Brian Laundrie search: Did parents lead FBI to spot where remains and Brian’s notebook were found?
Family lawyer says there is a ‘strong’ probability the discovered remains are of Brian Laundrie
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Law enforcement agencies looking for Brian Laundrie recovered some items belonging to him at an area his parents “had initially advised” them to search, claimed their family lawyer.
Investigators of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), leading a search for the missing fiancé of slain 22-year-old blogger Gabby Petito, had on Wednesday found “human remains” at a Florida park.
The agents said they also found items they believe belong to Mr Laundrie, who is a person of interest in Petito’s death.
Steve Bertolino, the lawyer for Mr Laundrie’s parents, told the media that some of the items were recovered from the area the Laundries “had initially advised” the agencies to search.
The breakthrough came shortly after Mr Laundrie’s parents joined the law enforcement agencies in the search of their son inside the 24,565-acre Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County located near their Florida home.
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie were at the reserve earlier today when human remains and some of Brian’s possessions were located in an area where they had initially advised law enforcement that Brian may be,” Mr Bertolino said.
“After a brief search off a trail that Brian frequented, some articles belonging to Brian were found.”
In an interview with CNN, Mr Bertolino said that there is a strong probability that the remains belong to Mr Laundrie adding that they are “going to wait for the forensic results to come in and verify that.”
Michael McPherson, chief of the FBI’s Tampa office, said at a news conference that it would take time for forensics to identify the remains.
“We are working diligently to get those answers for you,” Mr McPherson said.
He added that the remains and the items, which include a backpack and a notebook linked to Mr Laundrie, had previously been underwater and were found at a swampy area which is home to alligators, snakes, coyotes and other wildlife.
“It’s likely the team will be on site for several days.”
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the investigation of Petito’s death told CNN that the human remains found by the FBI on Wednesday “appears to have been there a while”.
Mr Laundrie, who had returned home alone on 1 September after a cross-country trip with his girlfriend, also disappeared days after Petito’s family reported her missing on 11 September.
While Petito’s body was found in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on 19 September after an extensive search, law enforcement agencies had continued a nationwide hunt for Mr Laundrie.