Laundrie, 23, had been named a person of interest in the murder of his fiancé Gabby Petito, 22, whose murder case was widespread on the internet
The Laundrie family attorney confirmed that Brian Laundrie died by suicide after going missing in September, as he was named a person of interest in the murder of his fiancé Gabby Petito.
Laundrie’s remains were found last month at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida, near items that included a backpack and notebook that belonged to him. The remains were found in a section of the park that officials said had been previously covered in water. Authorities used dental records to confirm his identity.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie were informed that their son’s “cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide,” attorney Steve Bertolino said in a statement. “Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families.”
Authorities had been searching for Laundrie after he disappeared from Florida, where he returned home on September 1st without Petito. The two had been traveling and living together in a van while documenting their cross-country road trip on Instagram and YouTube. The case became widespread nationwide, fueled by Internet speculation by true-crime fans.
Gabby Petito’s remains were found at a Wyoming campground on Sept. 19, over a week that she was reported missing. A coroner determined that her cause of death was strangulation and that it was a homicide.
The coroner also said that her remains had remained outside in the wilderness for at least three to four weeks before they were found.
Authorities did not name Laundrie as a suspect in Petito’s death but charged him with the unauthorized use of a debit card and named him as a person of interest in the days after she disappeared.
Police have been criticized for the way the case was handled, and how Laundrie remained undiscovered for so long.
This tweet reads: ‘The police who failed to detain Brian Laundrie a month ago and the police who failed to bring him or his family in for questioning will have a lot of explaining to do going forward.’
The US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
To read more on this case, read Remains of Brian Laundrie Identified
