Search for Brian Laundrie unearths human remains, other items

The FBI announced in a news conference that investigators looking for Brian Laundrie found human remains Wednesday. According to the chief of the Tampa FBI office, the remains were found near a backpack and a notebook belonging to Laundrie. The video above show a clip from the announcement of the human remains, as well as video of some of Wednesday’s search.

“As you’re aware, the FBI and the North Port Police Department and our state and local law enforcement partners have been searching the area of the Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the murder of Gabby Petito,” McPherson said Wednesday. “These items were found in an area that up until recently had been underwater. Our evidence response team is on scene using all available forensic resources to process the area. It’s likely the team will be on scene for several days.”

He added that it may take a while to determine whether or not the human remains belong to Laundrie.

“I know you have a lot of questions, but we don’t have all the answers yet,” McPherson said. “We are working diligently to get those answers for you.”

Laundrie’s parents took part in Wednesday’s search, which was focused on the nearby Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Their home was one of the first places authorities searched after Laundrie was reported missing. He and Petito had been living with Laundrie’s parents when they went on a cross country road trip.

Petito’s body was found Sept. 19 on the edge of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. A coroner in Wyoming concluded Petito was strangled to death three to four weeks before her body was discovered.

Laundrie returned home alone Sept. 1 in the Ford van the couple took on their trip. He was reported missing after telling his parents that he was going for a hike in the Carlton Reserve nearly two weeks later.

In addition to being a person of interest in Petito’s death, Laundrie is charged in a federal Wyoming indictment with unauthorized use of a debit card. This would allow authorities to arrest him if he is found alive.