Unanswered questions in Petito’s murder after Laundrie’s remains found
Now that authorities have concluded the manhunt for Brian Laundrie, the fiance of homicide sufferer Gabby Petito who was lacking for a month, questions stay about what occurred to each of them – and what comes subsequent.
Human stays discovered within the Florida park the place search crews had been on the lookout for Laundrie had been recognized as his, the FBI introduced Thursday. Petito’s physique was discovered Sept. 19 close to a campground in Wyoming.
The case drew nationwide consideration and a flurry of social media customers invested in every step of the investigation. Lots of them are questioning whether or not we are going to ever get solutions to precisely what occurred to the couple.
What’s subsequent within the homicide investigation?
Laundrie was the one particular person of curiosity recognized in Petito’s homicide, however he was by no means charged in connection together with her demise. He was charged with unauthorized use of debit card and accounts after her disappearance.
The 2 had been touring across the nation in a white van collectively, and suspicion emerged after Laundrie returned to their house in North Port, Florida, within the van with out her. She was reported lacking by her mother and father in New York days later, and Laundrie wouldn’t cooperate with regulation enforcement. Laundrie quickly vanished as nicely, telling his household he was going mountaineering in an enormous reserve close to the house.
There has additionally been large hypothesis in regards to the subject of potential intimate associate violence within the relationship, stemming from police physique digital camera footage from when officers in Moab, Utah, pulled the couple over Aug. 12 after a 911 name reporting that “the gentleman was slapping the woman.”
Petito’s demise was dominated a murder by strangulation. The coroner on the case mentioned her physique had been there for weeks earlier than it was discovered.
Some consultants have mentioned Petito’s homicide might find yourself a chilly case, with the one particular person to have been together with her earlier than the homicide now useless.
“The investigation might go on indefinitely,” Steven Capriati, a former Hillsborough County prosecutor, instructed native station WFLA. “In the event that they go and resolve Brian was accountable and there’s nobody else they’ll blame, then that’s the tip and the household should dwell with it and it’s a tragic incident.”
Jill Hengel, Petito’s nice aunt, mentioned discovering Laundrie useless means solutions for Petito’s homicide will tougher to get.
“I do not take into account that being justice, as a result of the mother and father would by no means know what occurred. And so they need to know,” Hengel instructed native CBS affiliate WTSP.
Timeline:When (and where) the tragic events in the Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito saga unfolded
What’s Laundrie’s reason for demise?
The FBI mentioned that Laundrie’s stays had been recognized utilizing dental data, as a result of solely skeletal stays had been discovered. That may make it harder to find out the reason for his demise.
The stays had been present in an space that had beforehand been submerged beneath water. Officers mentioned Laundrie’s father first noticed a bag that belonged to Laundrie, and regulation enforcement officers then found the stays and different belongings, together with a pocket book, close by — after 5 weeks of looking by regulation enforcement.
Officers haven’t mentioned whether or not an post-mortem can decide reason for demise, given the state of the stays.
“There won’t be a solution to decide how he died,” Jim Clemente, a former FBI profiler, instructed CNN. “If he drowned, for instance, there would not be any proof of that on his skeleton.”
Dr. Cyril Wecht, who has been concerned in high-profile demise investigations, said a key part of the investigation can be to find out how lengthy the physique had been there.
“If he shot himself, that can nonetheless be evident,” Wecht mentioned. “If he stabbed himself, that could possibly be obliterated or markedly obscured by advantage of the autopsy interval and submersion in water.”
Additionally a focal point can be what the contents of the pocket book discovered are and whether or not it’s in-tact sufficient to learn. The contents might provide clues as to what occurred to Petito or whether or not Laundrie meant to hurt himself.
Suicide was “all the time a priority” given his frame of mind when he left for the hike, Laundrie household lawyer Steven Bertolino instructed ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The FBI mentioned investigators will proceed looking by the realm the place Laundrie’s stays and belongings had been discovered, probably for days.
Will the eye die down?
The Laundrie and Petito case has fueled nationwide consideration, and sparked a barrage of hypothesis by so-called “social media sleuths.” They’ve been following each step of the investigation, and generally despatched conspiracy theories spiraling uncontrolled.
Even after the identification of Laundrie’s stays by regulation enforcement, the conspiracy theories have continued.
Some social media customers have questioned whether or not Laundrie faked his personal demise to flee prosecution for Petito’s homicide, or whether or not another person altogether killed each Petito and Laundrie. Each theories haven’t any foundation within the proof.
Web sleuths have additionally questioned the Laundrie household’s involvement in his disappearance. The Laundries initially didn’t communicate with police, directing them to their lawyer after Petito was reported lacking, fueling suspicion about whether or not they knew something about Petito’s demise. Many have accused Chris and Roberta Laundrie of protecting up for his or her son. Their lawyer has firmly shot this down.
A number of instances in the course of the seek for Laundrie, false sightings went viral on social media websites like Twitter, prompting police to place out statements disputing that Laundrie had been apprehended.
However the added consideration was credited in serving to discover the our bodies of different lacking individuals. Petito’s physique was additionally found due to journey bloggers who filmed the couple’s van close by and reported the placement.