Investigators have found human remains while searching for Gabby Petito’s boyfriend in Florida. These were found near several personal items belonging to the missing Brian Laundrie. Among them is a backpack and a notebook, the FBI confirmed on Wednesday followingnoon (local time).
It is not yet clear whether the body is actually Laundrie’s. “I know you have many questions, but we don’t have all the answers yet,” said FBI investigator Michael McPherson. “The operation team is on site and is using all available forensic resources to examine the area.” It will probably take several days.
Corpse dogs discover the human remains
The items were submerged in the swampy area of Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park and have now resurfaced, the FBI said. Body detection dogs had led investigators to the body parts on Wednesday. previously had including the US broadcaster NBC reported on the find.
Sniffer dogs and police on duty
Laundries parents Chris and Roberta are said to have met with investigators in the park, according to US media, citing the 23-year-old’s family lawyer. TV images showed sniffer dogs and the police combing the area on Wednesday followingnoon (local time). The Sarasota County Medical Examiner confirmed that she was called to the wilderness park.
Gabby Petito was strangled
22-year-old Gabby Petito had not returned from a trip through the United States with her boyfriend in the summer. The case is attracting attention both in the United States and internationally – not least because the Florida couple shared numerous pictures and videos from their trip on social networks. After an intensive search, Petito’s body was finally found in September in the state of Wyoming. According to the coroner, the young woman was strangled.
Petito’s friend Brian Laundrie had returned alone from traveling with Petito in September. Shortly therefollowing, he too disappeared without a trace. The police have been looking for the 23-year-old for weeks – especially in the nature reserve where the objects have now been discovered. Why the journey of the couple, who looked happy in the pictures, came to a fatal end is open.
However, a body camera recording of a police officer left a very different impression than these images. Police were called to the couple’s vehicle in mid-August over a possible case of domestic violence. Media reported that a caller reported to the police that a man had hit a woman. On the video itself, Petito can be seen in disarray and crying. She claims to have slapped her boyfriend.
Criticism of the scope and intensity of reporting
In the past few weeks, US media and social networks have repeatedly criticized the scope and intensity of reporting on the missing Petito case. There was talk of the so-called missing white woman syndrome. This describes the excessive reporting of missing young white women. As a result of the criticism, some media had begun to report, at least briefly, on other missing persons cases. According to the authorities, around 90,000 missing person reports were active nationwide at the end of last year. Few of these cases received nearly as much attention as Petito’s.
