The family attorney has confirmed the remains found in Wyoming are that of Gabrielle “Gabby” Venora Petito. Her body was discovered over the weekend and an autopsy on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, confirmed the family’s worst nightmare — their daughter was not coming home alive.
Dr. Brent Blue, Teton County Coroner’s, initially determined Petito’s death was the result of a homicide. However, her cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.
The search for her fiancee, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, is still ongoing. Currently, investigators have focused their search around North Port, Florida near the home he shared with his parents. Laundrie returned home on September 1, driving his girlfriend’s 2012 Ford Transit, without Petito.
At this time, Laundrie has been named a “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance. Upon returning home, Laundrie refused to speak to authorities. He has not been seen since Tuesday, September 14.
Over the weekend authorities searched a different area of the 24,000-acre Florida preserve for Laundrie. However, they were unsuccessful in locating him. Police focused their attention on that area after his parents told them that he may have gone there.
Authorities deployed drones and all-terrain vehicles in their search of the new area. North Port Police Commander, Joe Fussell, stated that “The terrain is very difficult. Essentially, 75 percent of it is underwater. Areas that are dry, we are trying to clear.”
Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, has directed all of the state’s agencies to assist local and federal authorities in their search for Petito’s fiancee. A trail camera caught a man appearing to be Laundie walking on a property in the Florida Panhandle area.
The individual suspected to be Petito’s boyfriend was spotted late Monday night or early Tuesday. The area where the man was photographed is located in Baker. This area is over 500 miles northwest of where the police have been focusing their search for Laundrie.
Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider has asked “Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI.”
The investigation into Petito’s death and Laundrie’s disappearance is still ongoing.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Source:
ABC 4 NY: Autopsy confirms Gabby Petito’s remains found in Wyoming, lawyer says
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