Gabby Petito news - latest FBI call death homicide after autopsy as police search for Brian Laundrie

Police continue search for Brian Laundrie

The FBI says that an autopsy has confirmed that the remains found on Sunday in a remote area of Wyoming were that of missing woman Gabby Petito.

“Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999. Coroner Blue’s initial determination for the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results,” the FBI tweeted.

Police searching for Brian Laundrie in the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida, called off the search for the day on Tuesday evening, but plan to return and continue the hunt for him on Wednesday.

Earlier an eyewitness claimed she saw Brian Laundrie “acting weird” in the Spread Creek portion of the Bridger-Teton National Forest while she was vacationing in Wyoming. The woman, Jessica Schultz, tipped off the FBI to her encounter, which helped them narrow their search area to Spread Creek. Police investigated trail cam footage that potentially captured an image of Brian Laundrie hiking, but determined there was no connection.

The examination of the remains, which were discovered on Sunday in a remote area of Bridger-Teton National Forest, in western Wyoming, was announced as police continued to search for Ms Petito’s fiancé, Mr Laundrie. Investigators have called him a “person of interest” in the case.

Officers spent much of Monday searching the Laundrie family home and were pictured loading cardboard boxes into a van and towing away a silver Ford Mustang. His parents claim they have not seen their son for more than a week.

Police were tipped off to a potential sighting of Mr Laundrie, 23, near Mobile, Alabama, on Monday. They are yet to confirm if the lead was legitimate.

Show latest update 1632292911Police to resume search for ‘person of interest’ Brian Laundrie

FBI agents and the police plan to resume their search of a Florida wilderness, on the hunt for Gabby Petito’s fiance Brian Laundrie, who they have called a “person of interest” in the case.

The 23-year-old Mr Laundrie has not been seen since 14 September, when he allegedly left his family home in North Port to hike solo in the Carlton Reserve wilderness area.

The Carlton Reserve wilderness area contains over 80 miles of hiking trails, has a population of alligators and is in some sections almost impassable, making the search all the more challenging.

A spokesperson for North Port police revealed that the search effort would resume early on Wednesday.

Eleanor Sly22 September 2021 07:411632290687Gabby Petito case prompts fresh calls to find missing 24-year-old Black man

Gabby Petito’s disappearance and the subsequent media frenzy has resulted in new calls from the public demanding to know the whereabouts of a 24-year-old geologist who went missing almost two months ago in the Arizona desert.

On Sunday, after authorities first announced that they had found human remains consistent with the description of Gabby Petito, a tweet asking officials to find 24-year-old Daniel Robinson went viral.

Reports said that Mr Robinson was last seen on 23 June, leaving his worksite in the suburbs west of Phoenix. He reportedly left work in a blue jeep that morning and didn’t inform anyone where he was going.

His jeep was found a month later, rolled over into a ravine.

His father David Robinson said: “From the first day that I arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, I have done more to find my son than the law enforcement agency, whose jurisdictional authority covers where he was last seen and where his vehicle was recovered.”

His family also began an online petition to hold local investigators at the Buckeye Police Department accountable two weeks ago. The petition had collected 15,000 signatures by Tuesday.

Maroosha Muzaffar22 September 2021 07:041632289252Fox News columnist dismisses 'missing white woman syndrome' as 'reductive' and 'ignorant'

A Fox News columnist has lashed out at those ascribing the interest in Gabby Petito’s death to “missing white women syndrome” and a symbol of American racism, calling this argument “reductive, dismissive, and ignorant nonsense”.

David Marcus wrote in an opinion piece on Fox to defend the attention the media is paying to the case, saying it was “not racism that made her disappearance a cause celebre, it is her spark and creativity”.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid had dismissed the obsessive attention to the disappearance of 22-year-old Gabby Petito as “missing white women syndrome”. She had asked: “Why not the same media attention when people of colour go missing?”

CNN’s Don Lemon had also suggested that the skin colour of Brian Laundrie awarded him the “privilege” of not talking to police during the investigation into her disappearance and possible death.

He said on Monday: “You ask any person of colour, you ask a Black man who â€" if they have that sort of privilege.”

Marcus wrote that: “Gabby Petito wanted to be compelling and she was. She wanted us to look and we did.”

Maroosha Muzaffar22 September 2021 06:401632287777Police open the street outside Laundrie house for the public

The authorities have reopened the street outside Brian Laundrie’s house in North Port, Florida.

On Monday, the FBI had searched the home of the 23-year-old and temporarily removed his parents from the residence.

The police had also declared the house a crime scene.

Gabby Petito’s body was found on Sunday and autopsy reports confirmed that she was a victim of homicide, the FBI said.

Mr Laundrie was reported missing by his parents last week. Since then, there have been demonstrations outside his home with protesters demanding to know his whereabouts.

He has been named a person of interest in the case by the police.

Maroosha Muzaffar22 September 2021 06:161632285813New witness claims Petito and Laundrie argued ‘aggressively’ outside Utah store last month

Gabby Petito and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie fought over a phone and “argued aggressively” outside a Utah store last month, according to a newly surfaced witness statement.

The witness, identified by his first name only â€" Chris â€" told Moab police in a statement that “something seemed off” between the couple while the couple fought in front of onlookers.

According to the witness statement, Petito is quoted asking Mr Laundrie, “why do you have to be so mean?”

He also has said that the 22-year-old YouTuber appeared to be hitting Mr Laundrie during the fight over a cellphone.

Petito’s remains were found on Sunday and the autopsy on Tuesday confirmed the identity. The FBI have said she was a victim of homicide.

Meanwhile, Mr Laundrie remains at large. Officials have said that they will resume the search for him again on Wednesday.

Maroosha Muzaffar22 September 2021 05:431632282577Police deny reports of possible capture of Brian Laundrie

The North Port Police has rubbished reports that Brian Laundrie has been captured.

In an email, the authorities said that “we have received a significant amount of requests tonight regarding a possible capture of Brian Landrie. These reports are unfortunately false.”

The police added that they will be “more than happy to let everyone know” when the missing boyfriend of 22-year-old Gabby Petito, Mr Laundrie is found.

The Florida police department spent Tuesday searching the 25,000 acres Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, looking for the boyfriend.

The department tweeted: “The current plan is to return Wednesday with a similar operation.”

The FBI on Tuesday announced that Gabby Petito was a victim of a “homicide” as a coroner confirmed the remains found at a Wyoming campsite were those of the missing YouTuber.

Maroosha Muzaffar22 September 2021 04:491632279577Petito family lawyer responds to autopsy confirmation

Richard Benson Stafford, a lawyer representing the Petito family, thanked the media on Tuesday evening for giving the family “time to grieve.”

“We will be making a statement when Gabby is home,” he said in a statement.

(Getty Images)Graeme Massie22 September 2021 03:591632276937Florida search for Brian Laundrie will start again on Wednesday

North Port Police spent Tuesday combing the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, without finding Mr Laundrie.

“The current plan is to return Wednesday with a similar operation,” the department tweeted on Tuesday evening.

Graeme Massie22 September 2021 03:151632274477Memorial for Gabby Petito at Utah spot she posted picture

Flowers and pictures have been left in a small memorial at the Monarch in Ogden, Utah, where Ms Petito posted a social media picture from before her death.

Graeme Massie22 September 2021 02:341632271508Gabby Petito’s hometown hangs ribbons in her memory

The teal ribbons, the same colour as the slain YouTuber’s eyes, have been hung in the streets of Blue Point, New York, by The Johnny Mac Foundation.

The color was chosen by Petito’s mom, Nicole Schmidt, according to Johnny Mac Foundation founder Jennifer McNamara.

Graeme Massie22 September 2021 01:45

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