Brian Laundrie, Former Partner And Person Of Interest In Gabby Petito’s Murder, Found Dead

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has confirmed that the human remains found at Carlton Reserve in Florida are those of Brian Laundrie, who went missing last month.

“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,” the FBI’s Denver Division said in a statement on Friday morning.

“The FBI is grateful for the tremendous investigative support from our partners: North Port Police Department, Sarasota Police Department, Jackson Police Department, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Teton County Sheriff’s Office, Teton County Search and Rescue, the Florida Wildlife Commission, the National Park Service and the US Forest Service.”

Laundrie disappeared last month, just a few days before the remains of his fiance, 22-year-old Gabby Petito, were found. Petito’s death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation — Laundrie was never officially named a suspect, but was recently declared a person of interest.

He returned to Florida in Gabby’s van — but notably without Gabby — before she was officially declared missing and refused to talk to law enforcement prior to going missing himself. Laundrie was last seen alive on September 13. The confirmation comes after skeletal remains were found during the search for Laundrie on Wednesday.

“They are human remains, no doubt there. I would say that the remains were consistent with one individual, you know skeletal remains,” North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor said in an on-camera interview with CNN on Wednesday.

Laundrie’s body was found after his parents and law enforcement searched an area of the Carlton Reserve that had previously been underwater, but was recently reopened to the public.

Taylor confirmed that the North Port Police Department is not conducting an ongoing search for the murderer. “That is certainly not in the North Port Police Department’s purview,” Taylor said.

Laundrie has not been charged in relation to Petito’s death, but was indicted for allegedly using two of her bank accounts — that did not belong to him — following her death.

The Petito and Laundrie families are yet to comment publicly.

Help is available if you or someone you know has been impacted by domestic violence. If you require immediate assistance, please call 000. You can speak to someone about domestic violence by calling the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online. You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online if you are under 25.