Human remains found in search for Brian Laundrie were BONES

Human remains found in search for Brian Laundrie were BONES
Human remains found in search for Brian Laundrie were BONES

The human remains found in a Florida reserve in the search for Brian Laundrie were bones, it has been revealed by NewsNation. 

Multiple law enforcement sources told the outlet on Thursday that the partial remains were skeletal. It may be days before they are formally identified.

As forensics teams work to complete that identification, the search in the area around the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park continues. 

Cadaver dogs are combing through the preserve and drones are scanning overhead for more traces of Laundrie, who vanished on September 13. 

He is the sole person of interest in the murder of his fiancee Gabby Petito, who was found strangled in a remote part of Wyoming six days after he vanished. She had not been seen alive since August 26, when she was traveling with Laundrie in Utah. 

Authorities say the areas now being searched in the park are treacherous and largely underwater. They made the discovery of the remains along with a backpack and notebook believed to belong to Brian as his parents, Chris and Roberta, joined them for the first time.

The lawyer representing the couple has denied speculation that they may have planted the evidence. 

Chris and Roberta Laundrie joined law enforcement yesterday for the first time together at the Carlton Reserve in Florida, where they believed their fugitive son had been hiding for weeks after the strangled body of his fiancée, Gabby Petito, was found in Wyoming

On Wednesday night, Laundrie family lawyer Steven Bertolino told CNN's Chris Cuomo that it is 'hogwash'. He also revealed that he told the parents not to speak to the media or Gabby's family, which they have been admonished for, and said the pair are 'heartbroken'. 

'In nice terms, it's hogwash,' he told Cuomo when asked about the suggestion that they may have planted the evidence. 

'Chris and Roberta went to this area first and as happenstance was, they stumbled upon these items,' he said. On Thursday morning, he added to DailyMail.com: 'Speculation is just that.' 

The search of the park continued on Thursday with cadaver dogs, dune buggies and police cars, but authorities are being tight-lipped on what exactly they have found so far, and what they continue to seach for.  

Lee County Sheriff Carmen Marceno held a short press conference on Thursday afternoon but he mostly thanked and praised his law enforcement colleagues for working in 'treacherous conditions'. 

'Today I got to see the treacherous conditions they were working under. We're talking about water levels up to the chest area, rattle snakes, moccasins, alligators...These are very, very difficult conditions...you're searching in areas where you can't just walk up and look. It's not like you're searching a house or a car. These areas are huge and they are covered by water.' 

'It is challenging times. I know everybody wants to know exactly what’s going on every second possible. All of America is watching. But we will never jeopardize an investigation to give that information out until the time is right. I want to reiterate, things change by the second, by the minute,' he said.

Chris and Roberta Laundrie are shown arriving home on Wednesday after human remains, a backpack and a notebook were found in the Florida nature reserve where their son Brian is believed to have been hiding for five weeks. The couple have not spoken to the media or to the family of Gabby Petito, their son's fiancée who was found murdered in Wyoming. The couple arrived home to flowers and cards on Wednesday, but there were also hecklers

Chris and Roberta Laundrie are shown arriving home on Wednesday after human remains, a backpack and a notebook were found in the Florida nature reserve where their son Brian is believed to have been hiding for five weeks. The couple have not spoken to the media or to the family of Gabby Petito, their son's fiancée who was found murdered in Wyoming. The couple arrived home to flowers and cards on Wednesday, but there were also hecklers 

Sheriffs departments, the North Port Police Department and the FBI are all still at the nature reserve on Thursday

Sheriffs departments, the North Port Police Department and the FBI are all still at the nature reserve on Thursday 

The search of the nature reserve continued on Thursday morning. Authorities held a briefing on Thursday to say they were still working in the reserve but that they had not discovered anything else

The search of the nature reserve continued on Thursday morning. Authorities held a briefing on Thursday to say they were still working in the reserve but that they had not discovered anything else 

There remains a large media presence at the nature reserve on Thursday

There remains a large media presence at the nature reserve on Thursday 

A police officer is pictured walking in the Carlton Reserve with what appears to be the dry bag discovered by Laundrie's father in the preserve. The discovery was made on Wednesday, five weeks after he went on the run following the disappearance of his fiancée Gabby Petito. She was found strangled to death in September in Wyoming

A police officer is pictured walking in the Carlton Reserve with what appears to be the dry bag discovered by Laundrie's father in the preserve. The discovery was made on Wednesday, five weeks after he went on the run following the disappearance of his fiancée Gabby Petito. She was found strangled to death in September in Wyoming 

Chris and Roberta Laundrie (pictured) alerted investigators on Tuesday night that they intended to search Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park for their son on Wednesday morning. The FBI and North Port Police Department agreed to meet them at the park

The FBI and North Port Police Department have closed the 25,000-acre park, which just reopened to the public on Tuesday after being closed to the public for nearly a month due to the ongoing search for Laundrie

Chris and Roberta Laundrie (pictured) alerted investigators on Tuesday night that they intended to search Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park for their son on Wednesday morning. The FBI and North Port Police Department agreed to meet them at the park

Brian Laundrie, 23, is the sole suspect in the murder of his 22-year-old fiancee Gabby Petito. Her strangled body was found in September, weeks after she was last seen alive. The pair were on a cross-country camper van trip when she vanished and he went home in September

Brian Laundrie, 23, is the sole suspect in the murder of his 22-year-old fiancee Gabby Petito. Her strangled body was found in September, weeks after she was last seen alive. The pair were on a cross-country camper van trip when she vanished and he went home in September 

The remains and backpack were found near a bridge between Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and the Carlton Reserve, just four miles north of Brian Laundrie's home, just a mile or two into the park. The Laundrie parents say they told the police that it's where Brian might have been, but the portion of the land was submerged in water when cops first searched it in September

The remains and backpack were found near a bridge between Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and the Carlton Reserve, just four miles north of Brian Laundrie's home, just a mile or two into the park. The Laundrie parents say they told the police that it's where Brian might have been, but the portion of the land was submerged in water when cops first searched it in September 

The FBI, North Port Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff's Office all remain at the scene. 

Bertolino also told CNN that he told the parents not to speak to Gabby's family, the media, or 'anybody' after he vanished on September 13. 

'Now is not the right time to talk about the situation with Gabby. 

'The family was following my directions. I told them not to talk with anybody, not to say a word, I was the intermediary between the family and law enforcement. 

'Everybody has the right to remain silent and that's what I told my clients and that's what they did,' he said. 

Bertolino added that the remains are likely those of Brian, but that the family is waiting for a formal identification to take place. 

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno spoke briefly to the media on Thursday to say the search was ongoing

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno spoke briefly to the media on Thursday to say the search was ongoing 

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno and North Port Police Department Chied Todd Garrison address the media outside the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno and North Port Police Department Chied Todd Garrison address the media outside the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port

Timeline of Gabby Petito case
July 1: Gabby Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie left Blue Point, New York for a cross-country road trip August 12: Police in Moab, Utah respond to a domestic incident involving the couple Aug. 17: Laundrie allegedly flies back to Florida to 'clear out a storage unit'    Aug. 21: Petito's father, Joseph Petito, has his last FaceTime video call with his daughter who was in Salt Lake City, Utah  Aug. 23: Laundrie flies back to Utah to 'rejoin Gabby' on their trip  Aug. 24: Petito is last seen at a hotel in Salt Lake City with Laundrie Aug. 25: Petito makes final call to her mother, Nichole Schmidt, saying she was in Grand Teton National Park Aug. 25 or 26: The couple chats with the owner of a shop called 'Rustic Row' in Victor, Utah for about 20 minutes  Aug. 27: Video of Petito's van was taken by blogger Jenn Bethune around 6.30 pm at the Spread Creek Campground; Witnesses say they saw a 'commotion' with the couple at Merry Piglets Tex-mex restaurant in Jackson, Wyoming  Aug. 29: The day that Wisconsin TikToker Miranda Baker claimed that she and her boyfriend were approached by Laundrie at Grand Teton National Park and asked them for a ride at 5.30pm Aug. 30: Schmidt receives the last text from Petito's phone: 'No service in Yosemite' Sept. 1: Laundrie returns to his parents' home in North Port, Florida in a van without Petito Sept. 6-7: Laundrie and his parents visit Fort De Soto campsite in Florida Sept. 11: Schmidt reports Petito missing to authorities in New York; Petito and Laundrie's van was impounded by police in Florida that same day Sept. 12: Grand Teton National Park rangers search for Petito Sept. 13: Laundrie's lawyer says on October 5 that his parents now 'believe' this was the day they last saw him heading for a hike Sept. 14: Laundrie issues a statement about Petito's disappearance through his lawyer; Laundrie's parents claim on September 17 that Laundrie left his parents' home for a hike this day and they hadn't seen from him since  Sept. 15: Laundrie is officially named a person of interest in Petito's case Sept. 17: Laundrie family attorney confirms his whereabouts are unknown Sept. 18: North Port police and the FBI start searching the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County for missing Brian Laundrie Sept. 19: Bethune realizes she has video of Petito's van around 12am and submits the FBI with the footage 10 minutes later; Officials announce a body was found near Grand Teton National Park that matched Petito’s description in the afternoon Sept. 21: Coroner confirms remains found in Grand Tetons belong to Petito. Her death is ruled a homicide but her cause of death is still under invesetigation Sept. 20 - 22: FBI and North Port police continue search for Laundrie in Carton Reserve  Sept. 22: Neighbors say they saw the Laudrie family pack up their detached camper on the day Gabby was reported missing. DailyMail.com photos show the camper was back in the driveway two days later, on September 13  Sept. 23: FBI issues an arrest warrant for Laundrie for 'use of unauthorized access device' for fraudulently using a Capitol One Bank debit card that was not his between August 30 and September 1 to spend $1,000; A probe is launched into the police handling of the Utah police incident on Aug. 12; Laundrie's parents visit their attorney in Orlando  Sept. 25: Dog the Bounty Hunter joins the search for Laundrie  Sept. 26: A funeral is held for Petito in Holbrook, New York, and her family launch a charity to help parents find missing children  Sept. 27: Manhunt for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve is scaled back after 10 day search doesn't find him. Dog the Bounty Hunter says Laundrie and his parents stayed at Fort De Soto Park from September 1-3 and September 6-8 - and that on the latter visit only the parents left  Sept. 28: Laundrie's mom is accused of using a burner phone to contact her son Sept. 29: Documents reveal Laundrie's mom canceled a reservation for the Fort De Soto Park campsite for two from September 1 to 3 and booked for three from September 6 to 8; FBI seizes surveillance footage from site; FBI investigates lead Laundrie bought a burner phone on September 14;   Sept. 30: Bodycam footage from a second officer at the August 12 incident is released showing a distressed Petito admitting Laundrie hit her; FBI agents collect more evidence from the Laundrie home  Oct. 1: It emerges Laundrie's sister had contact with him after she said she did  Oct. 2: A hiker along the Appalachian Trail claims to have seen Laundrie near the border of Tennessee and North Carolina  Oct. 3: Investigators searched the area on the Appalachian trail for any signs that Laundrie had been there   Oct. 4: Laundrie's sister told protestors outside her home that her family has been ignoring her after they rebuked her story and that she does not know where her brother is Oct 5: Laundrie's sister appeared on Good Morning America to say she would turn her brother in if she knew where he is;   Oct. 7: Laundrie's father Christopher joins FBI agents on the search for his son at the Carlton Reserve but the search brings up no clues  Oct. 12: Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue announces autopsy findings which show Petito died by strangulation; No specific date of death was given - only that she was dead 3-4 weeks before her body was found  Oct. 16: Petito's parents are seen collecting her ashes from the Valley Mortuary in Jackson, Wyoming October 20: Human remains found in Carlton Reserve 

 

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'The probability is strong that it is Brian's remains, but we're going to wait for the forensic results to come in and verify that,' Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino said in a phone interview with CNN host Chris Cuomo on Wednesday night. 

The remains were discovered alongside items including a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie earlier on Wednesday, five weeks after he disappeared after going on a hike in the alligator-infested Florida swamp, and on the day his parents joined the search together for the first time. 

Police activity Wednesday was focused on the nearby Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where television news reports showed numerous law enforcement vehicles arriving and a tent set up inside the woods. The location is where a Ford Mustang that Laundrie drove to the wilderness was found. 

In the interview, Bertolino said the belongings were found near a bridge connecting the the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and the adjoining Carlton Reserve. The bridge is about four miles north of the Laundrie family home. 

When asked why the parents had not joined the search at the park earlier, Bertolino pointed out that it had not been open to the public before Tuesday. 

'The parents had assumed that the experts, the FBI and all the tracking teams they had, would be able to locate Brian based upon the information that we had provided them to

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