Brian Laundrie Notebook Found: On Wednesday, the man’s parents discovered partial human remains, as well as a backpack and notebook, believed to belong to Brian Laundrie, in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
The human remains discovered inside a Florida nature preserve on Wednesday are “highly likely” to be those of Brian Laundrie, according to the family’s attorney, because they were discovered near the 23-year-backpack old’s and hiking gear. However, the missing man’s parents will wait for forensic confirmation before speaking further.
“Under the circumstances as we know them, finding human remains in the preserve near a backpack and other gear belonging to Brian, it is highly likely that the remains are his,” lawyer Steven Bertolino told NBC New York in a statement.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie, who were at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park for the grim discovery hours earlier, were heartbroken, Bertolino told CNN late Wednesday. They haven’t spoken to the press since Laundrie’s fiancee Gabby Petito vanished, and they haven’t spoken to the press since her body was discovered.
It’s unclear how long the medical examiner’s office will take to identify the “partial” remains. It’s also unclear what was discovered. At a news conference on Wednesday, the FBI field office in Tampa confirmed the findings, calling Laundrie a person of interest in Petito’s murder, not just her disappearance, for the first time in their six-week investigation.
The FBI said investigators discovered a backpack and a notebook believed to belong to Laundrie near a path at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, in addition to the human remains. The items were underwater until recently, according to the agency, and were only discovered now that the water had receded — an investigative boon Bertolino had suggested two weeks ago would aid search teams.
