Brian Laundrie update: Parents will not hold funeral for their son, lawyer confirms

Steven Bertolino, the lawyer for Chris and Roberta Laundrie, said Brian Laundrie will be cremated when the time comes — and without a funeral.

His parents acknowledged the death of their son in a short and unemotional statement on Thursday, released through their lawyer Mr Bertolino, asking for privacy.

Mr Bertolino wrote on behalf of the Laundrie’s: “We have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundrie’s privacy at this time.”

The Petito-Schmidt family attorney Rick Stafford said they would not make any statements on the identification of Gabby Petito’s former fiance until they’re “emotionally ready”.

The FBI confirmed Mr Laundrie’s remains through dental records, suggesting he had been dead for a significant period of time before his remains were found.

It was revealed earlier that the remains found were bones and that it might take some time to make a positive identification.

His belongings, which include a notebook and a backpack, where however described as “salvageable” and may yet provide further clues.

“A comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found at the T Mabry Carlton Jr Memorial Reserve and Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park are those of Brian Laundrie,” investigators said in a statement.

Read More

Brian Laundrie: FBI confirms remains found in Florida are missing fugitive

Gabby Petito timeline: When was she found and how did she die?

How were remains thought to be Brian Laundrie missed for 33 days but then found by his parents in a few hours?

Brian Laundrie: When will FBI be able to establish cause of death?

Key Points

• No funeral for Brian Laundrie, who will be cremated, lawyer says

• Brian Laundrie’s remains confirmed to have been found in Florida park

• ‘I’m upset, I’m angry’: Brian Laundrie’s lawyer Steven Bertolino’s TV outburst

• Brian Laundrie’s parents reveal final moments with him: ‘He was visibly upset’

• Brian Laundrie search: Did parents lead FBI to spot where remains and Brian’s notebook were found?

Did parents lead FBI to Laundrie?

23:10 , Gino Spocchia

#icymi

As Namita Singh writes, the belongings and later body of Brian Laundrie were located after his parents “advised” police on where to look on the Carlton Reserve.

Their involvement has raised questions about the search, which have been denied by both the family’s lawyer Steven Bertolino, and North Port Police, of any conspiracy.

Did Brian Laundrie’s parents lead FBI to spot where remains and notebook were found?

Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

22:40 , Alex Woodward

#icymi

Gabby Petito’s body was discovered on 19 September in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Her death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation.

Brian Laundrie left home on 12 September without speaking to police and disappeared. A search for him began on 17 September, but his remains were not located until 20 October after water in the Carlton Reserve receded.

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, told NBC News that charges were discussed but that there was no “threat, no coercion, and no deal was cut” with the FBI.

More from his revealing interview here:

Laundrie attorney denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

Items found today not related to Laundrie investigation, say police

22:10 , Gino Spocchia

A reporter for Fox News, Michael Ruiz, shared footage of what a hiker on the Carlton Reserve today claimed was connectedt to Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito — but as North Port Police have since confirmed to News Nation Now, was not in fact related.

Here’s his tweet....

Phone records and hard drive could aid investigation

21:40 , Gino Spocchia

Stephen Belli, the homicide investigator and former law enforcement official who spoke with CNN about investigating Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie’s deaths, also said phone data could provide further information as to what happened before their deaths.

Highlighting that police obtained a hard drive, and possibly mobile phones if found, Mr Belli said there was an “incredible amount of information”.

The contents of that hard drive have yet to be revealed.

Police earlier confirmed to CNN that they did not have either of the phones belonging to Ms Petito or Mr Laundrie, who left home on 13 September without a phone or wallet, it was alleged.

Video collected by FBI could lead to clues

21:10 , Gino Spocchia

Paul Belli, a retired lieutenant and president of the International Homicide Investigators Association, told CNN in an interview that video footage gathered by FBI investigators could hold clues to what happened to the couple.

“I don’t think people realise the sheer volume of information that we now get on every case,” Mr Belli said. “Video, phone records... if that vehicle had any information that can be gleaned from it with a GPS.”

“Laundrie was charged with using a debit card and PIN for accounts that did not belong to him after Petito’s death, according to an indictment.“ [Authorities] probably collected video from wherever those were used, video for wherever he may have appeared to stop for a period of time. I doubt he drove completely straight through,” Mr Belli said.

“So, there’s a lot of additional work to be done that has been in progress, most likely.”

Petito’s parents share artwork inspired by daughter

20:40 , Gino Spocchia

Joseph and Tara Petito have shared an image of artwork sent to them by a fan of Gabby Petito, their daughter, whose body was found last month in Wyoming following a road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie.

The parents and step-parents of Ms Petito set up the foundation following her death to support the work of organisations searching for missing persons.

Items found today are ‘nothing related’ to Laundrie, police say

20:10 , Gino Spocchia

Brian Entin, of News Nation now, says North Port Police have confirmed that items reportedly found in Florida’s Carlton Reserve were nothing to do with Brian Laundrie.

It remains unclear what the items were reported to be.

Here’s his tweet...

Can investigators determine if Laundrie killed Petito?

19:40 , Alex Woodward

DNA matching to determine if Brian Laundrie killed Gabby Petito may also prove difficult to prove, because of both the nature of the remains that were recovered and that there romantically involved, forensic experts told The Associated Press.

“Reconstruction experts can do amazing things, so I would not be surprised if at some point we got a definitive, or near-definitive, conclusion that Laundrie was the killer,” said Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Florida’s Nova Southeastern University.

How did Brian Laundrie die?

19:10 , Alex Woodward

Determining how Brian Laundrie died could be challenging for investigators handling decomposed remains. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that,” retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente told CNN this week. “But what it does mean is that it’s going to be much more difficult to make a good, solid determination as to the cause and manner of death.”

He added: “Unless there’s some kind of major, serious trauma to the skull that can be identified, there might not be a way to determine how he died ... If he drowned, for example, there wouldn’t be any evidence of that on a skeleton.”

Artist of wing mural to honour Gabby Petito

18:40 , Gino Spocchia

An artist has said he will honour Gabby Petito with replicas around Old Colorado City of the Valentines Day mural she was pictured standing in front of, and shared by her father after she went missing.

Joseph Petito, the murdered 22-year-old’s father, had said she “touched the world” and shared an image of Ms Petito standing in front of the wing mural in Colorado. It soon went viral.

Its artist, Diego Jaguart, told KKTV that he was repairing the mural on a weekly basis since Ms Petito went missing last month, and that he “saw the picture of Gabby on my mural, she looks like an angel...She looks very happy in the picture. She looked free”.

Mr Jaguart, along with his wife, said a special mural in honour of Ms Petito will also be painted in Old Colorado City, after her murder.

A tragedy for two families

18:10 , Gino Spocchia

#icymi

As Andrew Buncombe writes, Many questions remain unanswered about the case, not least the precise circumstances of the death of a young woman who had, according to her mother, “wanted to cross the country in the camper van and live the van life and live free”.

And what was it that led to the discovery of Laundrie’s body, more than a month after he went missing?

One certainty is that the case has ended in tragedy for two families.

The sad saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Ex-NYPD investigator says Laundrie investigation ‘a mess'

17:30 , Gino Spocchia

A retired NYPD lieutenant commander has been the latest to accuse FBI investigators and North Port Police of mishandling the search for Brian Laundrie, which finished this week.

Tom Joyce, in an interview with The Sun, said the notion of allowing Mr Laundrie’s father to go “walking off by himself during such a high stakes investigation is beyond me.”

“If this was my case and I walked in there with the suspect’s parents, I would never let them out of my sight,” Mr Joyce told the newspaper. “Rule number one is that you do not let that person go until you know exactly what you’re dealing with.”

His remarks come amid criticism of Mr Laundrie’s parents for initially refusing to cooperate with police, before attending a search with the FBI on Wednesday — the first day the nature reserve where his body was found, was reopened to the public.

No funeral for Brian Laundrie, report says

17:00 , Gino Spocchia

Chris and Roberta Laundrie will reportedly cremate the remains of Brian Laundrie when the time comes, their lawyer Steven Bertolino has said.

Mr Bertolino told Fox News’s Claudia Kelly-Bazan that there will be no funeral for the 23-year-old either.

It remains unclear when FBI investigations and an anthropological examination will conclude.

Florida reserve full of alligators and ‘evil’ pigs, locals say

16:10 , Gino Spocchia

#icymi

Locals living near the Florida reserve where the remains of Brian Laundrie were found have said it is full of alligators and “evil” wild pigs which wouldn’t have left any flesh for investigators to identify.

Several locals have told media outlets that the 25,000-acre Carlton reserve is full of hungry wetland creatures which would have eaten any flesh found there, as Stuti Mishra writes.

“I walk there all the time and there won’t be much of the remains left,” John Widmann, who lives about a mile from the reserve, said in an interview.

Locals reveal spot where Brian Laundrie remains found is full of ‘evil’ wild pigs

What will the FBI do with items salvaged from scene?

15:40 , Gino Spocchia

Items taken from the site where Brian Laundrie was found will likely be taken to an FBI lab for further analysis, according to a former FBI official.

Andrew McCabe, a former FBI deputy director, told CNN on Thursday that FBI labs have “experts who really spend their careers doing things like drying out paper evidence, trying to recover the writing and the ink marks and potentially fingerprints and all sorts of other potentially relevant pieces of evidence”.

It follows reports that a notebook belonging to the 23-year-old was found outside of a bag on Carlton Reserve, in an area that was recently under water.

Crime scenes hold clues to deaths of Petito and Laundrie

15:10 , Gino Spocchia

The scenes where both Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie died are where law enforcement are most likely to find clues as to how both died, a former officer in Sacramento and president of the International Homicide Investigators Association told CNN.

After a coroner said Ms Petito’s body had been strangled to death, Paul Belli said “Throttling means that someone was strangled by human force. There was no mechanical force involved”.

While the deaths of the couple, who were travelling together on a road trip that ended abruptly, occurred seperately, Mr Laundrie was named a person of interest in the murder of Ms Peito, his fiancé.

Mr Belli said that can often be a problem for investigators who “would expect DNA on either one of them from the other.

“But I mean, if there’s DNA maybe where it shouldn’t be, that could be kind of a clue as to what may have occurred,” the former law enforcement officer added.

When will FBI be able to establish a cause of death?

14:40 , Gino Spocchia

As Helen Elfer writes, identifying Brian Laundrie’s remains was expected to be difficult because they were skeletal and partial, and had been underwater for some time before being found on Wednesday.

Instead, investigators may be forced to look for clues from a notebook that was located nearby. As will an examination by an anthropologist aid the inquiry, after the family’s lawyer confirmed that an autopsy was inconclusive.

Brian Laundrie: When will FBI be able to establish cause of death?

Former FBI deputy director says Laundries ‘generated a lot of suspicion’

14:10 , Gino Spocchia

Andrew McCabe, a former FBI deputy director, told CNN on Friday that Brian Laundrie’s parents had conducted themselves “in a very odd way” during the search for the 23-year-old.

Mr McCabe said the Laundries, who did not speak with police until 17 September, “generated a lot of suspicion right from the beginning”, after the remains of the 23-year-old were identified on Thursday.

Mr McCabe was among many former members of the FBI and law enforcement to highlight discrepancies in accounts of what happened between Mr Laundrie returning home on 11 September and going missing around 13 September.

The family’s lawyer, Steven Bertolino, has refuted claims that the Laundries did anything wrong — or cooperated with the FBI, who reportedly were informed days ahead of North Port police that Brian Laundrie had vanished from his home, which was being watched.

Many questions remain.

Chris Laundrie seen hammering ‘no trespassing’ signs into front lawn

13:42 , Gino Spocchia

Chris Laundrie was seen hammering “no trespassing” signs into his front lawn on Saturday, days after FBI investigators confirmed that remains discovered on Wednesday in Florida’s Carlton Reserve were of his son.

As WFLA reported, the signs were put up as an investigation into Brian Laundrie’s death — and that of his murdered fiancé, Gabby Petito — continued. Media outlets have been stationed outside the home for days.

Laundrie’s last encounter with parents before disappearance

13:26 , Gino Spocchia

#icymi

Brian Laundrie’s parents said he was “very upset” before he left his home around 13 September and his father felt helpless when he could not stop him from leaving, according to their family lawyer.

Recounting the moments before Laundrie left his house for Florida’s Carlton Reserve, Steven Bertolino told NBC News this week that Mr Laundrie’s father wished he “did not let him go”.

“Brian was very upset when he left and Chris conveyed to me several times that you know, he wish he did not let him go but he could not stop,” Mr Bertolino said.

This has been a painful saga for the parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, since 13 September, Mr Bertolino said in the interview. “But Brian is a grown man. He was 22 years old. He wanted to walk out the door, he was entitled to walk out the door.”

Brian Laundrie’s parents reveal final moments with him: ‘He was visibly upset’

Lawyer argues about when he reported Laundrie missing to FBI

12:40 , Gino Spocchia

Chris and Roberta Laundrie’s family lawyer, Steven Bertolino, has argued that he was “not responsible” for communications between the FBI and North Port Police after Brian Laundrie went missing in a nature reserve in Florida.

Mr Bertolino, speaking on News Nation Now on Saturday, told reporter Brian Entin that he did inform the FBI that Mr Laundrie was missing around 13 September — despite North Port Police telling Mr Entin that they did not become aware of his disappearance until 17 September.

Mr Bertolino said North Port Police also told him they were “completely shocked to find that Brian wasn’t in the house” by the end of that week — by which time, he had vanished into the Carlton Reserve, where his body was found on Wednesday.

Here’s that interview...

Artist of wing mural to honour Gabby Petito

12:10 , Gino Spocchia

An artist has said he will honour Gabby Petito with replicas around Old Colorado City of the Valentines Day mural she was pictured standing in front of, and shared by her father after she went missing.

Joseph Petito, the murdered 22-year-old’s father, had said she “touched the world” and shared an image of Ms Petito standing in front of the wing mural in Colorado. It soon went viral.

Its artist, Diego Jaguart, told KKTV that he was repairing the mural on a weekly basis since Ms Peito went missing last month, and that he “saw the picture of Gabby on my mural, she looks like an angel...She looks very happy in the picture. She looked free”.

Mr Jaguart, along with his wife, said a special mural in honour of Ms Petito will also be painted in Old Colorado City, after he murder.

Autopsy on Brian Laundrie was ‘inconclusive'

11:38 , Gino Spocchia

#icymi

An autopsy on the remains of Brian Laundrie were inconclusive, according to his family’s attorney Steven Bertolino, and will now be sent to an anthropologist for further examination.

The body of the missing 23-year-old was found on Wednesday by investigators looking with his family in Carlton Reserve, a 25,000 acre wildlife park in Florida.

His remains, which North Port police described as “bones”, will now be sent to an anthropologist for further examination, Mr Bertolino said.

Brian Laundrie autopsy fails to establish cause of death

No funeral for Brian Laundrie, report says

10:55 , Gino Spocchia

Chris and Roberta Laundrie will reportedly cremate the remains of Brian Laundrie when the time comes, their lawyer Steven Bertolino has said.

Mr Bertolino told Fox News’s Claudia Kelly-Bazan that there will be no funeral for the 23-year-old either.

It remains unclear when FBI investigations and an anthropological examination will conclude.

Indigenous women condemn media for ignoring ‘epidemic of violence’

06:30 , Alex Woodward

Revisit The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe on the striking imbalance – something that was was termed “missing white woman syndrome” by the late Black broadcaster Gwen Ifill in 2004 – of rates of violence against and media coverage for missing women of colour and cases like Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie.

“As native people, we already know we come up against racism on a daily basis, and also a sense of not being important,” said Lynnette Grey-Bull, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. “We understand that if we don’t have blonde hair, or blue eyes, we don’t get to make it on the six o’clock news or front page of the morning edition. These things don’t happen for us.”

Indigenous women: Media not Gabby Petito is to blame for ignored ‘violence epidemic’

Last photo of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie together emerges as he is confirmed dead

05:45 , Alex Woodward

A photographer who didn’t know the couple snapped Laundrie and Petito together in Utah in the summer. It may be the last candid pictures of them ever taken.

“They stood out because they had the ‘van life’ look to them, and I remember feeling envious because they seemed like enthusiasts,” the photographer told Fox News.

Last candid picture of Petito and Laundrie emerges

Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

04:30 , Alex Woodward

Gabby Petito’s body was discovered on 19 September in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Her death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation.

Brian Laundrie left home on 12 September without speaking to police and disappeared. A search for him began on 17 September, but his remains were not located until 20 October after water in the Carlton Reserve receded.

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, told NBC News that charges were discussed but that there was no “threat, no coercion, and no deal was cut” with the FBI.

More from his revealing interview here:

Laundrie attorney denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

How were Brian Laundrie’s remains missed for 33 days but then found by his parents in a few hours?

03:30 , Alex Woodward

Wednesday, 20 October, began like every other in the 33 days since Brian Laundrie was reported missing.

Then, around midday, came a flurry of news. Chris and Roberta Laundrie were at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and had contacted law enforcement the night before to ask them to accompany them to the site.

Within minutes, a “dry bag” containing personal items belonging to Mr Laundrie had been recovered.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley on the discovery of Mr Laundrie’s remains:

How were Brian Laundrie’s remains found by his parents in a few hours?

Can investigators determine if Laundrie killed Petito?

02:30 , Alex Woodward

DNA matching to determine if Brian Laundrie killed Gabby Petito may also prove difficult to prove, because of both the nature of the remains that were recovered and that there romantically involved, forensic experts told The Associated Press.

“Reconstruction experts can do amazing things, so I would not be surprised if at some point we got a definitive, or near-definitive, conclusion that Laundrie was the killer,” said Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Florida’s Nova Southeastern University.

How did Brian Laundrie die?

01:30 , Alex Woodward

Determining how Brian Laundrie died could be challenging for investigators handling decomposed remains.“It doesn’t necessarily mean that,” retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente told CNN this week. “But what it does mean is that it’s going to be much more difficult to make a good, solid determination as to the cause and manner of death.”

He added: “Unless there’s some kind of major, serious trauma to the skull that can be identified, there might not be a way to determine how he died ... If he drowned, for example, there wouldn’t be any evidence of that on a skeleton.”

Brian Laundrie autopsy fails to establish cause of death

Sunday 24 October 2021 00:45 , Alex Woodward

Catch up with the latest: An autopsy on the remains of Brian Laundrie were inconclusive, according to his family’s attorney, and will now be sent to an anthropologist for further examination.

More from The Independent’s Gino Spocchia:

Brian Laundrie autopsy fails to establish cause of death

Brian Laundrie’s parents reveal final moments with him

Saturday 23 October 2021 22:45 , Alex Woodward

Brian Laundrie’s parents have said he was “very upset” before he left his home and his father felt helpless when he could not stop him from leaving, according to their family lawyer.

Recounting the moments before Laundrie left his house for Florida’s Carlton reserves, Steven Bertolino told NBC News that Laundrie’s father wished he “did not let him go”.

“Brian was very upset when he left and Chris conveyed to me several times that you know, he wish he did not let him go but he could not stop,” Mr Bertolino said.

Brian Laundrie’s parents reveal final moments with him: ‘He was visibly upset’

Laundrie’s remains sent to anthropologist

Saturday 23 October 2021 21:30 , Gino Spocchia

An autopsy on the remains of Brian Laundrie were inconclusive, according to his family’s attorney, and will now be sent to an anthropologist for further examination.

The body of the missing 23-year-old was found on Wednesday by investigators looking with his family in Carlton Reserve, a 25,000 acre wildlife park in Florida.

It was confirmed as being Mr Laundrie a day later, with family attorney Steven Bertolino telling FOX 13 and other outlets that an autopsy failed to find an official cause of death.

His remains, which North Port police described as “bones”, will now be sent to an anthropologist for further examination, Mr Bertolino said.

Brian Laundrie autopsy fails to establish cause of death

Lawyer disputes claims of parents-police cooperation

Saturday 23 October 2021 21:00 , Gino Spocchia

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing Brian Laundrie’s family, has denied claims that his parents cooperated with investigators in the search for his body.

In an interview NBC News on Thursday, Mr Bertolino also said he had “no reason to believe” that Mr Laundrie’s parents would be charged with crimes.

North Port police, meanwhile, have said the area where the body was found was underwater before this week.

“John Q Public can’t get it through their head that this area was inaccessible and that the items located yesterday perhaps couldn’t be seen,” Mr Berolino said. He called the theories “ludicrous” and “nonsensical.”

Laundrie attorney denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

What does the Petito murder tells us about America today?

Saturday 23 October 2021 20:30 , Gino Spocchia

Many questions remain unanswered, but the case is a tragedy for all concerned, writes The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe

The sad saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

How did Laundrie’s parents help search?

Saturday 23 October 2021 20:00 , Gino Spocchia

Dozens have asked how Brian Laundrie’s parents able to achieve what investigators could not, after they led police to a site near his body on Wednesday.

As The Independent’s Bevan Hurley writes, the same location where belongings of Mr Laundrie’s were found had been pored over by highly-trained FBI, police and sheriff’s search teams with cadaver dogs just a month earlier.

Police and Steven Bertolino, the lawyer for Mr Laundrie’s family, have dismissed the findings as coincidental — with the park only reopening to the public on Wednesday, when his parents asked to accompany investigators.

How were Brian Laundrie’s remains found by his parents in a few hours?

Ex-NYPD chief questions search

Saturday 23 October 2021 19:30 , Gino Spocchia

A former NYPD chief has been among those to question how investigators failed to locate the body of Brian Laundrie, before his parents joined the search on Wednesday.

Former NYPD chief of cetectives Robert Boyce told ABC 7’s eyewitness news that he thought something about the case was “amiss”, and that “There are just too many strange turns that Chris and Roberta Laundrie haven’t been involved in it to not believe that something is amiss here.”

“The day the park reopens, they go into this specific area...They go to this exact spot and they find the backpack and they identify the backpack from what I understand and the notebook in this particular area, so it’s quite strange.”

Police and the Laundrie family lawyer have dismissed any claims as unfounded, and told reporters this week: “It just so happened that that’s where Brian was, sSo my thought would be anybody who’s questioning that is not too bright.”

“The public doesn’t understand simplicity,” added the lawyer.

Locals say alligators live where Brian Laundrie was found

Saturday 23 October 2021 18:32 , Gino Spocchia

Locals near the Carlson Reserve where Brian Laundrie’s body was discovered on Wednesday, is home to wild animals including alligators and “evil” pigs.

“There won’t be much for the coroner to work on,” a resident was quoted as saying in an interview. “Nature doesn’t waste anything.”

It comes amid concerns that investigators found the remains of Mr Laundrie in water, and an autopsy on Friday failed to determine a cause of death.

The Independent’s Stuti Mishra has the latest...

Locals reveal spot where Brian Laundrie remains found is full of ‘evil’ wild pigs

Police were watching Laundrie home from a trash can, neighbour claims

Saturday 23 October 2021 17:20 , Gino Spocchia

A neighbour of Brian Laundrie’s family has claimed that police put a hidden camera in his bin as early as 11 September, when he returned from a road trip without fiancé Gaby Petito.

The home owner, who remained anyonomous, told The Sun that the camera was installed so that the Laundrie home could be watched from across the street, via camera.

North Police police later confirmed to a reporter for News Nation Now that surveillance cameras were installed both before and after Mr Laundrie was reported missing on 13 September. His fiancé’s body was discovered days later in Wyoming.

“That’s why this is so frustrating,’” the neighbour said of his disappearance. “There was a camera in the front (of the Laundrie home) and one in the back, so how did this happen? Was he already gone?”

Lawyer refuses to comment on Laundrie’s last conversation with parents

Saturday 23 October 2021 16:48 , Gino Spocchia

Steven Bertolino, the lawyer for Brian Laundrie’s family, could not comment on whether or not the 23-year-old had spoken about his fiancé, Gabby Petito, to his parents before his death.

“Not something I can comment on right now. I’d like to just leave it at that”, said Steven Bertolino on Friday morning — as Mr Laundrie’s parents awaited an autopsy that failed to find a cause of death.

“Brian had been extremely upset, Chris and Roberta were extremely concerned about him, they expressed that to me,” Mr Bertolino told Good Morning America. He also defend the parents, who he said had worked with officials since “day one”.

Mr Laundrie reportedly went missing on 13 September, a matter of days before the body of his fiancé was located in Wyoming. His cause of death, meanwhile, remains unknown.

The last photo of Laundrie and Petito together

Saturday 23 October 2021 15:54 , Gino Spocchia

A photographer who was on holiday in Utah in August has revealed images he unknowingly took of Gaby Petito and Brian Laundrie together on 10 August, weeks before they went missing and died.

The photographer was with his wife when they encountered the pair, who allegedly nodded to them and offered advice on climbing down a steep slope.

“They stood out because they had the ‘van life’ look to them, and I remember feeling envious because they seemed like enthusiasts,” the photographer told Fox News.

The Independent’s Helen Elfer reports...

Last candid picture of Petito and Laundrie emerges

K9 handler asks why dogs didn’t find remains sooner

Saturday 23 October 2021 15:20 , Gino Spocchia

A K-9 handler has disputed the timeline and search for Brian Laundrie’s body after it was located on Wednesday in an area previously submerged by water, in what was labelled “suspicious”.

Kyle Heyen, the dog handler, told Newsweek that “If the body was there at that time X weeks ago, and if it’s the same dog and the same quality of dog or the same quality of training, they should have found him.”

Mr Heyen, a former police officer, added that cadaver dogs are able to smell through water, but admitted that it was unclear what dogs were used to search for Mr Laundrie.

Even if a cadaver dog can detect an odour, it can often be difficult for law enforcement to find the source — with winds carrying odours in different directions.

North Port police, meanwhile, have dismissed allegations that the finding of Mr Laundrie’s body was in any way “suspicious”, with floodwater covering the area until recently.

What questions remain about Gabby Petito investigation?

Saturday 23 October 2021 15:00 , Gino Spocchia

Following the discovery of Brian Laundrie’s remains in Florida this week, question-marks remain about the investigation into his fiancé’s murder.

From a reconstruction effort, to further witnesses, and a probe into Utah police — here is everything that remains to be figured out in the death of Gabby Petito.

EXPLAINER: Where does Gabby Petito slaying probe go next?

Autopsy on Brian Laundrie inconclusive, lawyer says

Saturday 23 October 2021 14:25 , Gino Spocchia

“No manner or cause of death was determined, and the remains were sent to an anthropologist for further evaluation,” the lawyer for Brian Laundrie’s family, Steven, Bertolino, told The New York Post.

Mr Bertolino said the remains, which police said on Thursday were partial and skeletal, were sent for further examination by an anthropologist and that the 23-year-old’s family wanted answers as to how he died after going missing last month.

His remains had been underwater in an area of the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve that was previously beyond reach of investigators before Wednesday.

The Independent reports in the story below...

Brian Laundrie autopsy fails to establish cause of death

Cameras were installed around Laundrie home, police reveal

Saturday 23 October 2021 14:00 , Gino Spocchia

Police reportedly confirmed that hidden cameras were installed around the family home of Brian Laundrie a month ago, in the days before and after he first went missing on 13 September.

As News Nation Now reporter Brian Entin revealed in a Twitter thread on Thursday night, he was interviewing a neighbour of Mr Laundrie’s parent’s last month when he noticed a camera in the garden next door.

Police have now confirmed it belonged to them.

Mr Laundrie’s family had been criticised for not cooperating with police in the days before and after their son went missing last month, and more recently accused of cooperating with police in the search for Mr Laundrie’s body.

Both the family and police have denied those claims, and it was not clear what the cameras where intended to find out.

Ex-FBI profiler says ‘there might not be a way’ to determine death

Saturday 23 October 2021 13:35 , Gino Spocchia

Retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente has argued that investigators might not be able to fully establish how Brian Laundrie died, because his body was found in a degraded state.

Mr Clemente told CNN this week that “it doesn’t necessarily mean” that Mr Laundrie had been dead since going missing on 13 September, but that it was still difficult for forensic pathologists and anthropologists to discover who he died.

“Unless there’s some kind of major, serious trauma to the skull that can be identified, there might not be a way to determine how he died,” he said. “If he drowned, for example, there wouldn’t be any evidence of that on a skeleton.”

Police are hoping that Mr Laundrie’s notebook might contain clues to his final moments, while locals have said that wild animals roam the Cariolton Reserve where Mr Laundrie’s partial remains were found on Wednesday.

Friend of Brian Laundrie says ‘this story is over'

Saturday 23 October 2021 13:08 , Gino Spocchia

In an interview after Brian Laundrie’s remains were found on Wednesday, a friend of the 23-year-old has said it was “the outcome we expected” after the months-long search for him.

“I think this is the outcome we expected,” the friend told The Sun, reportedly remaining anonymous. “I don’t know if it’s the one we would ask for, but it appears as if this story is over”.

“Hopefully his notebook can detail what it is we all want to know,” the friend added of Mr Laundrie’s belongings, and of what happened to him and Gabby Petito, his fiancé whose body was located in Wyoming last month.

Authorities have confirmed that her cause of death was by strangulation. His remains inconclusive.

Criminologists on what could be revealed by Brian Laundrie’s notebook

Saturday 23 October 2021 12:05 , Gino Spocchia

Amid speculation about what could be revealed by the notebook belonging to Brian Laundrie, criminologists have given their thoughts on what could be revealed by it.

The notebook, which was found near to his remains in a Florida wildlife reserve this week, could contain a suicide note or a letter about his final thoughts while he was missing, criminologist Casey Jordan told CNN.

“If that notebook is there, there is a very good chance there could be a note,” said Ms Jordan. “[But] the public may never know the contents. I’m not sure we’ll get to know.”

An autopsy has failed to find a cause of death for Mr Laundrie and investigations continue.

The Independent’s Helen Elfer reports in the story below...

Could Brian Laundrie’s notebook found by FBI explain what happened to him?

Remains will be sent to anthropologist to be examined

Saturday 23 October 2021 11:35 , Gino Spocchia

The remains of Brian Laudrie, which have been described as “bones”, will reportedly be sent to an anthropologist to be examined after an autopsy failed to identify a cause of death.

Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, told FOX 5 that Mr Laundrie’s parents wanted more answers on the cause of his death, and that the remains were being sent for further examination.

His remains had been underwater for a period of time before being discovered.

Site where Brian Laundrie’s remains were found is full of wild animals

Saturday 23 October 2021 11:15 , Gino Spocchia

Locals living near Carlton Reserve where the remains of Brian Laundrie were found have said it is full of alligators and “evil” wild pigs which wouldn’t have left any flesh for investigators to identify.

John Widmann, who lives about a mile from the reserve, told the New York Post: “There’s alligators, but the worst thing are the wild pigs. They’re evil animals and will eat anything. Any flesh out in the open will not be wasted.”

“There won’t be much for the coroner to work on,” Mr Wildmann added. “Nature doesn’t waste anything.”

The report follows an autopsy failing to identify a cause of death for Mr Laundrie, whose body had been under water for a period of time before it was found.

The Independent’s Stuti Mishra reports in the story below...

Locals reveal spot where Brian Laundrie remains found is full of ‘evil’ wild pigs

‘Salvageable’ notebook belonging to Brian Laundrie could provide clues

Saturday 23 October 2021 10:55 , Gino Spocchia

Any hope for clues about how Brian Laundrie died may rely on his personal belongings, including a notebook, that were found nearby.

Hours before an autopsy failed to identify a cause of death on Friday, North Port police said a notebook that was found in the area of Carlton Reserve was ‘salvageable’ and could provide clues as to what happened to both him and his fiancé, Gabby Petito.

Police, addressing claims about the validity of his notebook because his family had helped invisitagors look for the remains and belongings, also argued that there was “no way that the family planted anything”.

As WPBF reported, police provided no indication as to when details of what was contained in the notebook will be released. Investigators are expected to remain on Carlton Reserve for days.

‘I’m upset, I’m angry’: Brian Laundrie’s lawyer Steven Bertolino’s TV outburst

Saturday 23 October 2021 02:30 , Graig Graziosi

Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino expressed his anger with protesters outside his clients’ North Port home.

Protesters have been camped out heckling the Laundrie family for weeks as police searched for Brian Laundrie. Their protests continued even after the discovery and identification of human remains belonging to Mr Laundrie on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Independent’s Sravasti Dasgupta has more in the story below...

‘I’m upset, angry’: Brian Laundrie’s lawyer Bertolino’s TV outburst

Brian Laundrie: Autopsy cannot find cause of death and remains sent to anthropologist

Saturday 23 October 2021 01:48 , Josh Marcus

Brian Laundrie’s autopsy has been completed, and officials have been unable to determine the cause of death, TMZ reports.

Now, his remains will be sent to an anthropologist for further study.On Wednesday, police discovered Laundrie’s body in Florida’s Carlton Reserve, a densely wooded park, after a lengthy cross-country manhunt. Read more about what happens next in the investigation here.

Last photo of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie together emerges as he is confirmed dead

Saturday 23 October 2021 01:45 , Graig Graziosi

A photographer in Utah captured the last known candid photo of Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito before the woman disappeared at the end of August.

The photographer said the couple stood out because they had the “van-life look to them.”

The Independent’s Helen Elfer has more on the story below...

Last candid picture of Petito and Laundrie emerges

Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

Saturday 23 October 2021 01:00 , Graig Graziosi

During an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino denied that the Laundrie family made a deal with the FBI, and insisted that Brian Laundrie’s parents would not face criminal charges.

He also revealed details of Mr Laundrie’s final day at home before leaving for the Carlton Reserve, where he eventually died.

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more in the story below...

Laundrie attorney denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

The sad, twisting saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Saturday 23 October 2021 00:15 , Graig Graziosi

Though questions remain, the case of Gabby Petito is all but closed. She is dead, and so is her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.

The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe examines the twisting story of Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie’s tragic ends, and what the public’s fascination with the story says about America.

Read his story below...

The sad saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

ICYMI: FBI confirms remains found near Carlton Reserve are Brian Laundrie’s

Friday 22 October 2021 23:30 , Graig Graziosi

The FBI confirmed on Thursday the the partial human remains found in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park near the Carlton Reserve were those of Brian Laundrie.

The Independent’s Graeme Massie has the full report on what was found and how the FBI identified them as Brian Laundrie’s in the story below...

FBI confirms Brian Laundrie’s remains found in Florida

ICYMI: FBI calls Gabby Petito’s death “murder” for the first time

Friday 22 October 2021 23:10 , Graig Graziosi

The FBI called Gabby Petito’s death a “murder” for the first time on Wednesday when an FBI special agent announced that partial human remains were found near the Carlton Reserve.

It was later revealed that the remains belong to Brian Laundrie.

If it is revealed that Mr Laundrie murdered Ms Petito, charges cannot be brought against him because he is dead.

FBI calls Gabby Petito death ‘murder’ for first time

Opinion: Brian Laundrie’s death isn’t what we should care about in the Gabby Petito case

Friday 22 October 2021 22:50 , Graig Graziosi

After it was confirmed that the human skeletal remains found near the Carlton Reserve were those of Brian Laundrie, numerous questions arose; when did he die? How did he die?

Kathleen N Walsh has argued in The Independent that the circumstances around Mr Laundrie’s death should not be the focus of our attention, but rather the circumstances surrounding Ms Petito’s death, which is believed to be domestic violence.

Read her argument in the Voices piece below...

Brian Laundrie’s death isn’t what we should care about in the Gabby Petito case

Did Brian Laundrie’s parents lead the FBI to his remains?

Friday 22 October 2021 22:25 , Graig Graziosi

In the days after Brian Laundrie’s remains were discovered in the Carlton Reserve, questions as to how exactly those remains were located have circulated on social media.

Did Brian Laundrie’s parents - who asked to search the park the day after it opened - lead the FBI to their son’s items and - ultimately - his remains?

The Independent’s Namita Singh has those answers in the story below...

Did Brian Laundrie’s parents lead FBI to spot where remains and notebook were found?

Brian Laundrie: When will FBI be able to establish cause of death?

Friday 22 October 2021 21:45 , Graig Graziosi

The FBI discovered Brian Laundrie’s skeletal human remains on Wednesday and identified the remains as his on Thursday.

The agency’s next step will be to determine how Mr Laundrie died.

The Independent’s Helen Elfer explores when the agency may have those answers in the story below...

Brian Laundrie: When will FBI be able to establish cause of death?

Former NYPD Chief of Detectives says something is “amiss” in discovery of Brian Laundrie remains

Friday 22 October 2021 21:25 , Graig Graziosi

Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told ABC7 that he believed something was “amiss” in the story of how Brian Laundrie’s items were found by his parents at the Carlton Reserve.

“There are just too many strange turns that Chris and Roberta Laundrie haven’t been involved in it to not believe that something is amiss here,” he said.

On Thursday, Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, said he was “a little bit angry” about theories from social media commentators and some law enforcement officials suggesting Mr Laundrie’s parents planted the dry bag and notebook at the Carlton Reserve.

North Port police said they were “100 per cent confident” that the Laundries did not bring the items into the park with them on the day they were discovered.

Last photo of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie together emerges as he is confirmed dead

Friday 22 October 2021 21:00 , Graig Graziosi

A photographer in Utah captured the last known candid photo of Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito before the woman disappeared at the end of August.

The photographer said the couple stood out because they had the “van-life look to them.”

The Independent’s Helen Elfer has more on the story below...

Last candid picture of Petito and Laundrie emerges

The sad, twisting saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Friday 22 October 2021 20:40 , Graig Graziosi

Though questions remain, the case of Gabby Petito is all but closed. She is dead, and so is her boyfriend Brian Laundrie.

The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe examines the twisting story of Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie’s tragic ends, and what the public’s fascination with the story says about America.

Read his story below...

The sad saga of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie – and what it tells us about America

Former FBI agent says Gabby Petito case is basically “closed"

Friday 22 October 2021 20:20 , Graig Graziosi

A former FBI agent speaking with WPBF 25 said that the Gabby Petito case was basically “closed.”

“Basically the case is closed out, there are still some housekeeping issues to be addressed, it’s important for them to identify the cause of death and even more importantly the time of death,” Stuart Kaplan, former FBI special agent turned attorney, told the outlet.

He said the timing of his death may weigh in on whether other charges arise from his disappearance.

“I think the timing of his death may be important to at least see whether or not other people may have some criminal exposure and be charged in assisting in his evading and being apprehended,” he said.

Aerial video of corn field memorial to Gabby Petito

Friday 22 October 2021 20:00 , Graig Graziosi

A farmer in Florida mowed “RIP Gabby” into a corn field near a maze it maintains in memory of Gabby Petito.

“This national story has not just helped find Gabby, but has helped find other missing persons. To Gabby’s family: our thoughts and prayers are with you!” Hunsader Farms wrote.

Brian Laundrie’s remains were found just a mile away from park entrance

Friday 22 October 2021 19:45 , Graig Graziosi

Brian Laundrie’s remains were found a mile away from the entrance to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, just off the side of a trail.

A dry bag, notebook, and Mr Laundrie’s skeletal remains, which included part of a skull, were located on Wednesday. On Thursday, the remains were identified as Mr Laundrie’s.

Public parks reopening in wake of Brian Laundrie discovery

Friday 22 October 2021 19:20 , Graig Graziosi

Public parks at the Carlton Reserve are reopening after Brian Laundrie’s items and remains were discovered on Wednesday.

The Big Slough Preserve, Walton Ranch, and the T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve are all now open to the public.

The Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park will reopen on Saturday.

Criminal experts weigh in on potential importance of Brian Laundrie’s notebook

Friday 22 October 2021 18:58 , Graig Graziosi

During an interview on CNN, criminal experts weighed in on the potential importance of the notebook found near Brian Laundrie’s remains in the Carlton Reserve on Wednesday.

“If that notebook contained, for example, information that could have been admissions, it could be projecting blame or rationalization, all that information could help in the determination,” former FBI profiler Jim Clemente said.

Casey Jordan, a criminologist, said the notebook could contain some insight into Mr Laundrie’s frame of mind before he died.

“And that really raises the question that, if indeed, this is Brian Laundrie and died by his own hand, did he take the time to write out a note of explanation? Maybe even regret? Something that would give answers. Not only to the police but to Gabby’s family,” she said.

Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

Friday 22 October 2021 18:45 , Graig Graziosi

During an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Laundrie attorney Steven Bertolino denied that the Laundrie family made a deal with the FBI, and insisted that Brian Laundrie’s parents would not face criminal charges.

He also revealed details of Mr Laundrie’s final day at home before leaving for the Carlton Reserve, where he eventually died.

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more in the story below...

Laundrie attorney denies deal with FBI and insists parents not facing charges

Protesters replace weathered items at makeshift Gabby Petito memorial on the Laundrie’s front yard with new items

Friday 22 October 2021 18:24 , Graig Graziosi

Protesters replaced weathered items at the makeshift Gabby Petito memorial on the Laundrie’s front yard with new items on Friday.

The small memorial contains items honouring Ms Petito as well as signs heckling the Laundrie family.

Brian Laundrie’s parents reportedly went looking for him at the Carlton Reserve the day after he disappeared

Friday 22 October 2021 17:45 , Graig Graziosi

Brian Laundrie’s parents reportedly went looking for him at the Carlton Reserve the day after he went left on a hike but did not return home.

The family’s attorney, Steven Bertolino, said he alerted law enforcement on 13 September that Mr Laundrie left and never returned home. However the actual search for Mr Laundrie did not begin on 17 September, four days later.

Gabby Petito’s family declines to comment on discovery of Brian Laundrie’s remains

Friday 22 October 2021 16:51 , Graig Graziosi

Gabby Petito’s family declined to comment on Brian Laundrie’s death and the discovery made in the Carlton Reserve on Wednesday.

The family’s lawyer said they were still mourning their daughter.

“They are grieving the loss of their beautiful daughter,” their lawyer, Richard Stafford, said.

Laundrie lawyer says people questioning discovery narrative are “not too bright"

Friday 22 October 2021 15:49 , Graig Graziosi

Steven Bertolino, the lawyer representing the Laundrie family, pushed back against social media commenters who believe it is suspicious that the same day Chris and Roberta Laundrie visited the Carlton Reserve to look for their son, Brian, was the same day police found his backpack, notebook and skeletal remains.

During an interview on News Nation Now, Mr Bertolino said the public “didn’t understand simplicity” and insinuated that people trading conspiracy theories were unintelligent.

“It just so happened that that’s where Brian was,” he said. “So my thought would be anybody who’s questioning that is not too bright.”

Huge media presence camped outside Laundrie family home

Friday 22 October 2021 15:20 , Graig Graziosi

Numerous news outlets have reporters camped outside the Laundrie home this morning, awaiting statement from the family concerning the death of their son, Brian.

Steven Bertolino, the family’s attorney, has been speaking on behalf of the family since September and has continued to speak on their behalf after it was determines skeletal fragments found on Wednesday were the remains of Brian Laundrie.

Laundrie family lawyer says he may have more information about Brian Laundrie’s death later today

Friday 22 October 2021 14:27 , Graig Graziosi

Steven Bertolino, the lawyer representing Brian Laundrie’s parents, told Good Morning America that he may have more details on Mr Laundrie’s death later today.

“I was informed by law enforcement yesterday that perhaps by mid-day today we’d have some more information,” he said on Friday.

Mr Laundrie’s remains were identified using dental records Thursday evening.

The press release confirming that the human remains belonged to Brian Laundrie

Friday 22 October 2021 13:45 , Eleanor Sly

Florida police spokesperson says allegations about Laundrie’s parents ‘completely untrue’

Friday 22 October 2021 13:17 , Eleanor Sly

A spokesperson for North Port Police tried to put a halt to speculation about Brian Laundrie’s parents having had a part to play in planting evidence.

Josh Taylor said that rumours that the pair had planted the notebook and rucksack discovered at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park next to the remains of Mr Laundrie’s body were “completely untrue” as they “walked into the park with them.”

This backed up suggestions made by the Laundrie’s lawyer, Steven Bertolino, who told the Insider that the claims being made were “nonsense” and “hogwash.”

"People with nothing else to do are afraid this case will go away and they will have to go back to following celebrities and others in the fake world of the internet," he added.

‘I’m upset, I’m angry’: Brian Laundrie’s lawyer Steven Bertolino’s TV outburst

Friday 22 October 2021 12:55 , Eleanor Sly

People outside the Laundrie family’s home were screaming and causing a ruckus even as the family was grieving their son Brian Laundrie, their lawyer told a news channel on Thursday.

Steven Bertolino lashed out at the media, protesters and public in an interview with news channel NewsNation shortly after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed Brian Laundrie’s death on Thursday.

Mr Bertolino said he was upset and angry as there were still people outside the Laundries’ home.

Sravasti Dasgupta reports:

‘I’m upset, angry’: Brian Laundrie’s lawyer Bertolino’s TV outburst

Laundries’ attorney asks for people to stop speculating over cause of death

Friday 22 October 2021 12:30 , Eleanor Sly

Steven Bertolini, the Laundrie’s lawyer, has said that he hopes people would stop speculating over how Brian Laundrie died.

In an interview with NBC News, Mr Bertolini was asked whether he had “any idea or theory how Brian might have ended his life?”

The lawyer responded: “I don’t want to speculate, I try not to do that, I would hope people would stop doing that as well, especially with respect to this case and with respect to the cause or how Brian came to be dead, I don’t know.

He added: “We’ll wait for, if possible, some type of cause of death from the experts.”

Brian Laundrie’s parents reveal final moments with him: ‘He was visibly upset’

Friday 22 October 2021 12:08 , Eleanor Sly

Brian Laundrie’s parents have said he was “very upset” before he left his home and his father felt helpless when he could not stop him from leaving, according to their family lawyer.

Recounting the moments before Laundrie left his house for Florida’s Carlton reserves, Steven Bertolino told NBC News that Laundrie’s father wished he “did not let him go”.

“Brian was very upset when he left and Chris conveyed to me several times that you know, he wish he did not let him go but he could not stop,” Mr Bertolino said.

Namita Singh reports:

Brian Laundrie’s parents reveal final moments with him: ‘He was visibly upset’

Brian Laundrie: Forensic pathologist calls crime scene ‘odd’

Friday 22 October 2021 11:15 , Eleanor Sly

The Laundrie’s attorney describes moment he heard remains were Brian’s

Friday 22 October 2021 10:50 , Eleanor Sly

The Laundrie family’s attorney, Steven Bertolini, explained how he learned that the human remains found in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park had been identified as Brian Laundrie’s.

According to Mr Bertolini, he received a phone call from Brian’s father, Chris Laundrie, informing him that “the police had come to his house” and told him that “the remains were positively identified.”

Speaking on NBC News he said: “I did learn of the unfortunate news that Brian’s remains were confirmed today [Thursday] through Chris Laundrie. Chris had called me, let me know that the police had come to his house this evening to inform them that the remains were positively identified”

When asked how Brian’s parents were, Mr Bertolini responded that the death of someone’s child is “sad under any circumstances.”

He explained: “I’m sure every parent out there knows that getting the news that your child is no longer with you is sad under any circumstances.

“The fact that the Laundries had been subjected to these people out in front of their house for the last four weeks and they continue out there today just making all the more difficult.”

Maya Millete: Husband arrested over woman’s death ‘researched hemlock poison’ before she vanished

Friday 22 October 2021 10:26 , Eleanor Sly

The husband of missing California woman Maya “May” Millete allegedly researched hemlock poison before she vanished 10 months ago.

Larry Millete was arrested and charged with his wife’s murder on Tuesday in San Diego County. He had been a person of interest in the case since July.

Ms Millete vanished from her home in East Lake, Chula Vista, on 7 January, the same day she scheduled a meeting with a divorce attorney.

Megan Sheets reports:

Maya Millete’s husband ‘researched hemlock poison’ before she vanished

‘It’s hogwash’: Laundrie lawyer denies speculation parents planted Brian belongings

Friday 22 October 2021 09:59 , Eleanor Sly

Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino has rubbished suggestions that Chris and Roberta may have planted their son’s belongings in a Florida nature reserve.

Human remains strongly believed to belong to Brian Laundrie were discovered in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on Wednesday alongside a backpack and notebook belonging to the missing fugitive.

Despite law enforcement scouring the waterlogged reserve for five weeks without finding any trace of him, Mr Laundrie’s parents located the items within a couple of hours.

Bevan Hurley reports:

‘It’s hogwash’: Laundrie lawyer denies speculation parents planted Brian belongings

Laundrie ‘upset’ when he left family home said attorney

Friday 22 October 2021 09:40 , Eleanor Sly

Brian Laundrie was ‘upset’ when he left his family home in North Port said his family’s attorney, Steven Bertolino.

Mr Bertolino, who has known the Laundrie family for 25 years, said that Mr Laundrie had told his parents Chris and Roberta that he wanted “fresh air.”

Speaking to NBC News Now, the lawyer said: “What I can tell you is that Brian was very upset when he left.”

“And Chris conveyed to me several times that he wished he didn’t let him go but he couldn’t stop him.

“This has been a painful saga for them since September 13.

“It’s been a long haul.

“But Brian was a grown man, a young man, 22 years old; he wanted to walk out the door, he walked out the door.”

Petito family ‘not doing interviews or making a statement at this time’

Friday 22 October 2021 09:13 , Eleanor Sly

Gabby Petito’s family are not releasing a statement following the news that the human remains found in Myakkahatchee Park belonged to Brian Laundrie.

Speaking on behalf of the family, the Petito-Schmidt family attorney Rick Stafford told Fox News: "Gabby’s family is not doing interviews or making a statement at this time.”

He added: "They are grieving the loss of their beautiful daughter. Gabby’s family will make a statement at the appropriate time and when they are emotionally ready."

Brian Laundrie was the only person of interest in the murder of Gabby Petito, with her family pleading with the Laundries for answers, but their questions were met with silence.

Brian Laundrie: Everything we know about Gabby Petito’s boyfriend

Friday 22 October 2021 08:50 , Eleanor Sly

Human remains found inside the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on Wednesday have been confirmed as belonging to Brian Laundrie.

The FBI confirmed on Thursday afternoon they had been able to match Mr Laundrie’s dental records to the skeletal remains, which were found near a backpack and notebook belonging to the missing fugitive.

“On October 21, 2021, a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found at the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve and Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park are those of Brian Laundrie,” the FBI’s Denver office Tweeted.

Helen Elfer has more:

Everything we know about Brian Laundrie as his remains are identified

Laundries’ lawyer lashes out at public and press

Friday 22 October 2021 08:35 , Eleanor Sly

The Laundries’ attorney, Steven Bertolino, said that the idea that the Laundries had planted remains of their son in the reserve was “ludicrous.”

"If you’ve got the FBI, the local PD, an independent news reporter, all there at the same time seeing the same thing, you’ve got quote-unquote surveillance of the Laundries 24/7 by protesters and members of the press, when did you think these items were planted?" Mr Bertolino said Thursday.

He went on to say how it was very “aggravating” and “maddening” to hear these accusations.

Adding: "Did you really think the Laundries had skeletal remains of their son in a plastic bag and brought them to the reserve? Do you realise how ludicrous that is, how aggravating, how maddening it is to even hear those things?"

Mr Bertolino said that he agreed to work with the Laundries when he received a call from them in mid-September after the family had started getting calls from law enforcement.

The attorney has known Brian since he was an “infant,” although only as “the child of a friend of mine,” Fox News reported.

Forensic pathologist calls crime scene ‘odd’

Friday 22 October 2021 08:10 , Eleanor Sly

A forensic pathologist Dr Priya Banerjee said that several things were odd about the crime scene.

She suggested that normally the family is not allowed, nor are other external people, apart from the “immediate investigator.”

Speaking with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Dr Banerjee explained: “Usually even when I respond to a crime scene, the family is not allowed, no external people are allowed other than the immediate investigator, so that was odd to me.”

She added: “I do believe that the two major issues again are identification, which has been completed, and now my colleagues have quite a challenge in determining the cause of death.”

Before suggesting that maybe the diary could “shed some light” on what happened.

Swampy landscape of Carlton Reserve made search ‘treacherous’

Friday 22 October 2021 07:47 , Eleanor Sly

Conditions at the Carlton Reserve in Florida made the search for Brian Laundrie particularly challenging.

Searchers used swamp buggies, air boats, waded through swamp waters and even called in an underwater dive team to assist in the search of the 25,000 acre reserve.

Meanwhile they had to avoid a host of dangerous animals on their search, including venomous snakes, alligators, palmetto bugs and swarms of mosquitoes.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, who paid a visit to the reserve on Thursday, commented on the particularly "treacherous" conditions of the search.

"These are very, very difficult conditions," he said. "You’re searching in areas that you just can’t walk up and look. It’s not like you’re searching a house or a car. These areas are huge and they’re covered by water,” CNN reported.

On Wednesday, human remains, a backpack and a notebook belonging to Mr Laundrie were discovered in the reserve.

On Thursday, the human remains were identified as belonging to Mr Laundrie and apparently appear to have been there for some time.

The remains were found "about 2 to 3 miles inside the Carlton Reserve, or about a 45-minute walk" from the entrance at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor said.

How were Brian Laundrie’s remains missed for 33 days but then found by his parents in a few hours?

Friday 22 October 2021 07:13 , Eleanor Sly

Wednesday, 20 October, began like every other in the 33 days since Brian Laundrie was reported missing.

Then, around midday, came a flurry of news. Chris and Roberta Laundrie were at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and had contacted law enforcement the night before to ask them to accompany them to the site.

Within minutes, a “dry bag” containing personal items belonging to Mr Laundrie had been recovered.

Bevan Hurley writes:

How were Brian Laundrie’s remains found by his parents in a few hours?

New photos of the tragic couple revealed

Friday 22 October 2021 06:46 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A photographer who took photos of the couple two days before the Moab incident told the New York Post that he “felt envious” of them as they were “enthusiasts.”

The New York Post reported that they got the exclusive new photos of the couple and quoted the photographer as saying: “They stood out because they had the ‘van life’ look to them and I remember feeling envious because they seemed like enthusiasts.”

Talking about the photos that were taken at Utah’s Delicate Arch landmark on 10 August — just weeks before Petito went missing — the photographer added: “In the first photo you see my wife and I at the top walking along the ridge with Brian and Gabby down below. He’s wearing the woven hat.”

The photographer also said that Laundrie - whose remains were identified on Thursday at the Carlton Reserve — provided them with tips on how to navigate the steep slope.

Laundrie’s lawyer ‘angry’ after FBI identifies remains

Friday 22 October 2021 06:24 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing Brian Laundrie’s parents said he was “upset” and “angry” — just half an hour after the FBI confirmed that skeletal remains found in Carlton Reserve belonged to Brian.

“I am upset, I am angry, and for the last four hours I’ve been dealing with — I just have to call it nonsense,” he said in an interview with News Nation Now.

Talking about Laundrie’s parents Chris and Roberta, Mr Bertolino said: “They’re extremely upset, and for some unknown reason, there are still people outside of their home, yelling and screaming and causing a ruckus, which any parent grieving the loss of a child should not have to deal with.”

Brian’s parents were given ultimatum, former FBI agent suggests

Friday 22 October 2021 06:07 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A former FBI agent has suggested that Brian Laundrie’s parents were given a “behind-the-scenes ultimatum” by the law enforcement agencies, the Daily Mail reported.

Stuart Kaplan was quoted as saying that “There’s no doubt that Brian Laundrie’s parents are fully engaged with law enforcement.”

He added: “I do believe that there was some sort of agreement where they accepted immunity in exchange for their full cooperation.”

The FBI identified the skeletal remains found in Carlton Reserve on Thursday and confirmed that the remains belonged to Brian

Brian Laundrie’s parents knew he was ‘upset’ before leaving for Carlton Reserve

Friday 22 October 2021 05:23 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing Brian Laundrie’s parents, told a reporter that Chris Laundrie felt helpless when Brian left the house before he was reported missing.

He was recounting the moments before Brian Laundrie left his parent’s home on 13 September to go to the Carlton Reserve.

Mr Bertolino said: “Chris and Roberta knew their son Brian was leaving. They knew he was so upset. And they just couldn’t control that he was leaving and he just walked out the door.”

His parents reported him missing on 17 September.

The attorney said that Chris Laundrie expressed his helplessness and said “I wish I could have stopped him but I couldn’t.”

On Thursday, the FBI confirmed that the remains found in Carlton Reserve belong to Brian Laundrie.

Police leave Carlton Reserve after remains identified to be Brian’s

Friday 22 October 2021 04:57 , Maroosha Muzaffar

For weeks, the Carlton Reserve has been the focus of attention in the search for Brian Laundrie. On Thursday, after the FBI confirmed that the partial human remains found there belonged to Brian, a lot of equipment and law enforcement left the reserve.

Brain Entin, a reporter for News Nation Now — who has been following the case closely tweeted that: “A lot of the equipment and law enforcement now rolling out of the Carlton Reserve. Mobile command centre just left.”

He also said that: “All police now appear to be gone. They closed the gate.”

Search for Brian Laundrie might ‘vindicate’ his parents

Friday 22 October 2021 04:56 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Finding their son’s partial remains and personal items in the Carlton Reserve can vindicate Brian Laundrie’s parents, a former federal prosecutor has suggested.

Neama Rahmani told the Sun: “The fact they may have led investigators to their son’s possessions and possibly his remains – that all undercuts the argument that they were aiding and abetting his escape.”

She added that: “That leads me to believe they’ve been cooperative and not the other way around.”

Chris and Roberta Laundrie have faced the wrath of protesters demanding “justice for Gabby” outside their house in North Port, Florida for weeks now. They have also been accused of obstructing justice by commentators.

On Thursday, human remains found in the Carlton Reserve were identified to be Brian Laundrie’s. His parents confirmed that they have been informed by the FBI and Gabby Petito’s family has said nothing at this point after the discovery.

Former FBI agent says Laundrie’s parents could have been communicating with him

Friday 22 October 2021 04:33 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A former FBI agent has claimed that Brian Laundrie’s parents could have been “communicating all along with him.”

On Thursday, the FBI confirmed that the partial human remains found in the Carlton Reserve belonged to 23-year-old Brian Laundrie.

Maureen O’Connell told Fox News that Chris and Roberta Laundrie maybe have known all along where their son’s campsite was in Carlton Reserve in Florida.

“This leads us to believe that they were probably communicating all along with him,” she said.

The parents have so far remained tight-lipped after their son’s remains were found, requesting privacy.

She also indicated that they could have been using burner phones and when he stopped responding, that is when the parents could have suspected that something was wrong.

California family found on hiking trail died of hyperthermia and dehydration

Friday 22 October 2021 04:00 , Justin Vallejo

The California family whose bodies were found along a remote hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest back in August died from hyperthermia and dehydration, it has been revealed.

Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese announced the cause of death of Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter Aurelia Miju Chung-Gerrish and their pet dog Oski at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Rachel Sharp reports.

California family found on hiking trail died of hyperthermia and dehydration

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website