What appears to be human remains have been found next possessions found in the Carlton Reserve in North Port, Florida, in the search for the missing Brian Laundrie.
As reported by CNN, several personal items - including a backpack and notebook - were discovered that belong to 23-year-old Laundry, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson.
Laundrie is currently the only "person of interest" in the murder of his 22-year-old girlfriend, travel blogger Gabby Petito.
According to McPherson, the apparent remains were discovered in an area that "up until recently had been underwater".
The remains were discovered roughly two to three miles inside the Carlton Reserve - or roughly a 45-minute walk from the entrance at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor told reporters.
Officials say the remains have not been identified - however, in an interview with CNN, Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing Brian Laundrie’s parents, said:
"The probability is strong that it is Brian’s remains, but we’re going to wait for the forensic results to come in and verify that."
Bertolino also told CNN's Chris Cuomo that Brian's parents helped with the discovery, telling the presenter: "As happenstance was, they stumbled upon these items."
Referring to a meeting Laundrie's parents had with officials on September 17, Bertolino said that the discovery was made in the "very area of the park that we initially informed law enforcement on".
Brian's parents were reportedly always "within eyeshot" of law enforcement as they joined the search, with Bertolino adding: "As they went further in, Chris ventured off the trail into the woods. He was zigzagging in different areas, law enforcement was doing the same thing. And Roberta Laundrie was walking down the trail.
"At some point, Chris locates what's called a dry bag. The dry bag is a white bag, laying in the woods, say 20 feet or so off the trail."
Brian's father, Chris Laundrie, apparently wanted law enforcement to find the bag and didn't want to pick it up, according to Bertolino. However, because he was now out of eyesight of law enforcement personnel in the woods, Chris picked up the bag to avoid reporters from disturbing it. He then showed it to officials.
When Cuomo asked Bertolino about the suggestion that Brian's father planted the bag, the attorney said that the notion was "hogwash".
According to McPherson, the FBI Tampa's Evidence Response Team is now processing the scene.
The FBI's discovery comes 37 days after Brian's parents say they last saw their son.
Over the summer, Brian and Gabby were traveling across the country together in their converted van, when he returned to the Florida home they shared with his parents without her on September 1.
Petito's parents reported their daughter missing 10 days later - with her body being found on September 19.
According to the autopsy results provided by Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue at a press conference, Gabby Petito's cause of death was strangulation, under the manner of "homicide".
.jpg_wXEJDz?tr=h-184)
.jpg_7okWtP?tr=h-184)
