNA results did not match Brian Laundrie’s remains that were found in a Florida park last week, writes Sravasti Dasgupta.

In a post on Twitter, the department posted the medical examiner’s statement which said that the FBI had confirmed that the remains found last week belonged to Mr Laundrie and that no DNA analysis has been conducted on the remains yet.

Police refute reports on remains not matching Brian Laundrie DNA

Analysis: The sad, twisting saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Wednesday 27 October 2021 13:02 , Jon Sharman

It began with the most modest of announcements, writes Andrew Buncombe.

“Blue Point Woman Reported Missing,” the Suffolk County Police Department tweeted on 13 September.

The day before, the force had revealed that its first ever pick-up basketball game had “been a success”. The following day, it provided an update about traffic work on the Long Island Expressway.

The sad saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Opinion: Does Brian Laundrie’s family deserve privacy?

Wednesday 27 October 2021 12:01 , Jon Sharman

The discovery last week of Brian Laundrie’s remains in a Florida nature park only deepened the mystery surrounding the death of his fiancée, Gabby Petito, and Laundrie’s role in it. So far, forensic examination has not identified the cause of Laundrie’s death, and authorities have not revealed the contents of a notebook and backpack found at the scene.

Laundrie and Petito had set off on a cross-country trip together over the summer from which Gabby never returned. Laundrie traveled back to his parents’ home without her at the beginning of September, only to go missing himself two days later.

Petito’s disappearance and death and the strange circumstances of Laundrie’s return quickly became one of those headline-grabbing crimes that galvanize the nation’s attention, writes Austin Sarat.

Does Brian Laundrie’s family deserve privacy?

How were Brian Laundrie’s remains missed for 33 days but then found by his parents in a few hours?

Wednesday 27 October 2021 11:14 , Jon Sharman

#icymi

Wednesday, 20 October, began like every other in the 33 days since Brian Laundrie had been reported missing, writes Bevan Hurley.

Then, around midday, came a flurry of news. Chris and Roberta Laundrie were at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and had contacted law enforcement the night before to ask them to accompany them to the site.

Within minutes, a “dry bag” containing personal items belonging to Mr Laundrie had been recovered.

How were Brian Laundrie’s remains found by his parents in a few hours?

Initial post-mortem examination results on Laundrie’s remains inconclusive

Wednesday 27 October 2021 10:01 , Jon Sharman

The initial autopsy on the remains of Brian Laundrie did not uncover a cause of his death and a more intensive examination will be done, a lawyer for his family has said.

Mr Laundrie's skeletal remains found in a Florida nature preserve were identified last week using dental records, according to the FBI.

Mr Laundrie was the subject of a manhunt for more than a month as investigators searched for clues in the slaying of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, during their cross-country van trip together.

Steve Bertolino, the Laundries' attorney, said in text messages that he was told by police the autopsy by the Sarasota County medical examiner did not produce concrete results on Brian Laundrie's death.

"I was told the manner and cause of death were not determined and the remains were sent to an anthropologist (for) further evaluation," Mr Bertolino said.

The medical examiner's office declined comment Monday, as did the FBI office in Denver that is leading the probe.

AP

Laundrie’s parents decline to comment as they return home

Wednesday 27 October 2021 09:27 , Jon Sharman

Brian Laundrie’s parents maintained their silence as they returned home from a two-day trip to “grieve privately” following the discovery of their son’s remains.

The couple were approached by Mail Online on Tuesday afternoon but did not comment, according to the website.

Early police ‘sighting’ of Brian Laundrie was actually his mother in a baseball cap, force admits

Wednesday 27 October 2021 09:07 , Jon Sharman

#icymi

North Port police have admitted they mistook Roberta Laundrie for her son, Brian Laundrie, which is why the department's chief claimed he knew where the man was even though he had been missing for several days.

On 16 September, five days after Gabby Petito was reported missing, North Port Police Chief Tedd Garrison told reporters he knew where Laundrie was located.

In reality, Laundrie had already left his home for the last time, disappearing into the Carlton Reserve, where he would eventually be found dead. It is possible Laundrie was already dead at the time of Mr Garrison's press conference.

Early police ‘sighting’ of Brian Laundrie was actually his mother in a baseball cap

Police refute ‘false reports’ that remains found in search for Brian Laundrie did not match his DNA

Wednesday 27 October 2021 07:03 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The North Port police department has denied ‘false reports’ that DNA results did not match Brian Laundrie’s remains that were found in a Florida park last week.

Read the full story here:

Police refute reports on remains not matching Brian Laundrie DNA

Mother of missing hiker appeals to ‘bring Cian home’

Wednesday 27 October 2021 07:02 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Gráinne McLaughlin, whose son Cian has been missing in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming since 8 June, has appealed to the public to help her find her son.

The mother of the Irishman, Cian McLaughlin, who was hiking in Grand Teton National Park — where Gabby Petito’s remains were found — urged anyone who may have been in the Wyoming park at that time to help “bring Cian home.”

The official search has been scaled back but the family members of Mr McLaughlin have continued to hike trails to find him. The mother told RTE News: “Cian was an outgoing guy who loved the outdoors.”

She added: “This is not a rescue, it is a recovery but I’d like to bring him home. I know he is up there somewhere.”

An ex-FBI agent, Jennifer Coffindaffer, retweeted the mother’ appeal and said: “Please spread the word. It is hoped that like the discovery of Gabby’s van lead to finding her, someone has seen something that will lead to Cian’s recovery”

Conspiracy theorists running wild

Wednesday 27 October 2021 06:13 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Since the skeletal remains of 23-year-old Brian Laundrie were found on 20 October in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, the internet has been flooded with conspiracy theories about the cause of his death.

Some propose that he died by suicide and others theorise that he could yet still be alive.

There was a suicide note circulating online recently and several observers attributed that to Brian Laundrie, saying that he “never intended for any of this”.

However, there has been no word or confirmation from the authorities to give any suggestion that the note is genuine.

Police said that the autopsy results of Brian Laundrie’s remains were inconclusive.

Brian's parents had no idea why their son fled, lawyer says

Wednesday 27 October 2021 05:31 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Brian Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, have no idea why their son fled the last time he left home in September, according to their attorney.

Steven Bertolino told TMZ that Brian Laundrie’s parents felt that he was “out of sorts” when he left for Carlton Reserve to hike alone last month.

The parents reported him missing on 17 September. And soon the FBI and police launched a massive manhunt in the wildlife reserve.

Mr Bertolino said that the police has not yet told them about the contents of a diary that was found near where Laundrie’s remains were found but said that come of its contents may not be “salvageable.”

Brian Laundrie’s parents have decided not to hold a funeral for their son, his attorney said last week.

Parents maintain silence after return to Florida home

Wednesday 27 October 2021 04:44 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Brian Laundrie’s parents returned to their North Port, Florida home on Tuesday and maintained strict silence on their son’s death.

Their lawyer, Steven Bertolino, had said that the couple was “grieving privately” away from their home after the remains of their son were found at the Carlton Reserve.

The police, meanwhile, has confirmed that DNA analysis on Brian Laundrie’s remains has not been performed yet but said that the now-deceased fugitive was identified using dental records that matched those of the skeletal remains found in the Florida nature reserve.

Outside Chris and Roberta Laundrie’s home, a number of media persons and protesters have been camping out for weeks.

Police say ‘very good possibility’ Brian Laundrie was dead when they misidentified mother

Wednesday 27 October 2021 03:00 , Graeme Massie

North Port police do not believe that the confusion they made in confusing Brian Laundrie with his mother had any major impact on the investigation.

“Other than confusion, it likely changed nothing. There is a very good possibility that Brian was already deceased,” he said. “He still needed to be found,” North Port Public Information Officer Josh Taylor told WFLA.

Petition asks Governor Ron DeSantis to investigate North Port police

Wednesday 27 October 2021 02:00 , Graeme Massie

The online petition at Change.org asks Mr DeSantis to launch an official probe into the North Port Police Department and has received more than 1,000 signatures.

The petition was seemingly launched by the Facebook group called “Gabby’s Safe Haven 2.0” and is asking for a review of the department’s handling of the case.

“I would like to request a formal internal investigation into the missing person and person of interest in Gabby Petito’s death, Brian Laundrie’s case. Specifically the handling of the case by the North Port Police Department, City of North Port Public Information Officer Josh Taylor and North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison. The inconsistencies that the public has recieved [sic] in this case is beyond baffling, even before Gabby Petito was offically reported missing,” the petition states.

Laundrie family lawyer says cause of death report could take three weeks

Tuesday 26 October 2021 23:45 , Graeme Massie

Steven Bertolino says that a report on the exact cause of Brian Laundrie’s death could take up to three weeks, according to WPBF25 reporter Jossie Carbonare.

“Steven Bertolino, Brian Laundrie family attorney tells me the medical examiner has no info at this time to share because it is still an open investigation, however he says he was told we can expect a report on the cause of death in 2 to 3 weeks,” she tweeted.

Opinion: Does Brian Laundrie’s family deserve privacy?

Tuesday 26 October 2021 21:56 , Graig Graziosi

Brian Laundrie’s family has asked for privacy to mourn the loss of their son after weeks of media attention and chiding by protesters camped outside their house.

But do they deserve that privacy?

Austin Sarat gives his perspective in The Independent’s Voices section, exploring the aftermath of a murder on the families of the perpetrators. Mr Laundrie has not been charged with murder, but many people have treated his family as though he has.

Does Brian Laundrie’s family deserve privacy?

The sad, twisting saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Tuesday 26 October 2021 21:28 , Graig Graziosi

The Gabby Petito case captivated America for two months, culminating with the revelation that both Ms Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, were dead.

The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe retraces the story and examines what Americans’ fascination with the story says about our culture.

Read more below...

The sad saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

North Port police confirm no DNA matching has been done on Brian Laundrie’s remains, but confirm dental record match

Tuesday 26 October 2021 20:58 , Graig Graziosi

North Port police confirmed in a Twitter post that Brian Laundrie was identified using dental records which matched those of the skull found in the Carlton Reserve on 20 October.

The department’s post confirmed that no DNA analysis was done to match the skull to Mr Laundrie. The post was made in response to erroneous social media reports claiming that the DNA from the skull did not match Mr Laundrie.

DNA analysis will be performed after the medical examiner’s office has concluded its investigation.

Brian Laundrie’s parents return from private mourning trip to their home in North Port

Tuesday 26 October 2021 19:55 , Graig Graziosi

Brian Laundrie’s parents have returned from a private trip to mourn their son. Mr Laundrie’s parents, including their daughter Cassie, went somewhere in Florida to mourn their son away from the public and the press.

The couple returned to their home in North Port, where the press and a small group of protesters have been camped out for weeks.

Still no word on whether or not remains found in Yucca Valley are missing woman Lauren Cho

Tuesday 26 October 2021 19:02 , Graig Graziosi

There is still no word on whether or not remains found in Yucca Valley, California, earlier this month are missing woman Lauren Cho.

Ms Cho, 30, disappeared on 28 June after walking into the California desert. Human remains were located on 9 October in Yucca Valley, but a coroner examining the remains said they have not concluded whether or not the remains are those of Ms Cho.

The coroner said they hope to have answers soon.

Laundrie family attorney defends clients from North Port police finger-pointing

Tuesday 26 October 2021 18:14 , Graig Graziosi

Steven Bertolino, the lawyer representing the Laundrie family, shot back at the North Port police after a spokesman suggested it was the family’s fault Brian Laundrie managed to slip away into the Carlton Reserve.

The spokesman said the family’s lack of cooperation prevented them from ensuring Mr Laundrie was at his home. He said that officers mistook his mother, Roberta, for him, while she was driving his silver Mustang. That error resulted in North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison erroneously telling reporters that he knew where Mr Laundrie was located.

“I concur with Mr. Taylor that Brian may have already been deceased when NPPD realized that they “lost track” of him. However you can’t blame the family because the police didn’t know enough to follow someone they were obviously surveilling.” Mr Bertolino said in response.

Social media conspiracy theorists like Brian Laundrie’s “escape” to “You” season three

Tuesday 26 October 2021 16:57 , Graig Graziosi

Some social media conspiracy theorists have claimed that Brian Laundrie is still alive, invoking Netflix’s “You” as a possible explanation for how he managed to escape the Carlton Reserve despite his skeletal remains being found in the swamp.

“You” is a show about a serial killer stalking, isolating, and sometimes killing a woman that he becomes infatuated with over the course of a season. While the recently released third season of the show does include a storyline about a missing woman and the media frenzy around trying to find her, the conspiracy theorists are more concerned with the show’s finale.

In the show’s season three finale, the protagonist, Joe, kills his equally homicidal wife, after she tries to paralyze him. Knowing he’ll be hunted for the rest of his life if his wife disappears, he amputates two of his toes and leaves them in his house, which he then sets ablaze before escaping to Paris. The conspiracy theorists are suggesting that perhaps the Laundries - or Mr Laundrie himself - actually planted the remains in the Carlton Reserve and used the assumption of his death to disappear. Police found parts of Mr Laundrie’s skull in the swamp, meaning it is extraordinarily unlikely he planted the remains himself.

North Port police blame Brian Laundrie’s family for mistaken identity incident

Tuesday 26 October 2021 15:42 , Graig Graziosi

North Port police told a Fox 13 reporter that the Laundrie family’s refusal to cooperate hindered their investigation.

On Monday the department revealed why Police Chief Todd Garrison incorrectly thought he knew where Brian Laundrie was on 16 September; his officers reported that they saw Mr Laundrie entering his home. What they really saw was his mother driving his car and wearing a baseball cap. Today, the department said it shared that information so that the public would understand how their investigation was reportedly hampered by the family.

“We just wanted people to better understand why we thought we knew Brian was in his home. It was a direct result of a lack of cooperation from the family early on this investigation,” he said.

North Port police admit to mistaking Roberta Laundrie for her son, Brian, leading to erroneous claim that they knew where he was

Tuesday 26 October 2021 14:47 , Graig Graziosi

North Port police revealed on Monday that they mistook Roberta Laundrie for her son, Brian Laundrie, which is why the department’s chief claimed he knew where the man was even though he had been missing for several days.

On 16 September, five days after Gabby Petito was reported missing, North Port Police Chief Tedd Garrison told reporters he knew where Mr Laundrie was located. In reality, Mr Laundrie had already left for the Carlton Reserve and may have been dead.

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has the full story of how North Port police came to believe Mr Laundrie was still at home at the link below...

Early police ‘sighting’ of Brian Laundrie was actually his mother in a baseball cap

Everything we know about Gabby Petito’s boyfriend

Tuesday 26 October 2021 13:53 , Tom Batchelor

Brian Laundrie‘s skeletal remains found in a Florida nature preserve were positively identified last week using dental records, according to the FBI.

Mr Laundrie was the subject of a manhunt for more than a month as investigators searched for clues in the slaying of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, during their cross-country van trip together.

Here is everything we know about the 23-year-old:

Everything we know about Brian Laundrie as his remains are identified

Did ‘missing white woman syndrome’ affect Petito case?

Tuesday 26 October 2021 12:53 , Tom Batchelor

Much was made in the media about the intense interest in Gabby Petito’s case compared with the scant attention paid to numerous missing-persons cases involving women of colour.

Native American women, in particular, generate little media coverage when they disappear.

In Wyoming, where Ms Petito was found, just 18 per cent of cases of missing indigenous women over the past decade had any media mentions, according to a state report released in January.

One sample of 247 missing teens in New York and California found 34 per cent of white teens’ cases were covered by the media, compared with only 7 per cent of black teens and 14 per cent of young Latinos, according to Carol Liebler, a communications professor at Syracuse University.

“What’s communicated is that white lives matter more than people of color,” she said. Ms Petito’s father, Joseph Petito, said the Gabby Petito Foundation is in the formative stages and will seek to fill in any gaps that exist in the work of finding missing people.

“We need positive stuff to come from the tragedy that happened,” he said. “We can’t let her name be taken in vain.”

Timeline of events in case

Tuesday 26 October 2021 11:58 , Tom Batchelor

Here is a timeline of events in the case, provided by the Reuters news agency:

JUNE

Petito and Laundrie leave his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, in her white 2012 Ford Transit van. They drive north to Petito’s home state of New York to attend her brother’s high school graduation.

JULY

July 2: The couple leaves New York, headed west on a lengthy road trip across the United States. Petito plans to document the trip on YouTube and Instagram.

July 4 - 22: Petito posts a series of photos as they travel through Kansas, Colorado and Utah, including stops at several national parks. In one caption she cheerfully describes the “adventure” of the trip.

July 26 - 31: Petito posts several pictures from Utah. In one of the photos, at Mystic Hot Springs, Laundrie is seen kissing her.

AUGUST

Aug. 12: Petito posts images from Arches National Park in Utah, describing a “calm morning.”

That same day a 911 caller reports seeing the couple fighting in front of the Moonflower Community Cooperative in Moab, Utah. The caller says Laundrie was slapping and hitting Petito.

Moab police officers stop the van on a highway near Arches National Park. In body camera video, Petito is seen sobbing as she describes an argument that escalated to a physical altercation. Police tell the couple to spend the night apart.

Aug. 19: Petito posts two more photographs to Instagram, one of them showing the white van from above. No location is given.

Aug. 24: Petito is seen for the last time, leaving a Salt Lake City hotel.

Aug. 25: Petito posts her final images to Instagram. No location is given. Her mother, Nicole Schmidt, speaks to her for the last time. Petito tells her mother that the couple is headed to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Aug. 27: Travel bloggers driving through Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming record on video what they believe to be the white van parked along a dirt road near Spread Creek Dispersed Campground.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 1: Laundrie returns alone to North Port, Florida, in the white van.

Sept. 11: Petito’s family reports her missing to police in Suffolk County, New York. A search begins.

Sept 14: Laundrie‘s family issues a statement saying Brian has retained an attorney and will not be speaking to law enforcement.

Sept. 15: Police name Laundrie a person of interest in the case and say he has refused to speak to investigators.

Sept. 17: Laundrie‘s parents report him missing to police, saying they have not seen him in three days, when he left to go hiking alone in the Carlton Reserve wilderness. Police begin a search for Laundrie in the swampy reserve.

Sept. 19: A body is recovered in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, less than 1,000 feet (305 m)from where the travel bloggers spotted the van near Spread Creek Dispersed Campground.

Sept. 21: An autopsy is conducted on the remains. FBI agents confirm they belong to Petito and that her death was a homicide. The search for Laundrie continues.

OCTOBER

Oct. 12: Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue says Petito was killed by strangulation about three to four weeks before her body was found on Sept. 19.

Oct. 21: Dental records conducted on human remains found in a Florida wilderness park identify them as belonging to Laundrie.

Utah police conducting an internal review of officers’ actions

Tuesday 26 October 2021 11:14 , Tom Batchelor

The police department in Moab, Utah is conducting an internal review of officers’ actions when Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie were stopped 12 August after the two got into a scuffle.

Police body-camera video showed a distraught Ms Petito describing a fight that escalated.

A police report concluded she was the aggressor, but the only injuries consisted of a few scratches. Officers decided to separate them for the night rather than file any charges.

The question is whether the Moab officers followed policy and, if not, whether that led to further violence and possibly Ms Petito’s slaying.

Why did the Laundrie search take so long?

Tuesday 26 October 2021 10:32 , Tom Batchelor

Brian Laundrie, 23, was reported missing from his home in North Port on 17 September, two days after he was named a person of interest in Gabby Petito’s disappearance.

His family said Mr Laundrie left home on 13 September, telling parents Chris and Robert Laundrie he was going for a hike in the 25,000-acre (10,100-hectare) Carlton Reserve a few miles away.

Federal, state and local law enforcement officials spent weeks searching the reserve, where at one point 75 per cent of the land had been under water. The area is home to alligators, bobcats, coyotes and snakes.

Although divers and cadaver dogs were brought in, it wasn’t until the heavy late-summer rains stopped and the water receded that Mr Laundrie‘s remains and a backpack and notebook belonging to him were found with his father’s help.

Officials have not released the cause of death for Mr Laundrie or said whether a note or other evidence about Ms Petito was found.

Can authorities prove if Laundrie killed Petito?

Tuesday 26 October 2021 09:52 , Tom Batchelor

It could take a DNA match to answer that. Both sets of remains were exposed to the elements and animals for weeks.

The FBI has not said whether there are any witnesses to Ms Petito’s killing or its immediate aftermath. One piece of evidence is Mr Laundrie‘s use of a debit card that didn’t belong to him after Ms Petito was listed as missing.

“That would be circumstantial evidence that points to him,” said Alfredo Garcia, former dean at the St Thomas University College of Law in Miami Gardens and a one-time Miami prosecutor, told the Associated Press. “It’s a difficult proposition to establish but not impossible.”

The DNA matching effort and any use of fingerprints would be complicated by the fact that the couple were romantically involved and lived together in close quarters. But forensic experts have many techniques to solve crimes despite such obstacles.

“Reconstruction experts can do amazing things, so I would not be surprised if at some point we got a definitive, or near-definitive, conclusion,” said Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Florida’s Nova Southeastern University.

FBI yet to disclose contents of Laundrie backpack

Tuesday 26 October 2021 09:22 , Tom Batchelor

No information has yet been released on what investigators found in a backpack and notebook found with Mr Laundrie‘s remains.

Ms Petito was discovered slain last month on the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, one of the places the young couple had visited on the trip they documented through social media videos.

An autopsy in Wyoming concluded Ms Petito died by strangulation and that it was a homicide.

Mr Laundrie, 23, was listed as a “person of interest” in her killing but he was charged only with fraudulent use of a debit card that was not his.

His remains were found in a nature preserve not far from his family’s home in North Port, Florida, where both he and Ms Petito had been living.

The sad, twisting saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Tuesday 26 October 2021 08:53 , Tom Batchelor

Many questions remain unanswered, but the case is a tragedy for all concerned, writes Andrew Buncombe:

The sad saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Laundrie notebook found near remains ‘may be salvageable’

Tuesday 26 October 2021 07:50 , Tom Batchelor

Brian Laundrie‘s notebook, found in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park last week, “may be salvageable”, investigators have said.

The FBI said the item had been found alongside a backpack and dry bag containing other items close to where Laundrie’s partial remains were discovered.

Josh Taylor, the North Port Police Department public information officer, told Fox News Digital: “It appears it may be salvageable. That really is a question for FBI though.” The FBI is yet to comment on the notebook.

Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family’s lawyer, has said he does not know what is inside the book.

Stephen King 'suspects Brian Laundrie died by suicide'

Tuesday 26 October 2021 06:46 , Namita Singh

Popular horror novelist Stephen King has weighed in on the probable cause of Brian Laundrie’s death.

“I suspect Brian Laundrie committed suicide,” King tweeted, “but unless he left a suicide note in the notebook found with his body, the cause of his death may be tough or even impossible to prove.”

His theory gained traction on social media, sparking a fresh round of conversation about the circumstances of Laundrie’s death. It has been retweeted over 1,500 times, and received around 25,000 likes.

What next in Petito’s homicide case?

Tuesday 26 October 2021 06:08 , Namita Singh

After investigators found the remains of Brian Laundrie, the only person of interest in Gabby Petito’s homicide, there still remain many unanswered questions in the case.

Who killed Petito is still a mystery.

“We can surmise, we make an assumption, but right now the responsible party for the homicide of Gabby Petito, arguably, is still unsolved,” former FBI special agent Stuart Kaplan told People magazine, an American weekly.

Ascertaining Laundrie’s cause of death.

While dental records confirmed the human remains found last week belonged to Laundrie, the autopsy results were inconclusive and further study continues to try and establish a cause of death.

Will there be charges brought against Laundrie’s parents?

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing Laundrie and his parents, earlier last week said he had “no reason to believe” that Mr Laundrie’s parents would be charged with any crime.

Speaking with NBC News, Mr Bertolino denied any dealings discussed between himself and the FBI, in exchange for immunity. He said charges were discussed but that there was “no threat, no coercion, and no deal was cut”.

Laundrie attorney denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

Experts say forensic clues gathered from crime scene crucial

Tuesday 26 October 2021 05:28 , Namita Singh

While investigators are still looking for leads about the murder of Gabby Petito and had hoped that speaking to Brian Laundrie would provide the clearest answers, experts say that now the forensic clues from the crime scenes, including fingerprints and DNA on the victim’s body could be crucial in solving the case.

Paul Belli, a retired lieutenant of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and president of the International Homicide Investigators Association, told CNN that in cases like these, unlike the ones where killings are committed by strangers, police would anyway expect to find DNA on the victim’s body as the person of interest is someone they are involved with.

“You would expect DNA on either one of them from the other,” Belli said. “But I mean, if there’s DNA maybe where it shouldn’t be, that could be kind of a clue as to what may have occurred.”

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie (Instagram)
Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie (Instagram)

North Port police admits to making mistakes in Petito investigation

Tuesday 26 October 2021 04:37 , Namita Singh

North Port police have admitted to making mistakes in the Brian Laundrie investigation.

The police thought they had cameras set up around the Laundrie family’s home before Brian went missing and that it would prevent him from slipping away unseen.

But the plan was not successful as officers who were keeping a close eye on the Laundrie house saw Brian leave in his grey Mustang and then believed that they saw him return a few days later.

“When the family reported him [missing] on Friday [17 September]. That was certainly news to us that they had not seen him,” said Josh Taylor, the public information officer for the North Port police department.“

We thought that we [had] seen Brian initially come back into that home on that Wednesday.”

The police mistook his mother, Roberta Laundrie for Brian, he said. “I believe it was his mom, who was wearing a baseball cap,” he said. “They had returned from the park with that Mustang.”

Early police ‘sighting’ of Brian Laundrie was actually his mother in a baseball cap

Brian Laundrie pictured at reserve where remains found

Tuesday 26 October 2021 03:59 , Graeme Massie

Brian Laundrie was pictured in a photo on his Instagram account at the nature reserve where his remains were found last week.

Laundrie’s skeletal remains were finally found at the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida, not far from the family’s North Port home.

“Me and the coolest kid I know, my nephew. BFF,s since the day he was born,” read the caption on the 6 July 2020 picture of Brian sitting on a swing with swamp behind him and a youngster on his lap.

The picture is tagged on the Instagram page as being taken in the T Mabry Carlton Reserve.

 (Instagram)
(Instagram)

Artist will paint more wings in Gabby Petito’s memory

Tuesday 26 October 2021 02:55 , Graeme Massie

Colorado artist Diego Jaguart painted the angel wings that went viral after Petito’s father shared the picture on Twitter with the words, “She touched the world.”

Mr Jaguart, from says he plans on painting other sets of wings in Old Colorado City following her death.

“My idea is to start painting more wings, the same wings in other areas. For women,” said Mr Jaguart, who says he plans on creating a new piece of work in Petito’s memory.

Gabby Petito’s grandmother pays tribute to her on social media

Tuesday 26 October 2021 01:52 , Graeme Massie

“Family and friends lit up the sky for Gabby in a beautiful memorial last night. Her 6 year old cousin, Connor, sent her a beautiful message. Love you forever!” tweeted Mary Wickman.

Moab police’s handing of Petito case sent to another agency for review

Tuesday 26 October 2021 00:31 , Graeme Massie

Moab’s assistant police chief says that his department’s handling of their interaction with Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie has been sent to another agency that will consider if officers handled it appropriately.

Assistant chief, Braydon Palmer, declined to tell FOX 13 which agency is reviewing the case or when the review will be complete.

The police department interacted with the couple on 12 August, when a passerby reported seeing Laundrie hit Petito, and officers pulled their white van over on US Highway 191.

The officers determined Petito was the aggressor and suggested the couple spend the night apart.

The department has been widely criticised for their handling of the domestic violence incident, which took place just weeks before she disappeared and a month before her remains were discovered in Wyoming.

FBI has all it needs for Gabby Petito investigation, says Laundrie family lawyer

Monday 25 October 2021 23:31 , Graeme Massie

Steven Bertolino told People that he has been told by investigators that they have “everything they need” in their probe into the killing of Gabby Petito.

Petito, 22, disappeared in August and her body was found in September after weeks in the wilderness.

Brian Laundrie’s remains were found in a Florida nature reserve last week after a nationwide hunt for him following Petito’s killing.

And Mr Bertolino says he does not thinkl his clients, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, will be interviewed by the FBI.

Early police ‘sighting’ of Brian Laundrie was actually his mother in a baseball cap, force admits

Monday 25 October 2021 22:34 , Graeme Massie

North Port police revealed on Monday that they mistook Roberta Laundrie for her son, Brian Laundrie, which is why the department’s chief claimed he knew where the man was even though he had been missing for several days.

On 16 September, five days after Gabby Petito was reported missing, North Port Police Chief Tedd Garrison told reporters he knew where Laundrie was located.

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Early police ‘sighting’ of Brian Laundrie was actually his mother in a baseball cap

North Port police says chief thought he knew where Brian Laundrie was, but actually saw Roberta Laundrie in a hat driving her son’s car

Monday 25 October 2021 21:20 , Graig Graziosi

On 16 September, North Port Police Chief Tedd Garrison held a press conference concerning Gabby Petito’s disappearance. During the presser, he told reporters he knew where Brian Laundrie was located. In reality, Mr Laundrie had already left his home for the Carlton Reserve, and possibly was dead at the time.

Today, North Port police spokesman Josh Taylor told reporters that Mr Garrison thought Mr Laundrie was at his home because officers reported seeing him driving his car home. In reality, the person they saw was Mr Laundrie’s mother, Roberta, in a baseball cap.

Officials say notebook may be salvageable

Monday 25 October 2021 20:52 , Graig Graziosi

North Port police told Fox News that the notebook found in the Carlton Reserve on the day Brian Laundrie’s remains were located may be salvageable.

“It appears it may be salvageable. That really is a question for FBI though,” North Port Police Department Public Information Officer Josh Taylor said.

The area where Mr Laundrie’s remains and items were found last Wednesday was previously underwater, suggesting the notebook may be badly damaged.

Missing person report for Brian Laundrie fully redacted by North Port police

Monday 25 October 2021 20:30 , Graig Graziosi

WFLA in Florida obtained the missing person report for Brian Laundrie from the North Port police, but the entirety of the document was redacted.

Law enforcement can redact public records if they meet certain criteria, but it is unclear why the report was fully redacted.

Locals reveal spot where Brian Laundrie remains found is full of alligators and ‘evil’ wild pigs

Monday 25 October 2021 19:59 , Graig Graziosi

Locals living near the Florida reserve where the remains of Brian Laundrie were found have said it is full of alligators and “evil” wild pigs which wouldn’t have left any flesh for investigators to identify.

Several locals have told media outlets that the 25,000-acre Carlton reserve is full of hungry wetland creatures which would have eaten any flesh found there.

The Independent’s Stuti Mishra has more in the story below...

Locals reveal spot where Brian Laundrie remains found is full of ‘evil’ wild pigs

Chris and Roberta Laundrie were only 20 yards from their son’s remains on the day they were found

Monday 25 October 2021 18:49 , Graig Graziosi

Chris and Roberta Laundrie, Brian Laundrie’s parents, nearly stumbled onto their son’s remains themselves while they were searching the Carlton Reserve with law enforcement.

During their trip to a park connected to the reserve, Fox News reports the couple was only 20 yards from the spot where investigators would eventually erect a tent as they collected the skeletal remains of Mr Laundrie.

While the parents did find Mr Laundrie’s dry bag, they were told to go home shortly after when police located the remains.

Tourist finds water bottle matching Gabby Petito’s close to where Brian Laundrie’s body was found

Monday 25 October 2021 17:50 , Graig Graziosi

TikTok user Olivia Vitale and her mother visited the newly reopened Carlton Reserve over the weekend, where they stumbled upon a water bottle that looked nearly identical to the one carried by Gabby Petito.

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi explores what they did with their discovery and whether or not the bottle could actually be the one Ms Petito carried in the story below...

Tourist finds water bottle matching Gabby Petito’s in Carlton Reserve

Bertolino confirms Brian Laundrie’s cause of death could not be determined

Monday 25 October 2021 17:09 , Graig Graziosi

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, confirmed to reporters that law enforcement could not determine what caused the man’s death.

“No manner or cause of death was determined,” Mr Bertolino told NBC News.

Mr Laundrie’s remains were sent to an anthropologist for further examination. He said there is no timeline for when the anthropologist will conclude their work.

Laundrie family grieving privately together somewhere in Florida

Monday 25 October 2021 16:37 , Graig Graziosi

The Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, confirmed to Fox News that the family was mourning the death of Brian Laundrie somewhere in Florida.

Chris and Roberta Laundrie, along with daughter Cassie, are reportedly together somewhere in the state.