Brian Laundrie's Parents 'Not Convinced' Yet That Skeletal Remains Found at Florida Park Belong to Son
Brian Laundrie's parents were "not convinced" yet that the skeletal remains found in a Florida park belong to their son, a family lawyer said as the public waits for answers.
But Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, noted that Christopher and Roberta Laundrie do, however, concede there's a "strong chance" that the remains are those of Brian, The Sun reported.
Bertolino said they are just waiting for the identification results to come back. The initial autopsy of Laundrie's remains did not uncover a cause or manner of his death.
Bertolino on Monday said he was told by police the autopsy by the Sarasota County medical examiner did not produce concrete results on Laundrie's death. He noted that the remains of Gabby Petito's fiance were already sent to a forensic anthropologist for further examination.
Meanwhile, Bertolino said it was "common sense" to believe that it was Laundrie's remains that were discovered in a swampy area of the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida on October 20.
He noted that Laundrie's belongings were found near the remains in an area of the park that his parents knew her frequented.
Experts said the state of decomposition of Laundrie's body was found in could make determining his cause of death impossible.
Retired NYPD commander Tom Joyce noted that if the remains are skeletal, it would mean that the tissue has been pulled away from the bones.
Joyce said the tissue could be pulled away by alligators, crabs, and fish, among others. The retired NYPD commander added that this is what he believes happened since it's not long enough time for the flesh to go naturally.
"If it's only a three to four week period and there are only skeletal remains and very limited tissue remaining. I would have to say there's a lot of activity that pulls the skin and flesh and stuff away," he noted.
Brian Laundrie Is Likely Dead for Weeks
Police admitted that Brian Laundrie was probably already dead when officers had mistaken him with his mother the night he disappeared.
Police watching the Laundrie family home had witnessed Gabby Petito's fiance left on September 11 through surveillance cameras, including one disguised as a trash can at a neighbor's house.
At the time, police said they could not keep Laundrie from leaving since he was only a person of interest in the case of Petito's disappearance.
On the evening of September 13, police watching the Laundrie home through hidden cameras thought they saw the young Laundrie pulled up to the property in his Ford Mustang. But police eventually admitted that what they really saw was his mother wearing Laundrie's baseball cap.
"I believe it was it was his mom who was wearing a baseball cap... They had returned from the park with that Mustang," North Port Police Department spokesperson Josh Taylor told WINK on Monday.
"Who does that? Like, if you think your son's missing since Tuesday, you're going to bring his car back to the home... It didn't make sense that anyone would do that if he wasn't there. So the individual getting out with a baseball cap we thought was Brian," Taylor noted.
Since Laundrie's remains were found, police speculated that he was already dead when the mistake happened. Taylor blamed the blunder on the family's lack of cooperation early on in the investigation.
Internet Sleuths Suspect Brian Laundrie Called Parents to Tell Where to Find His Body
Internet sleuths claimed that Brian Laundrie called his parents to tell them where to find his body before he killed himself. They were dubious that his remains were found by accident, according to another The Sun report.
One Twitter user said: "What if he called his parents and told them he could not go on and took his own life." Another user believed that Laundrie's parents may have had something to do with their son's death, adding that his parents "were too calm during the whole situation."
One person posted on Facebook that Laundrie's parents could have easily bought real human bones from a site, implying that the elder Laundries could have planted their son's remains.
After a month-long manhunt for their son, the elder Laundries directed the North Port police and FBI agents to the area where the human remains and "some articles" belonging to Laundrie were found.
But Bertolino disputed claims that the elder Laundries could have planted their son's remains and personal items, calling it "ludicrous."
"Do you really think that the Laundries has skeletal remains of their son, you know, in a plastic bag, and brought them to present to the [Carlton Reserve]," Bertolino told NewsNation Prime.
He added: "Do you realize how ludicrous that is... How aggravating, how maddening it is to even hear those things?"
Bertolino then said that both Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's parents are grieving the loss of their children, adding that anyone with a child or a "sense of humanity" can understand the frustration both families feel.
Gabby Petito disappeared on a cross-country road trip with Brian Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when the YouTuber stopped communicating with her family in Wyoming in late August.
Laundrie was named a person of interest by North Port police after returning home on September 1 or 10 days before Petito was reported missing by her family.
Gabby Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19. A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said she was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.
READ MORE : Brian Laundrie Manhunt: Parents of Gabby Petito's Fiancé Change the Date of Florida Fugitive's Disappearance
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Florida Authorities: Mistakes Were Made in Brian Laundrie Investigation - From 23 ABC News | KERO
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