Brian Laundrie died of self-inflicted gunshot wound, medical examiner confirms

An attorney representing the family of Brian Laundrie told reporters Tuesday that the 23-year-old died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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Authorities found Laundrie’s remains last month in a Florida nature reserve amid a weeks-long search for him. Earlier, he had been named a person of interest in the death of his fiancee, 22-year-old Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito.

Update 11:34 p.m. EST Nov. 23: Florida’s District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed late Tuesday via a news release that Laundrie died by suicide.

“The cause of death has been determined to be a gunshot wound of the head,” the news release stated, noting that the “manner of death has been determined to be suicide.”

Update 1:35 p.m. EST Nov. 23: In a statement obtained by WWSB-TV, attorney Steven Bertolino said that Brian Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, “have been informed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide.”

“Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families,” he said, according to WWSB.

Authorities did not immediately confirm the findings.

Original report: An attorney representing the family of Brian Laundrie told reporters Tuesday that an update on his cause of death could be released by Wednesday.

Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino previously told WFLA that medical examiners were unable to determine Laundrie’s cause of death and that his remains were subsequently sent to a forensic anthropologist for review.

On Tuesday, Bertolino told WWSB-TV that the results of the review could be coming “today or tomorrow.” He added that updates would likely come from him and from police, WFLA reported.

I asked Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino whether the update on the examination of #BrianLaundrie's remains will come from him or law enforcement. He believes both.

The final autopsy results could be announced in the hours ahead. Info expected today or tomorrow. @WFLA
— JB Biunno #HeyJB (@WFLAJB) November 23, 2021

Officials found Laundrie’s remains Oct. 20 during a search of an area that had previously been underwater in the Carlton Reserve and the adjacent Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Sarasota County, Florida. The FBI confirmed his identity through dental records.

Authorities had been searching for Laundrie for weeks after police said his parents reported him missing on Sept. 17. At the time, officials were also looking for Petito, who vanished in August during a cross-country road trip with Laundrie.

Petito’s remains were found Sept. 19 in a remote part of Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest. A medical examiner later determined that she died of manual strangulation.

After the discovery, federal authorities in Wyoming issued a warrant for Laundrie’s arrest, accusing him of using Petito’s debit card “on or about Aug. 30″ through Sept. 1. He was not charged with any other crimes related to Petito’s death.

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