FBI: Human Remains Found in Laundrie Search

NORTH PORT -- The head of the FBI's Tampa office told reporters Wednesday that "investigators found what appears to be human remains along with personal items, such as a backpack and notebook, belonging to Brian Laundrie.

Special Agent Michael McPherson did not confirm whether these were Laundrie's remains. He confirmed that they were found in an area that had been underwater. He expects an FBI forensics team to be on the scene several days. "I know you have a lot of questions," McPherson told reporters. "We don't have all the answers yet. We expect to get those answers."

He said parts of the Carlton Reserve and Myakkahatchee Park would remain closed. He urged people to stay away from investigators. The FAA has imposed a flight restriction around the search area until Friday.

FBI agents called the news conference Wednesday afternoon after reports that the parents of Brian Laundrie had been called to the scene. Various media outlets then reported that the Medical Examiner had shown up and that a cadaver dog from Pasco County had returned. NBC News reported in the early afternoon that "partial human remains" had been found next to a backpack.

Laundrie was the only person of interest in the disappearance and death of his fiancee, Gabby Petito, whose body was found in mid-September. She and Laundrie were traveling cross-country in a van, and got into a domestic violence situation that required the attention of police in Moab, Utah. They separated the pair for the night but they eventually reunited. Laundrie returned without her to North Port September 1st. Searchers found Petito's body after another blogger spotted their van in a Wyoming park.

Photo: NPPD


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