Human remains were discovered in the same part of a Florida reserve where officials earlier found a backpack and notebook that belonged to Brian Laundrie, the missing fiancé of Gabby Petito, the FBI confirmed.
Tampa FBI Special Agent Michael McPherson said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that the partial human remains found had been previously under water.
There has been no confirmation that the remains belong to Laundrie.
‘Earlier today, investigators found what appears to be human remains, along with personal items, such as a backpack and notebook, belonging to Brian Laundrie,’ McPherson said.
‘These items were found in an area that, up until recently, had been underwater.’
The FBI’s evidence team will be on scene using all available forensic resources to process the area, he said. It will likely take several days.
‘I know you have a lot of questions, but we don’t have all the answers yet,’ McPherson said.
The remains were near a backpack, which held a notebook that authorities say belonged to Laundrie.
McPherson declined to answer any questions and walked away as people gathered around shouted, ‘Justice for Gabby’, repeatedly.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced it is temporarily restricting flights, including drone cameras, over the site, until October 22.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie, the parents of the missing 23-year-old, early Wednesday headed into Florida’s Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where an officer told them they ‘might have found something’, Fox News reported.
While searching the park, ‘some articles belonging to Brian were found’, the Laundrie family’s attorney Steven Bertolino said.
The FBI stated: ‘Items of interest were located at the Carlton Reserve this morning in connection with the search for Brian Laundrie. An FBI Evidence Response team is processing the scene.’
The Sarasota Medical Examiner’s Office and a cadaver dog were also called to the site, as well as additional first responders, according to CNN.
The park reopened this week to the public after nearly a month-long search led by the FBI looking for the fugitive. Laundrie is the sole person of interest in the murder of Petito.
While Laundrie hasn’t been charged with anything related to Gabby’s death, which was ruled to be by strangulation, the FBI issued a warrant for his arrest related to his unauthorized use of her bank card.
The Laundrie parents claimed their son went to Myakkahatchee on September 13 and never returned.
The reserve is currently closed, with no further information being released, the FBI said in their statement on Wednesday afternoon.
Laundrie’s parents have kept silent when asked about Gabby’s whereabouts before her remains were discovered in Wyoming – and they continue to stay quiet despite being hounded by protestors and press outside their home.
Chris and Roberta snuck out early Tuesday for an hours-long shopping trip, where they dodged questions about their son’s whereabouts and dropped a package labeled ‘meal kit’ off at FedEx.
Earlier on their shopping trip, the couple went to Walmart to get cases of water. When exiting the store, they ignored questions from media asking if their son was alive, and whether they are in contact with him, the Daily Mail reported.
The couple also went to an AT&T store for half an hour. This trip follows a previous claim that Roberta bought her son a burner phone before he disappeared.
The Laundries claim they didn’t buy a phone that day though, and that their son had the contract for it.
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