The manhunt for Brian Laundrie is over. But several big questions remain
Petito spent the summer season touring the American West with Laundrie, sharing their travels on social media. The case first attracted widespread consideration after Petito’s household reported her lacking on September 11.
Laundrie would quickly vanish from his dad and mom’ dwelling in North Port, Florida, simply days earlier than Petito’s stays had been present in a nationwide forest in Wyoming.
Investigators had since targeted on finding Laundrie — up till Wednesday, when he was lastly discovered.
However there’s nonetheless so much we do not know.
Here is what specialists say about uncovering the reality surrounding their deaths:
How did Laundrie die?
However figuring out the reason for demise could possibly be difficult since authorities recovered “skeletal stays,” stated retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente. He added that it is doable Laundrie may have been useless the complete time he was lacking.
“It does not essentially imply that,” Clemente advised CNN’s Erin Burnett Thursday. “However what it does imply is that it may be far more troublesome to make a very good, stable dedication as to the trigger and method of demise.”
“Until there’s some sort of main, severe trauma to the cranium that may be recognized, there won’t be a technique to decide how he died,” he stated. “If he drowned, for instance, there would not be any proof of that on a skeleton.”
Legal protection legal professional Mark O’Mara stated essentially the most cheap clarification is Laundrie took his personal life within the nature reserve — a chance Steven Bertolino, an legal professional for Laundrie’s dad and mom, addressed Friday in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The legal professional and Laundrie’s dad and mom had mentioned the chance Laundrie died by suicide “a number of instances,” the legal professional stated.
“We simply have no idea. In fact, understanding his psychological state when he walked out the door, it was all the time a priority,” stated Bertolino, who had described Laundrie in different interviews as “grieving.”
Bertolino advised GMA the household would settle for the ruling of the medical expert in the event that they provide you with one other clarification for the reason for demise.
Dr. Priya Banerjee, a forensic pathologist, agreed investigators face a problem in figuring out Laundrie’s reason for demise. Nonetheless, a pocket book discovered close to Laundrie’s stays could possibly be utilized by investigators to glean some perception into his demise.
“Perhaps the diary or different proof can shed some gentle as to what occurred,” Banerjee stated.
What occurred within the time he was lacking?
It is unclear how Laundrie spent his time within the reserve or when precisely he died.
For a month, investigators had their eyes educated on the Carlton Reserve, the place Laundrie was believed to have gone when he left his dad and mom’ dwelling within the days after Petito’s household reported her lacking.
The search by way of the reserve started on September 18, a day after Laundrie’s dad and mom filed a lacking individuals report for Laundrie, who they stated had left the house days earlier than and did not return.
However the search proved to be troublesome, with investigators working below excessive situations. They had been slowed down by the weather, wading by way of excessive water and making an attempt to keep away from harmful wildlife. Situations had been so unhealthy that survivalist specialists had been skeptical of Laundrie’s skill to outlive and advised CNN weeks in the past he was possible not alive or not within the reserve in any respect.
The Laundrie household initially advised police he left dwelling Tuesday, September 14, however later modified their recollection to say he left the day earlier than.
The FBI didn’t touch upon the report, however North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor stated his company wasn’t notified Laundrie did not return from the hike till September 17. He stated in an announcement police believed he was dwelling till that day, when the dad and mom agreed to talk with police.
No matter when Laundrie left his dad and mom’ dwelling, Taylor on Thursday rejected the concept the belongings discovered within the reserve may have been lately planted, indicating they’d been there for a while.
What occurred to Gabby Petito?
Chief among the many questions which are nonetheless unanswered are these about Petito’s destiny.
However different particulars from the post-mortem is not going to be launched, per Wyoming legislation. Some particulars of Petito’s demise are nonetheless shrouded in thriller: When did she die and what led to her homicide?
Whereas the FBI described Laundrie Wednesday as a “individual of curiosity” in Petito’s homicide, he didn’t face costs in her demise. He was, nonetheless, indicted for allegedly utilizing two monetary accounts that didn’t belong to him within the days after her killing.
Once more, specialists pointed the pocket book discovered close to Laundrie’s stays as a possible key to answering these questions.
“By way of understanding Laundrie’s motive, his emotions about Petito, perhaps even any sort of notes or feedback he might have made concerning the occasions we’re nonetheless making an attempt to know in Wyoming — that pocket book may shed a number of gentle on these points,” stated former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Clemente, the retired FBI profiler, echoed these feedback, telling CNN, “If that pocket book contained, for instance, data that might have been admissions, it could possibly be projecting blame or rationalization — all that data may assist in the dedication.”
“They will use any potential means to dry that out earlier than opening it,” the supply stated. “They’re going to be very cautious with it.”
Focus has additionally shifted to Laundrie’s dad and mom and whether or not their son advised them something about what occurred to Petito earlier than he vanished.
Petito’s household had pleaded for the Laundries to cooperate with authorities after reporting her lacking. When police confirmed up on the Laundrie dwelling on September 11, asking to talk with Laundrie and his household, the Laundries directed authorities to their legal professional, Taylor has stated.
On Friday, Bertolino advised GMA his purchasers had been cooperating with the FBI since “day one” of Brian’s disappearance however stated they’d “completely nothing to say” about Petito.
Requested within the interview if Laundrie advised his dad and mom something about Petito earlier than going to the reserve final month, Bertolino stated, “Not one thing I can touch upon proper now. I would like to only depart it at that.”
CNN’s Christina Maxouris, Amir Vera, Eric Levenson, Kristina Sgueglia and Randi Kaye contributed to this report.