Gabby Petito’s devastated family have been robbed of answers over their beloved daughter’s death following confirmation that boyfriend Brian Laundrie’s bones have been found in a Florida swamp, one of her close friends told Dailymail.com.
‘You don’t know - did they get in a fight, did he kill her? There’s no answer,’ said the friend.
‘She’s gone now. He’s gone. Who’s really got closure? You don’t get closure because you don’t know what happened.’
The FBI today confirmed skeletal remains found inside the vast alligator-infested Carlton Reserve are those of Laundrie, 23 – the sole person of interest in the murder of strangled van-life girl Gabby, 22.
Minutes before the news broke, two police officers from Laundrie’s home town of North Port, Florida, arrived at the home he shared with parents Christopher, 62, and Roberta, 55.
This is the moment a police officer arrived at Chris Laundrie's home to inform him that a body discovered Wednesday was that of his son Brian
Gabby's mom Nicole Schmidt weeps and is comforted by her husband Jim Schmidt last month. Schmidt and Petito's dad Joe fear the discovery of Brian Laundrie's body means they'll never find out more about why their daughter was murdered
Gabby's dad Joe, pictured in blue, repeatedly urged Laundrie to turn himself in, but now faces being left with questions about what led to his daughter's murder in August
His father opened the door after the solemn officers knocked twice – and Dailymail.com photos show his stunned face as he confronts the reality of his son’s death.
The remains were discovered while the Laundries themselves looked in menacing reserve along with two FBI agents early Wednesday morning.
Nearby was their son’s backpack, another bag and a note book which ‘could be salvageable’ according to a source speaking to CNN – and maybe provide vital answers to the tragedy of Gabby.
‘It had clearly been wet and they are going to use any potential means to dry that out before opening it,’ the source said. ‘They will be very careful with it.’
Meanwhile the Laundries’ own grief is mixed with possible overall justice, according to Gabby’s friend from Long Island, New York, where she went to high school.
Petito vanished during a road trip across the US with Laundrie in August, with her remains found in Wyoming in September. Laundrie's body was found Wednesday, with his remains identified on Thursday
‘Brian’s not here, so has justice been served?’ he asked. ‘If you did something like murder and justice is the death penalty, then justice is served here. The difference is you save the taxpayers a whole lot of money.’
However he insisted this is a tragedy all round.
‘Both sides are suffering right now. Nobody wishes this on any of their children. It’s a sad turn of events.’
Of Petito’s family, he said, ‘I hope they feel some justice. And hopefully they can take this as some form of closure. Me, as a parent, I’d still want to know what happened. That’s the piece that sucks.’
Gabby’s heartbroken family have only recently been able to collect their murdered daughter’s remains. Mom Nichole Schmidt, stepdad Jim Schmidt, dad Joe Petito and stepmom Tara made the devastating trip to a funeral home in Jackson, Wyoming, last week.
It was only a few days after Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue announced Gabby had been manually strangled before being dumped close to a remote campsite in Grand Teton National Park.
The remote site where the blogger’s body was discovered on September 19 has become a shrine to Petito, complete with a stone cross dotted with flowers.
Gabby's parents pleaded for Laundrie to come forward while he was missing, with the discovery of his body sparking fears they'll never
