While a positive identification has yet to be made, the attorney for Brian Laundrie's parentstold the press that there is a good chance the human remains that were discovered on Wednesday, October 20, belong to the late Gabby Petito's fiancé.
During an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Wednesday night, the family lawyer, Steven Bertolino, insisted, per The Sun: “the probability is strong that it is Brian’s remains, but we are going to wait for the forensic results to come in to verify that.” The remains were found near items discovered in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park belonging to the fugitive.
The lawyer told Cuomo that Brian’s parents, Chris and Roberta, were helping law enforcement in their search in the Carlton Reserve on Wednesday when his father located a dry bag belonging to his son.
Around the same time, law enforcement officers reportedly found Brian’s backpack along with unidentified human remains.
“The Laundries were notified that there was also remains near the backpack, and they were asked to leave the preserve,” the lawyer reportedly said in the interview.
Bertolino reported that the findings were “quite sad” for the Laundries — who claim they last saw Brian over a month ago before he went hiking in the Carlton Reserve — as things aren’t looking good for the fate of the 23-year-old.
“You can imagine as a parent, finding your son’s belongings alongside some of remains, and that’s gotta be heartbreaking and I can tell you that they are heartbroken," Bertolino revealed.
On Wednesday, the FBI confirmed in a press conference that the remains found in the reserve were underwater due to heavy rain and flooding, which Bertolino claimed could have been the reason the remains weren’t found earlier.
There has been growing speculation surrounding the timing of when the remains were found, as they were discovered shortly after Chris and Roberta joined the search. Apart from Brian's parents being reluctant to help authorities with their previous search for Gabby and then their son, Chris and Roberta only offered up that Brian frequently went to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park one month after he disappeared.
However, Bertolino maintained to Cuomo, per the outlet, that the parents were accompanied by law enforcement personnel during their search, and that it was all caught on camera.
While the attorney didn’t reveal any more details about the findings, OK! previously learned only “a small part” of a body was found, which could make the identification process longer than expected.
Last month, Brian’s fiancée was confirmed dead after her remains were found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, where the couple previously visited.
Brian and Gabby went on a cross-country road trip over the summer, with only the missing man returning home in Gabby's van on September 1. The influencer's parents reported their daughter missing ten days later, after authorities alerted them that her van was back in the state.
Brian has been named a person of interest in Gabby’s homicide, which was later revealed to have been caused by manual strangulation.
