US3 min(s) read
Published 15:08 21 Oct 2021 GMT
The bodies of at least five missing people have been found so far in the US amid the Gabby Petito homicide investigation, The Independent reports.
For five weeks now, law enforcement has been on a desperate hunt for Brian Laundrie, the only person of interest in the disappearance of his now-dead fiancée Petito.
Laundrie went missing from his home n North Port, Florida, just five days before Petito was found dead in Wyoming.
In the weeks since the case began, six people have been confirmed dead near areas where authorities were searching for both Petito and Laundrie, Metro adds.
Investigators have not drawn a connection between Laundrie and any of the deceased - besides Petito, as he remains the only "person of interest" in her murder.
Amid the search for both Petito and Laundrie, the body of 55-year-old Sara Bayard was found. Bayard was a woman from Colorado who had mysteriously disappeared, and her body was found in areas searched by police.
She was last seen at a convenience store in Parker, Colorado, on June 28 and had been reported missing on July 4. Her remains were found in Parker on October 9, however, a cause of death has not been released.
Based on Petito's Instagram activity, it is known that she and Laundrie had visited the Monument Rocks in Colorado - about 200 miles away from Bayard on the day of her disappearance. They had also traveled to Colorado Springs, approximately 60 miles south of Parker, on July 8.
Lauren Cho, a 30-year-old chef from New Jersey, vanished on June 28 during a lone hike in Yucca Valley, California.
Following the international interest in Petito's missing person case, Cho's case, in turn, received renewed attention within the media and on social media platforms.
On October 9, investigators searching for her found human remains in a desert. Officials have said it could take several months before the remains are formally identified, CNN reports.
Additionally, the body of Robert Lowery, a 46-year-old father of two from Texas, was found in Wyoming, with the manner of death having been ruled a suicide, ABC13 reports.
Josue Calderon, 33, had died following stab injuries. The New York Post reports that his body was found in the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, on October 9.
When his remains were found, it ignited rumors that the body may belong to Laundrie, with dozens of tips claiming to have seen the 23-year-old fugitive in the area. These rumors were swiftly revealed to be false by FBI officials.
And The Independent reports that Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner - a recently married Utah couple - were fatally shot at a campsite near Moab on August 18. They had alerted their friends about a "creepy man" staying near their campsite just days before they were shot dead.
The couple were reported missing on August 16, and their partially-dressed bodies were discovered by a friend in a wooded area near South Mesa two days later. Both bodies had multiple gunshot wounds.
Once again, authorities have ruled out any connection to their deaths being related to Laundrie.
