MIAMI – An attorney for Brian Laundrie’s family said Tuesday that he fatally shot himself in the head.
Laundrie has been the subject of a manhunt for more than a month as investigators search for clues in killed his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, on their cross-country truck trip together.
Attorney Steve Bertolino said in a statement that Laundrie’s parents had been informed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and that the manner of death was suicide.
Bertolino said: “Chris and Roberta are still mourning the passing of their son and hope that the findings will bring closure to both families.
Found in a nature reserve in Florida, Laundrie’s skeleton is positive identification last month Use dental records.
The discovery of the remains ends a massive search involving federal, state and local law enforcement that began shortly after Laundrie went missing on September 14, two weeks after the discovery. The 23-year-old returned to his parents’ home alone in North Port, Florida.
However, the investigation into Petito’s murder remains inconclusive. But only Laundrie has ever been identified by law enforcement officials as a person of interest in the case.
Petito’s family reported the 22-year-old woman missing on September 11, kicking off a search that attracted worldwide media attention and, in Laundrie’s case, largely focused on Carlton Reserve Wilderness Park near Laundrie’s house. This is a swampy, heavily wooded area inhabited by crocodiles, coyotes, lynx, snakes and many other creatures.
Petito’s remains were discovered on September 19 at the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, one of the places the young couple visited on a trip they documented through social media videos. Authorities said the body had been there for about a month.
The Wyoming autopsy concluded Petito died of strangulation and that was a murder. Laundrie was listed as a “person with an interest” in her murder, but he was only charged with fraudulently using a debit card that wasn’t his.
