Brian Laundrie, who had been a person of interest in the homicide of his fiancée Gabby Petito, has now been confirmed dead.
According to a statement by the FBI, on Thursday, October 21, dental records showed that the body discovered at a Florida park belonged to the 23-year-old fugitive, who had been at the center of a nationwide manhunt for five weeks.
The remains were found the day before in the Carlton Reserve, which is where Laundrie's parents told investigators he had headed to in mid-September - when he suddenly didn't return home.
The FBI said in its statement regarding the matter: "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 Creed Environmental Park are those of Brian Laundrie."
Per BBC News, authorities said the body was discovered in an area of the park that had recently been underwater. As reported by NBC News New York, the remains found that day were skeletal and included a skull.
Laundrie's personal items - such as a backpack and notebook - were found near his body.
The Laundrie family's attorney, Steven Bertolino, said in a statement of his own that the fugitive's parents had been informed about the identification.
Bertolino said, per CNN: "Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the remains found yesterday in the reserve are indeed Brian's. We have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundrie's privacy at this time."
Laundrie disappeared on September 14, three days after Petito's family reported her missing. Her body was found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, where the couple had visited during their summer road trip.
Autopsy results confirmed that the 22-year-old travel blogger had died as a result of strangulation and that her body had been in the wilderness for up to four weeks.
Laundrie and Petito had been stopped by police in Moab, Utah on August 12 after a 911 call revealed they had a physical altercation, but no charges were filed.
The 23-year-old made his way back home to the North port, Florida home he shared with both his parents and Petito on September 1 - his fiancée never made it back home.
While Laundrie had not been charged in connection with Petito's death, he had been charged with allegedly using a Capital One debit card that he was not authorized to use.
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