Discovery of human remains ‘shows fugitive’s parents WERE helping cops with search’, ex-prosecutor says

THE discovery of human remains in the search for Brian Laundrie could show that the fugitive's parents were helping authorities all along and were not aiding their son's escape, a former federal prosecutor has said. 

In a statement to The Sun, Neama Rahmani, said that if the remains turn out to be Laundrie's body, his parents Chris and Roberta will likely be vindicated - despite angry protesters and commentators claiming they have been obstructing justice.

Laundrie’s parents were present at the nature reserve for the discovery on Wednesday.

They have faced harsh criticism with many people speculating they were involved in their son’s disappearance.

“The fact they may have led investigators to their son's possessions and possibly his remains - that all undercuts the argument that they were aiding and abetting his escape,” Rahmani said.

Rahmani added: “That leads me to believe they’ve been cooperative and not the other way around.”

The Laundrie family lawyer, Steven Bertolino, said after Wednesday's discovery: “Chris and Roberta will wait for the forensic identification of the human remains before making any additional comments.”

FBI Tampa Special Agent Michael McPherson said that Carlton Reserve will remain closed as the investigation continues.

Human remains were found along with items belonging to Brian Laundrie, according to the FBI. The remains have not been confirmed to be him at this time. 

Teams are expected to remain on the ground for several days and a no-fly zone has been put in place over the area.

Rahmani believes that the remains found likely belong to Laundrie "unless he was trying to plant evidence next to someone else’s remains to throw law enforcement off his tracks.

If the remains are identified as Laundrie it’s likely he was killed by an animal or another person or he committed suicide, said Rahmani adding that Laundrie's death would make it more difficult to get to the bottom of this case,”

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“All signs point to Brian Laundrie,” said Rahmani who believes the 23-year-old had a role in Gabby's murder. "I’m sure Gabby Petito's family wants some sort of closure, but if Brian Laundrie is dead, this is as good as it’s going to get."

In the event of Laundrie's possible death, Rahmani believes law enforcement should hold a press conference disclosing all information that was withheld.

"That's really the extent of their obligation, law enforcement will have to move on to other cases."

While never named a suspect in the death of fiancée Gabby Petito, Laundrie was wanted by authorities for questioning.

Gabby was reported missing by her parents on September 11 and her remains were found days later on September 19. An official autopsy found that the cause of death was homicide via strangulation.