Brian Laundrie update – Autopsy reveals suicide as cause of death of Gabby Petito’s fiancé as family hopes for ‘closure’

BRIAN LAUNDRIE'S FATHER HUGGED BY WELL-WISHER

Brian Laundrie's father was hugged by a well-wisher who tailed him back to his home to tell him his son's death was a "tragedy" that they "could see from both sides."

In a strange video clip uploaded by a Youtuber couple who operate the account "From Bridgeport to North Port", the pair appeared to be driving aimlessly around North Port in search of Chris.

Uploaded on November 14, the vloggers are first seen driving past the Laundries' home, exclaiming: "the pickup's gone - to the reserve let's go, let's go, let's go!"

BRIAN LAUNDRIE BUFFET, CONTINUED

The pictures were shared in several Gabby Petito Facebook groups, sparking a flurry of both positive and negative comments.

One person asked: “Did your kid have fun? That’s all the matters! I think it’s very creative.”

Another commented: “It’s funny for Halloween but idt that’s a great theme for a first birthday. She might look back on that when she is older and be like wtf (sic).”

However, the theme of the birthday party was also slammed by some furious users online.

One posted: “I could understand the skeleton/Halloween theme but trying to poke fun of a situation like Gabby and Brian’s is completely unacceptable.”

DAD THROWS BRIAN LAUNDRIE-THEMED BUFFET FOR DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY

A father threw a Brian Laundrie themed buffet party as he celebrated his daughter's first birthday and uploaded photos on social media.

Pictures uploaded to Facebook show a skeleton lying on a table that’s been covered in pancetta.

Gummy worms appear to be in the skeleton’s eyeballs and mouth and there is a selection of cheese and crackers scattered on a black tablecloth.

The name “Brian Laundrie” was also written on a black chalkboard standing next to the skeleton.

Posting in an Aldi-themed Facebook group, Jack Bersch said: “We did this with Aldi food for my daughter’s first birthday."

“If you don’t like it that’s fine. We all thought it was funny and I would understand if I’m no longer a part of this group tomorrow morning.”

JOKERS DRESS UP AS BRIAN AND DOG

Some trolls decided to pair up and dress as Brian and Dog the Bounty Hunter, after supposedly being inspired by the bounty hunter’s well-documented search for the fugitive.

Pictures shared on social media show people posing as Dog pretending to have caught Brian.

TROLLS DRESS UP AS BRIAN FOR HALLOWEEN

Social media trolls shared photos of themselves dressed up as Brian Laundrie for Halloween this year.

Others have gone as far as to put up distasteful decorations.

The nationwide search for Brian came to an end on October 21, when his remains were identified after being located by authorities at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.

GABBY PETITO TIMELINE

‘LUDICROUS’ CLAIMS

The Laundrie’s attorney, Steven Bertolino,  to express his anger at the accusations that the Laundrie’s planted their son’s remains.

“Do you really think the Laundries had skeletal remains of their son, you know, in a plastic bag and brought them to present to the [Carlton Reserve]?” he said.

“Do you realize how ludicrous that is, how aggravating, how maddening it is to even hear those things?”

WHAT DID GABBY’S DAD JOE PETITO SAY AT HER FUNERAL, CONTINUED

“And she’s inspired a lot of women and a lot of men to do what’s best for them first. Put yourself first and do it now while you have the time. I couldn’t be more proud as a father,” he added.

Joe also warned women in toxic relationships to “leave now” so that way this tragedy does not happen to them.

Just days after, the family then held a press conference, where Nicole showed off matching tattoos that were designed by Gabby prior to her death.

On October 3, 2021, Gabby’s family announced that they had launched the Gabby Petito Foundation in honor of their late daughter.

WHAT DID GABBY’S DAD JOE PETITO SAY AT HER FUNERAL?

On September 26, the family held a memorial service for Gabby to lay her to rest following the autopsy results.

At the service, Joe said that he wanted people to be “inspired” by the life she embodied.

“So when you leave here today, be inspired by what she brought to the table because the entire planet knows this woman’s name now,” he said.

QUESTIONS REMAIN, CONTINUED

Six days later, on Sept. 19, Gabby's remains were found at a campsite near Grand Teton National Park.

A five-week nationwide search for Laundrie then ensued. While he wasn't named as a suspect in her death a warrant was issued for his arrest on allegations of bank fraud.

That search came to an end on October 20 after skeletal remains were found in Myakkahatchee Creek Park, which is adjacent to the Carlton Reserve, in Sarasota County, Florida.

QUESTIONS REMAIN

Brian quietly returned home to Florida alone on September 1, failing to alert police or Gabby’s family that she was missing.

Gabby was eventually reported missing by her mother in New York on September 11. That came after 10 days of allegedly being stonewalled by Brian and his parents about where her daughter was.

Brian then vanished himself on September 13, telling his parents he was going hiking in the Carlton Reserve. They described him as being "upset" and "out of sorts" when he left their home for the last time.

HOW LONG WAS BRIAN MISSING?

Laundrie vanished from his parents’ home on September 13, the family’s lawyer confirmed. Gabby’s remains were discovered in rural Wyoming on September 19.

On Thursday, September 23, the FBI issued a warrant for Laundrie’s arrest, claiming he “used unauthorized debit cards after Gabby Petito’s death.”

His remains were found on October 20 and identified on October 21, almost one month after the warrant for his arrest was issued.

GABBY’S FINAL TEXT

Gabby’s mother believes that her daughter’s last text wasn’t written by the late vlogger. 

The message was sent to Nichole Schmidt on August 30 when Gabby and fiancé Brian Laundrie were still on their cross-country road trip.

The mysterious text read: “No service in Yosemite”

Yosemite is about 800 miles away from Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming where Gabby’s remains were eventually found.

It’s unclear if Gabby was the one who sent the message, but the FBI has pinpointed her date of death to between August 27 to 30.

GABBY’S WEDDING PLANS

The 22-year-old vlogger had mapped out several design schemes and alfresco ideas for her nuptials on her Pinterest page in an album poignantly titled “Life goals.”

The curated collection of images, which include photos of outdoor ceremonies and beachfront banquets, is shared with Brian Laundrie, his mother Roberta, and a fourth account by the name of “PinJunkeeMama.”

A sub-folder within the album, titled “Oh Baby” and shared between the same four people, indicates that Gabby and Laundrie may have been planning to eventually have a child together.

SHERIFF SAYS BRIAN LIKELY KILLED HIMSELF

A Florida sheriff revealed that Brian likely took his own life, as authorities were desperately searching for the fugitive’s fiancé, Gabby Petito.

The  reported that Sarasota County Kurt Hoffman said Laundrie went out to the preserve ‘and by all accounts probably committed suicide.’

SLEUTHS CLAIM BRIAN ‘CHASED’ GABBY BEFORE STRANGLING HER

Some web sleuths claim that Brian Laundrie “chased” his fiancée Gabby Petito before strangling her in the wilderness after an alleged fight in a restaurant.

Gabby is believed to have been last seen alive with her fiancé at the Merry Piglets Tex-Mex café in Jackson, Wyoming on August 27.

One Facebook sleuth posted: “How did Gabby’s remains end up where they did? I was wondering if he was chasing her to that spot after getting into a battle royale after Merry Piglets.”

“Some people said they camped there. Why would they pick that as a camping spot?”

'HER FINAL RESTING PLACE'

Gabby's family traveled to Wyoming where her remains were found near Grand Teton National Park on September 19.

"It almost felt like her home. Her final resting place," Gabby's mom, Mrs Schmidt, told Dr Oz on a recent episode of the show featuring Gabby's parents and step-parents.

"Such a beautiful, peaceful place to be. And we went there to bring her home and that’s what we did."

DID BRIAN USE GABBY’S WATER BOTTLE FOR AN OVERDOSE?

Some online sleuths think Brian Laundrie used Gabby Petito’s water bottle to mix a cocktail of drugs before he overdosed.

After the results of a preliminary autopsy came back inconclusive, wild theories about Laundrie’s death continue to run rampant.

Hikers discovered a Nalgene water bottle thought to match one that belonged to Gabby days after police found bone fragments in the Florida wilderness.

One web sleuth suggested: “I don’t know why people assume the water bottle is not important. Maybe it contained an overdose of drugs mixed with water as his method of death.”

Another commented: “I think it’s important to Gabby’s case as in: it was her bottle, and Brian took it, why? He knew she wouldn’t need it anymore. He knew she was dead.”

However, there is no evidence that Laundrie overdosed.

LAUNDRIE FAMILY ATTORNEY INSISTS ‘NO DEAL WAS CUT’

Web sleuths have similarly speculated Laundrie’s parents “made a deal” with the FBI to reveal what they know about where the location of his body might be on the condition they were free from prosecution.

In a TV interview, Steven Bertolino, the lawyer for Laundrie’s family, said “conversations were had with respect to certain charges” insisted “no deal was cut” after claims were put to him.

But internet detectives believe there were “clearly negotiations” that they claim led to Laundrie’s parents telling authorities information related to where their son’s body was – in exchange for immunity from being prosecuted.

WHERE WAS GABBY'S BODY FOUND?

On September 19, 2021, authorities in announced a body was found in the area where the search for Petito had been underway.

The Petito lawyer later confirmed on September 21, that the body was identified as Gabby.

The remains were discovered in Grant Teton National Park, where she had been camping with her fiancé when she disappeared.

"I want to personally thank the press and news media for giving the Petito and Schmidt family time to grieve," lawyer Richard Stafford said in a statement. "We will be making a statement when Gabby is home. I will contact you to arrange a time and location."

SLEUTHS BELIEVE BRIAN WANTED TO CONVINCE PEOPLE HE WAS ‘INSANE’

Sleuths on the internet wildly claim that Brian Laundrie tried to convince the world he was “clinically insane” with his artwork and chilling messages.

Online “detectives” dug up a series of dark comic book drawings the 23-year-old made and had a lot to say about them.

One artwork posted to his Instagram page in July 2020 shows a skeleton that appears to have blood gushing from it, with the figure’s arms stretched outwards and the character seemingly screaming.

One sleuth claimed: “He’s just trying to make everyone he’s clinically insane. Truly he’s just a psychopath.”

Another posted: “This is so creepy, what a freak.”

BRIAN LAUNDRIE TIMELINE

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT COULD OFFER ANSWERS

Paul Belli, of the International Homicide Investigations Association, told The Sun Brian and Gabby’s online activity could offer clues.

He said: “When you look at what an average download on a phone is, it’s thousands of pages when you actually put it into a PDF. While it’s fairly searchable by keywords, there’s a lot of sitting there minute-for-minute reading.”

Belli added that cops will have “gathered mountains of video footage” but warned it could take months to trawl through.

WAS THE KILLER’S DNA FOUND ON GABBY’S BODY?

Paul Belli, an ex-lieutenant of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, thinks Gabby’s killer could have left DNA on her body.

He told : “You would expect DNA on either one of them from the other. But I mean, if there’s DNA maybe where it shouldn’t be, that could be kind of a clue as to what may have occurred.

“So there are ways to absolutely, at least get you to a point where you’re like ‘Ok this definitely makes sense, this is the person who did this crime.”

A preliminary autopsy stated the manner of her death was homicide before coroners revealed her cause of death.

BUTTERFLY LINK?

Internet sleuths had already alleged that Petito's interest in butterflies could offer clues to her disappearance.

A TikTok video published to the site previously highlighted how 22-year-old Petito used butterflies across her social media, before showing a clip of Laundrie discussing flies to the cops.

Laundrie - who was found dead last month after being named a "person of interest" in the investigation into Gabby's death - says to police in the video, "and the flies here are pretty intense, so the flies have definitely been getting to her".

One person commented on the video, claiming: "I think sometimes butterflies can be used as a signal that someone is experiencing or survived domestic abuse."