[News] Gabby Petito: Apparent human remains found in search for fiancé Brian Laundrie

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58989242

Investigators leading a search for the missing fiancé of a murdered US blogger have found apparent "human remains" in a Florida park, the FBI has said.

Items belonging to Brian Laundrie, who is a person of interest in Gabby Petito's death, were also found during the search, agents said on Wednesday.

Mr Laundrie has been missing for over a month. Ms Petito's remains were found on 19 September in Wyoming.

Officials say the investigation in the area is ongoing.

In a news conference, FBI Special Agent Michael McPherson said that "investigators found what appears to be human remains along with personal items such as a backpack and notebook belonging to Brian Laundrie".

"These items were found in an area that up until recently had been underwater," he said.

Last week, a coroner in Wyoming ruled that 22-year-old Ms Petito had been strangled to death and left in the woods for weeks before she was found.
This summer, Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie, 23, had embarked on a road trip through national parks in the American West, documenting their nomadic "van life" trip on social media.

On Saturday, her parents collected her remains from a Wyoming mortuary following the post-mortem examination.

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Mr Laundrie's parents say he was last seen on 13 September, after he returned to Florida without Ms Petito almost two weeks earlier. They say he went hiking alone and never returned.

On Wednesday, Laundrie family lawyer Brian Bertolino told reporters that after a "brief search" with parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie, "some articles" belonging to him were found.

He said the items were found on a trail frequented by Mr Laundrie in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.

The park is where the car driven by Mr Laundrie was discovered after he went missing.

The FBI's Tampa field office tweeted: "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 reserve is closed to the public and no further details are available at this time."

Mr Laundrie has not been charged with crimes relating to Ms Petito's killing, however, the FBI has issued a federal arrest warrant and charged him with fraudulently using her debit card after her death.

The plight of the travel influencer has captured global attention, and triggered a debate over the amount of attention accorded to missing white women.