Does this prove Brian Laundrie’s body has been found?

The case has captured the attention of worldwide media & true crime enthusiasts alike, clamoring for any nugget of information. It’s the case of Brian Laundrie & Gabby Petito. While pleas from her family have gone unheard by those that know what happened, there’s been no shortage of help from the rest of the country. Dog the Bounty Hunter & John Walsh notably are claiming to be on the case.

While law enforcement & new organizations continue to bombard us with updates & speculation as to the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie, nothing solid has come from the massive manhunt that has spanned multiple states and law enforcement organizations.

Brain Laundrie sightings

The sightings of Gabby Petito’s possible murderer have ranged anywhere from Mexico to North Carolina to the Bahamas. He’s been reported by people who have run into him in person, seen in the background of photos, and on wildlife cameras. Some are legitimate sightings requiring law enforcement to follow up, while others have been a case of mistaken identity. 

Along with sightings of Laundrie, there have been reports from his family that he returned to the area before Petito’s suspected death to clean out storage lockers and reports of him hiding out with his family before Petito’s remains were located. Suspicion fell on his parents, claiming they were hiding him, going so far as to suggest he was hiding in a bunker underneath their garden.

Notebook & remains

The FBI in Tampa, Florida, said Wednesday that authorities had found human remains and a backpack with other items belonging to Brian Laundrie at Florida park. The FBI didn’t confirm the remains were Brian Laundrie’s. However, the Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, said “the probability is strong, that it is Brian’s remains” at the park.

Law Enforcement has been searching for Laundrie since Petito’s disappearance, and much of the search lasting over a month has taken place in the Carlton Reserve. They had routinely come up empty until Wednesday when Laundrie’s father came upon the remains. According to experts, these items may be essential to learn what happened to Brian Laundrie. 

Criminologist Casey Jordan told CNN that the most interesting item found was the notebook. She was claiming that it could hold essential answers. “And that really raises the question that, if indeed, this is Brian Laundrie and died by his own hand, did he take the time to write out a note of explanation? Maybe even regret? Something that would give answers. Not only to the police but to Gabby’s family.”

“We the public may never know, but it would certainly indicate especially if his parents, who had voiced his concern, that he might have harmed himself or had suicidal ideations when he went into the reserve,” she continued. 

“Maybe the notebook will have some answers. But if it doesn’t, if he’s not been in touch or corresponding or calling his parents in the month he’s been missing, then we may never know the exact answer of what happened.”

Implications

In a press conference Wednesday, the FBI said that the area where Laundrie’s father found Brian Laundrie’s backpack & notebook near the human remains was previously underwater. Authorities haven’t yet identified the remains and say investigative teams will be in the area for several days gathering evidence.

Bertolino told the press, “It’s quite sad, you can imagine as a parent, finding your son’s belonging alongside from the remains. That’s got to be heartbreaking. And I can tell you that they are heartbroken.”

Bertolino says Laundrie’s dad, Chris, first found a white bag in the woods about 20 feet off the trail. . . and shortly after, law enforcement discovered Brian’s backpack. It all raises the question of how did Laundrie’s dad zero in on something the FBI couldn’t find for more than a month?

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While this discovery promises some answers as to what happened to Brian Laundrie & Gabby Petito, we’ll have to wait for law enforcement & media to report on the investigation into the identity of the remains and the contents of the notebook.