By Alexander Wilson-
Brian Laundrie is suspected to have committed suicide, or deliberately exposed himself to wildlife, after potential human remains found by the FBI.
Items belonging to Brian Laudrie were also found at the scene.
One of the officials investigating the murder of Gaby Petito is said to have secretly told his partner and her friends, they have reason to suspect suicide, either directly or indirectly.
The remains found are yet to be positively identified as belonging to the missing fugitive, but U.S cops are 99.9% confident the remains are that of the Laundrie
The 23-year-old who really was the chief suspect in the murder of Gaby Petito, but labelled a person of interest by police handling the death of Gabby Petito, had been missing for many weeks, ever since he was in the public spotlight following the disappearance of his fiancee.
If the body found turns out to be that of Laundrie, it will leave unresolved the murder case of his fiancee , Gabby Petito, even though it is obvious Laundrie is the likely perpetrator in her murder, or at least. knew who the perpetrator was.
Ms Petito’s body was found on September 19 on the edge of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, which the couple had visited while on a cross-country trip in the west of the US.
The coroner there concluded she died of strangulation, and her body had lay there undetected for three or four weeks.
Michael McPherson, chief of the Tampa FBI office, said at a news conference that it will take time to identify the remains found on Wednesday, which forensic teams were examining.”
Mcpherson revealed that the items belonging to Laundrie were found in an area that up until recently had been underwater.”
He added they were found near a backpack and a notebook linked to Laundrie.
“We are working diligently to get those answers for you,” Mr McPherson said, adding that the items and remains were found in a swampy area – home to alligators, snakes, coyotes and other wildlife – that had previously been underwater.
“It’s likely the team will be on site for several days.”Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, took part in the search on Wednesday with the FBI and police from North Port, Florida, more than a month after he was reported missing after heading to the vast Carlton Reserve park.
“After a brief search off a trail that Brian frequented some articles belonging to Brian were found,” Laundrie family lawyer Steven Bertolino said in a text to The Associated Press.
“As of now law enforcement is conducting a more thorough investigation of that area.”
Laundrie and his fiancee Gaby Petito, set out on a ‘van life’ adventure earlier in the summer, documenting their tour of national parks on Petito’s new YouTube channel and Instagram. Laundrie, 23, returned to his parent’s home in North Port, Florida on September 1 with the van but without Petito. Petito’s family reported her missing on September 11 after losing contact with her for several days.
Laundrie has since lawyered up, refused to cooperate with investigators and has been branded “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance. And now, he has gone missing too.
He was reported missing after telling his parents on September 14 that he was going for a hike in the Carlton Reserve, a nature preserve in Sarasota County that has for weeks been a key area in the search.
The activity on Wednesday was focused on the nearby Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where television news reports showed numerous law enforcement vehicles arriving and a tent set up inside the woods.
Gabby Petito told police boyfriend ‘grabbed her by face’ months before death
The location is where a Ford Mustang that Laundrie drove to the wilderness was found.
Laundrie is charged in a federal Wyoming indictment with unauthorised use of a debit card, which would allow authorities to arrest him if he is found alive.
It alleges Laundrie used a Capital One Bank card and someone’s personal identification number to make unauthorised withdrawals or charges worth more than 1,000 US dollars (£725).
The search for Laundrie sparked a national manhunt, in one instant leading to the ambush by police of a look alike, who in fact was not Laundrie.