Officials: Brian Laundrie fatally shot himself in the head

By DAVID FISCHER

MIAMI (AP) — Brian Laundrie, who was recovered dormant past period successful a Florida swamp, changeable himself successful the head, officials announced Tuesday.

Laundrie had been the taxable of a manhunt for much than a period arsenic investigators searched for clues successful the slaying of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, during their cross-country van travel together.

The aesculapian examiner successful Sarasota County, wherever Laundrie’s assemblage was found, said successful a quality merchandise that the origin of decease was a gunshot coiled to the head, and the mode of decease was suicide.

Attorney Steve Bertolino, who represents Laundrie’s parents, said successful a connection that the household had been informed astir the autopsy results.

“Chris and Roberta are inactive mourning the nonaccomplishment of their lad and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to some families,” Bertolino said.

Found successful a Florida quality preserve, Laundrie’s skeletal remains were positively identified past period utilizing dental records.

The find of the remains concluded a monolithic hunt involving federal, authorities and section instrumentality enforcement that began soon aft Laundrie disappeared Sept. 14, 2 weeks aft the 23-year-old returned unsocial to his parents’ location successful North Port, Florida.

The probe into Petito’s slaying, however, has not yet concluded. But lone Laundrie was ever identified by instrumentality enforcement officials arsenic a idiosyncratic of involvement successful the case.

Petito’s household reported the 22-year-old pistillate missing Sept. 11, launching a hunt that garnered worldwide media attraction and, successful Laundrie’s case, focused mostly connected the Carlton Reserve wilderness parkland adjacent the Laundrie home. It is simply a densely wooded, swampy country that’s location to alligators, coyotes, bobcats, snakes and galore different creatures.

Petito’s remains were discovered Sept. 19 connected the borderline of Grand Teton National Park successful Wyoming, 1 of the places the young mates had visited connected the travel they documented done societal media videos. Authorities said the assemblage had been determination for astir a month.

An autopsy successful Wyoming concluded Petito died by strangulation and that it was a homicide. Laundrie was listed arsenic a “person of interest” successful her sidesplitting but helium was charged lone with fraudulent usage of a debit paper that was not his.

Richard Stafford, lawyer for Petito’s family, said they would person nary contiguous remark connected Laundrie’s origin of death.