Brian Laundrie’s remains had been partly eaten by animals in the swamp, newly-released autopsy report reveals
Autopsy report describes how the bones of the man who confessed to murdering girlfriend Gabby Petito had been subjected to ‘moderately extensive carnivore activity’
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The remains of Brian Laundrie had been partly eaten by animals by the time they were discovered in a Florida swamp, according to a full autopsy report.
The autopsy and forensics report described how the bones of the man who confessed to murdering his girlfriend Gabby Petito in a suicide note had been subjected to “moderately extensive carnivore activity evidenced by multiple gouging and gnawing marks”.
“These areas are consistent with carnivores and/or omnivores including canines such as feral dogs and coyotes along with rodents and raccoons,” the report said.
Several items were also found at the scene including a wooden box containing a journal and photos. One of the photos was of Laundrie but it is not clear what the other photos showed.
A red hat with the logo “Moab Coffee Roasters” was also discovered. It was Moab where Laundrie and Petito were pulled over by police for a domestic incident on 12 August – around two weeks before Petito was killed.
Police later admitted that mistakes were made during that encounter as Petito was deemed the aggressor and the two were only separated for the night, before reuniting and continuing on their doomed trip the following day.
The 47-page report was finally released on Monday, almost four months after the 23-year-old’s remains were found at the Carlton Reserve, close to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in October.
Laundrie had been the focus of a huge manhunt after Petito was reported missing by her family in early September.
The young couple had embarked on a trip of a lifetime across America, driving in their campervan and documenting their travels on YouTube.
Petito suddenly stopped contacting her family and Laundrie drove the van back to his home in Florida without her. She was reported missing on 11 September by her family.
Laundrie then vanished with his family telling police he was heading into the nature reserve close to their home.
Petito’s remains were found in a Wyoming national park on 19 September. Her autopsy confirmed she had been strangled to death.
Laundrie’s remains were found inside the Florida reserve weeks later on 20 October. He died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Last month, the FBI confirmed that Laundrie had admitted to killing Petito in a notebook found by his remains.
“A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms Petito’s death,” the FBI’s Denver Field Office said in a statement.
Now, the newly-released report has revealed fresh details about the circumstances surrounding the discovery of his body.
The report reveals that a backpack and shoes were discovered in the reserve at around 8.20am on 20 October.
“The personal belongings were surrounded by apparent skeletal human remains that were scattered on top of the dirt ground,” it read.
Laundrie’s skeletal remains were in “plain sight” on a nature trail that had previously been under three feet of water.
On the “main” scene, skeletal remains including “right and left scapulae, a right humerus, a left and right femur, two tibias, two fibulas, two clavicles, two pelvis, one right ulna, one right radius, a sacrum, multiple ribs, multiple skull fragments along with the maxilla and mandible, and approximately twenty-five vertebrae,” the report said.
At what was described as the “secondary” scene were skeletal animal remains, a handwritten half note and the hat.
It is not clear what the note said.
Laundrie’s drybag, which was the first item located pertaining to the 23-year-old, contained a journal, the wooden box containing a small notebook and a picture of Laundrie, and additional photos.
The drybag had been discovered by Laundrie’s father Chris just hours after he and his mother Roberta announced they would go searching for their son.
The report also listed several personal items found alongside Laundrie’s body, including a “pair of green shorts with a green belt, two slip-on shoes, a backpack with unknown contents, a white metal ring, and a handgun”.
The .38 calibre short-barrel revolver contained two live rounds in the cylinder with one spent round of ammunition.
The remains were later identified through dental records as belonging to Laundrie.