Brian Laundrie Confirmed Dead After Human Remains Found

The remains were identified using dental records.

On Thursday, the FBI Denver tweeted, “On October 21, 2021, 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.”

Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for the North Port Police told NBC News that the remains were “skeletal.”

The day before, Michael McPherson of FBI Tampa told reporters that investigators found “personal items, such as a backpack and notebook belonging to Brian Laundrie,” as well as unidentified human remains.

McPherson said, “These items were found in an area that, up until recently, had been underwater. Our evidence response team is on scene using all available forensic resources to process the area. It’s likely the team will be on scene for several days.”

McPherson described Laundrie as “a person of interest in the murder of Gabby Petito.”

Laundrie’s family lawyer Steven Bertolino confirmed to People magazine that the Sarasota County Examiner’s office and a cadaver dog were on the scene after Laundrie’s belongings were found at the park.

The park has been closed to the public.

Police had been on a manhunt for Laundrie, who disappeared after refusing to cooperate with investigators looking into Petito’s whereabouts.

Petito died from strangulation. Her remains were found near Grand Teton National Park last month. She was on a road trip with her fiancé Laundrie when she was reported missing September 11.

An arrest warrant was issued for Laundrie for his “activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito.” FBI agent Michael Schneider said, “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.”