Sensitive Human remains found in Wyoming are 'consistent' with description of Gabby Petito, FBI says (1 Viewer)

[Tickita]

​

Human remains discovered in Teton County, Wyoming, on Sunday are "consistent with the description of" missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito, FBI officials said in a news conference.

"Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified of this discovery," said Charles Jones, FBI Denver's supervisory senior resident agent in Wyoming.

The cause of death has not been determined, he said.

Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue told CNN an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, saying officials would confirm the identity through photographs, personal identification or DNA.

Authorities this weekend conducted a search around the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in Bridger-Teton National Forest on the eastern edge of Grand Teton National Park for any sign of Petito, whose family reported her missing September 11.

At the same time, authorities in Florida were looking for Petito's fiancé, Brian Laundrie. His family told police Friday they had not seen Laundrie since last Tuesday, prompting a search of a local nature reserve that has so far yielded no results.

Prior to Petito's disappearance, the couple had been traveling on a road trip through several Western states.

Laundrie returned to North Port, Florida, without Petito on September 1, according to police. Officials later found the van the couple had been traveling in at the home Petito shared with Laundrie and his parents in North Port, a city in Sarasota County some 80 miles south of Tampa.

Laundrie is not wanted for a crime, officials have said. This weekend, dozens of officers and FBI agents combed an area that stretches out to roughly 25,000 acres, according to the North Port Police Department. But the search was suspended for a second time Sunday evening, police said on Twitter, adding, "Nothing to report."

Laundrie's family told police he left home with his backpack Tuesday and told them he was going to the reserve, North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor said Saturday.

Police visited the Laundrie family home after Petito was reported missing, but Laundrie's family refused to talk, Taylor said last week, and instead gave authorities the information for their attorney.

The home was searched Friday evening after Laundrie's family told police they had not seen him for days. Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino said Friday that Laundrie's whereabouts "are currently unknown."

But Richard Stafford, an attorney for the Petito family, said in a brief statement to CNN, "All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing."

More on CNN

 

[blueberries]

I wonder why they aren't suspecting her fiance, they went together guy returned alone seems obvious he knows what happened

 

[Wingfrost]

This story is just so heartbreaking…

 

[Tickita]

I wonder why they aren't suspecting her fiance, they went together guy returned alone seems obvious he knows what happened

Right. There are things he did (came home alone, now is in hiding) and didn't do (report her missing) that should let them know he's suspicious.

 

[Abeamus]

Innocent until proven guilty and all but he definitely at least had a part in her death whether it was pushing her to end up doing it or accidentally/intentionally doing it himself

 

[KPawz]

I feel like it was the fiancé seeing as he seems most plausible

 

[Areum]

I saw this on the news this morning, that's just sad

 

[Boyo]

That is deeply sad :(

 

[VillageIdiot]

It was sadly obvious from the beginning that this was how it was gonna go

 

[LeeHoseok]

I wonder why they aren't suspecting her fiance, they went together guy returned alone seems obvious he knows what happened

He's a person of interest they'd like to speak to, just not an officially named suspect. My guess is there was a lack of evidence to say definitively at this time what happened to her. His parents' home is now considered a crime scene, so it's likely there will be more information coming.

It was clear from his actions after Gabby disappeared that he's obviously guilty of something, the question will be what. If the autopsy finds she was murdered, then Brian will likely be named an official suspect. If, however, there was a different cause of death, any charges will be based on what he knew and his actions.