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Has Brian Laundrie's body been found? Human remains, notebook, backpack found in Florida

The Laundries' family attorney said that 'articles' that belonged to Brian Laundrie were discovered at the entrance to the environmental park

SARASOTA, FLORIDA: Amid the massive manhunt for Brian Laundrie, partial human remains have been discovered in the nature reserve where, according to Laundrie's parents, their son had gone for a hike when they last saw him more than a month ago. This development in the case comes after Long Island native, Gabby Petito, was found strangled to death at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on September 19. Her fiance, Laundrie is the only person of interest in her murder.

An NBC News reporter on October 20 wrote on Twitter that human remains were found near a backpack believed to be that of Laundrie. "#BREAKING A senior law enforcement officials tells @NBCNews @PeteWilliamsNBC what appears to be partial human remains have been found in the Carlton Reserve in an area previously underwater. The remains were found near a backpack consistent with items Brian Laundrie may have had," Reynolds wrote on Twitter. This comes after a body was found on the Carlton Reserve on October 9, however, 

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The Laundries' family attorney, Steven Bertolino, had earlier said that "articles" that belonged to Laundrie were discovered at the entrance to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, North Point, Florida. While the park was initially closed due to increased police activity, it was later reopened to the public. 

"Chris and Roberta Laundrie went to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park this morning to search for Brian. The FBI and NPPD were informed last night of Brian’s parents’ intentions and they met Chris and Roberta there this morning," Bertolino said in a statement. "After a brief search off a trail that Brian frequented some articles belonging to Brian were found. As of now law enforcement is conducting a more thorough investigation of that area." Bertolino said the couple was walking on a trail with two officers on either side when Chris found a bag containing some of Brian's belongings and police found his backpack near the unidentified remains. Since Gabby went missing the Laundrie family had been criticized for their lack of cooperation or answers to their son's disappearance.

However, a former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce called this discovery 'strange'. Speaking to WABCTV, he said the latest involvement of Brian's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, is too strange not to believe "that something is amiss here."

"The day the park reopens, they go into this specific area ... they go to this exact spot and they find the backpack and they identify the backpack from what I understand and the notebook in this particular area, so it's quite strange," Boyce said remarking that things are not really adding up. 

A 10 Tampa Bay reporter said that Bertolino refused to comment on whether he believed that the remains were an indication that Brian Laundrie may be dead. "JUST IN!! I asked the #Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, if #BrianLaundrie’s remains were found, he said “no comment”," the reporter wrote on Twitter. 

Laundrie, a person of interest in Petito's homicide, has not been criminally charged in connection with the case. He is currently wanted for the unauthorized use of a debit card between August 30 and September 1. Recently, Gabby's parents have claimed that a seemingly “quiet and polite” Laundrie fooled them when they believed he would “take care of her” and keep her safe during their cross-country road trip. “He just seemed like a nice guy,” Gabby’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, told Australia’s “60 Minutes” in an interview. “I worried. I told her to be careful, be safe. To be aware of your surroundings. Don’t trust anybody.” "But I felt safe because she was with Brian and I felt like she would be OK,” she added. “I thought he would take care of her.”