Attorney Richard Stafford, in a statement issued after officials revealed Petito’s fiancé,Brian Laundrie, haddied from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, noted that federal authorities as well as prosecutors in Wyoming have asked that he and Petito’s parents and stepparents withhold comment on the case.
Laundrie was never charged with Petito’s death or disappearance, though he was named a person of interest in the case. A suspect for those crimes has not been named.
On Tuesday, five weeks after his remains were discovered in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, authorities confirmed Laundrie, 23, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
An initial autopsyproduced inconclusive resultslast month. The remains were subsequently transferred to an anthropologist for additional analysis.
“Chris and Roberta [Laundrie] are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families,” Steven Bertolino, the lawyer for Laundrie’s parents, told PEOPLE in a statement.
The couple had spent the summer traveling across the country in a white van together,documenting their adventures on YouTubealong the way — but on Sept. 1, Laundrie quietly returned to his parents' Florida home without Petito.
Ten days later, her family reported her missing.
For the first week of Petito’s missing persons investigation, the Laundrie family refused to cooperate with authorities, directing all questions to their attorney, police said.
A week after the Petito case began, the Laundrie family spoke to the FBI for the first time — but not to talk about Petito.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
The FBI and local Florida authorities quickly launched a search for Laundrie in the 25,000-acre nature preserve, wading waist-deep throughsnake- and alligator-infested swampsin some areas. (The Carlton Reserve is connected to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where his remains were found.)
While police were trying to locate Laundrie in Florida, separate search teams continued looking for Petito in Wyoming, where she was last seen.
Days later, even as his whereabouts remained unknown, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued awarrant for Laundrie’s arrestin relation to activities that occurred after Petito’s death. The FBI revealed that a federal grand jury charged him with using an unauthorized debit card with intent to fraud.
The discovery of Laundrie’s body ended a 32-day search involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
source: people.com
