Notebook and backpack belonging to missing Brian Laundrie found alongside human remains

A medical examiner has been called to the scene.

It has been a few weeks now since missing backpacker Gabby Petito's remains were found near a campsite in Wyoming, and her death was ruled a homicide. As of yet, her fiancée, Brian Laundrie, has been the only person of interest in the 22-year-old's death. The problem? Neither police nor the FBI was never able to question Laundrie, as he vanished some days after the disappearance and murder of his girlfriend. Despite massive search operations, no one has been able to locate Laundrie, and the last he was seen or heard from was, according to his own parents, September 1st, when, again, according to his parents, Laundrie set out for a hike in Florida's Carlton Reserve. However, according to US news, some personal articles belonging to Brian Laundrie were discovered yesterday during a search of Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida. The environmental Park is adjacent to the Carlton Reserve where Laundrie’s parents said he had left to go hiking over a month ago and never returned to their nearby home. Huffington Post reports that the Sarasota County medical examiner’s office was called to the Florida nature preserve yesterday, and CNN reports that as well as some personal belongings, human remains were also discovered in the area, which is thought to have been submerged under water until recent days.

LIVE UPDATES: Coroner van leaves Florida park after possible human remains discovered in manhunt for #BrianLaundrie https://t.co/olfdPbt5Pn pic.twitter.com/yNt2jD9cFR

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 20, 2021

Strangely, Brian Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, were in the park when the discovery took place, having informed the FBI and the North Port Police Department Tuesday night that they intended to come to the park on Wednesday morning to search for him. Speaking on behalf of the Laundries, family attorney Steve Bertolino said: "Chris and Roberta Laundrie were at the reserve earlier today when human remains and some of Brian's possessions were located in an area where they had initially advised law enforcement that Brian may be. "Chris and Roberta will wait for the forensic identification of the human remains before making any additional comments."

The case so far

Laundrie, 23, is a person of interest in the homicide of his girlfriend Gabby Petito, 22, with whom he had been on an extended, multistate road trip leading up to her disappearance. Laundrie returned home to North Port, Florida, without her in early September and refused to cooperate with police after Petito’s parents reported her missing on Sept. 11. Days later, Laundrie’s parents reported him missing, too, and law enforcement issued a warrant for his arrest over the unauthorised use of a debit card around the time Petito’s family had lost contact with her. Petito's body was found near a campsite in Wyoming in mid-September and her death was ruled a homicide.