Brian Laundrie Died of Gunshot Wound to the Head, Family Lawyer Reveals
19:00 GMT 23.11.2021 (Updated: 13:26 GMT 06.08.2022)
© Screenshot/Fox NewsScreenshot captures image of Brian Laundrie, the number one person of interest in the death of Gabby Petito.
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Brian Laundrie, who led police on a monthlong nationwide manhunt in connection with the strangulation death of his fiance, Gabby Petito, died by a gunshot wound to the head consistent with suicide, the family's lawyer said on Tuesday.
Laundrie's remains were found in the Carlton Reserve wetlands in southern Florida in mid-October, but in the autopsy that followed, "no manner or cause of death was determined," family attorney Steven Bertolino said. The remains were then examined by a forensic anthropologist.
Police had searched the park for weeks, but only found Laundrie's "skeletal" remains once the shallow water they were concealed in had receded.
© Photo : Instagram / gabspetitoAn Instagram photo of missing woman Gabrielle Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie on March 18, 2020
An Instagram photo of missing woman Gabrielle Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie on March 18, 2020
© Photo : Instagram / gabspetito
He initially went missing on September 14, about two weeks after returning home to Florida from a trip to Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest and just three days after Petito was reported missing. Her body was found in the park on September 19 and a coroner ruled her death homicide by "manual strangulation."
Laundrie was never charged with Petito's death, but an arrest warrant was issued for him after he used Petito's debit card without permission. He was regarded as a person of interest in the case.