Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito (file photo). Photograph:( Reuters )

Boyfriend wanted in murder of US blogger Gabby Petito found dead

· WION

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The boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, was a 'person of interest' in the murder of Gabby Petito who disappeared during a cross-country trip with him last month. Laundrie's family had reported him missing mid-September

Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend wanted in US blogger Gabby Petito's murder has been found dead. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Thursday (October 21) that human remains found in Florida were identified through dental records as belonging to Laundrie. The remains were found in Florida wilderness park.

The partial human remains were found on October 20 in a swampy area. The officials were searching for Laundrie after his family reported him missing in mid-September.

Laundrie, 23, had been named a "person of interest" in Petito's death but was never criminally charged.

The FBI released a statement on Thursday that it also posted to its official Twitter account, entitled: "Human Remains Found at Carlton Reserve Confirmed as those of Brian Laundrie".

Petito's disappearance last month during a cross-country road trip with Laundrie captivated the country, first as an internet sensation and then as a tabloid mystery.

Petito, 22, had last been seen alive on August 26th. Her body was discovered near the remote Spread Creek Dispersed Campground in Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming. Medical examiners found that she had been strangled.

Petito and Laundrie, who lived with Laundrie's parents in North Port on Florida's west coast, embarked on their trip in early July from New York's Long Island, where they had both attended high school.

As they traveled through Kansas, Colorado, Utah and points west, Petito documented their "van life" on social media with videos and pictures that depicted a loving couple having an American adventure.

She posted her final photo to Instagram on Aug. 25, the same day she last spoke to her mother by phone.

(With inputs from agencies)