FBI says human remains found in Florida belong to Brian Laundrie

Remains found in a Florida nature preserve were identified as those of Gabby Petito's boyfriend, based on dental records. Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in her murder, had gone missing in mid-September.

The FBI confirmed on Thursday that the human remains found in a Florida wilderness park were those of Brain Laundrie, the boyfriend of murdered travel blogger Gabrielle Petito.

The FBI said in a statement that "a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains... are those of Brian Laundrie."

The remains in a swamp were found a day earlier at the Carlton Reserve wilderness park near Laundrie's parents' home, along with some of his personal items.

Death by strangulation

The case, which has gripped the United States, involved the couple who embarked on a cross-country road trip.

The 22-year-old woman had quit her job in New York and packed her life into a camper van for an adventure with Laundrie.

During the trip, she documented their journey in a stream of social media posts that became an internet sensation followed closely by Americans.

Laundrie, 23, returned home to Florida with the van in September without Petitio whose family then filed a missing person report.

Authorities soon launched a nationwide search for her, and later in the month,Petito's remains were found in the wilderness of Wyoming.

The coroner there said she had died of strangulation.

Reluctance to cooperate

Laundrie was a person of interest in Petito's death but was never criminally charged.

He refused to cooperate with the investigation and then vanished himself. He was reported missing by his family since mid-September.

Police searched for Laundrie for weeks before they found some of his belongings near human remains in a swampy area of a reserve that was home to alligators, snakes, coyotes, and other wildlife.

Family informed

A lawyer for his parents confirmed that they had been informed the remains belonged to their son.

"Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the remains found yesterday in the reserve are indeed Brian's," he said in a statement.

"We have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundries' privacy."

Investigators did not list a cause of death, and neither was it clear how long the remains had been submerged in water.

adi/jsi (AP, Reuters)