Brian Laundrie’s parents pictured for first time since son’s suicide ruling as they’re seen in woods where remains found
BRIAN Laundrie's parents have been pictured for the first time since their son's suicide ruling as the pair walked in the woods where his remains were found.
Exclusive pictures obtained by The Sun show Chris and Roberta back out in the woods of the Myakkatchee Creek Reservation on Tuesday over a month after they found a white bag filled with their fugitive son's items.
The couple were pictured carrying a backpack as they marched into the same campgrounds that investigators and volunteers intensely combed through during the search for , 23.
Following a three-hour morning journey deep into the backcountry, Chris and Robert reemerged, holding hands as they walked back to their car.
It's the first time Chris and Roberta have been pictured since an autopsy deemed their son's death a suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
The suicide revelation came more than a month after Laundrie's skeletal remains were found in 's Carlton Reserve on October 20.
The same day the 23-year-old's remains were located, Chris and Roberta joined police in a search of Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, which is adjacent to Carton Reserve.
At the time, Chris and Roberta were seen moving in and out of areas of the brush before separating for roughly 12 minutes when Chris led the two men into the bush on the left side of a trail.
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He returned without the cops, and the couple continued.
A video captured by Fox showed Chris wading through another patch of bushes while Roberta was seen motionless in the middle of a trail, staring off in the opposite direction.
The video then cuts to Chris holding the white bag while speaking to Roberta out of earshot from police.
They were seen putting a dark object inside the bag before handing it over to the officers.
The couple reportedly made a phone call and then received a call before Chris and Roberta were seen talking with the officer in footage in which Laundrie's dad appeared to shed a tear after being told, "I think we found something."
They then left the park at 8.45am less than 90 minutes after arriving.
It was later revealed that police had found human remains near a backpack and notebook belonging to the 23-year-old fugitive.
MISSING HANDGUN
On November 23, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino revealed to The Sun that Laundrie's cause of death was suicide.
"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," Bertolino added.
Laundrie's parents had reportedly discovered a handgun was missing from their collection when they voluntarily surrendered all of their firearms to police on September 17.
The weapon was reportedly missing from its case; however, according to Bertolino, the discovery was made when officers from the and North Port Police Department were inside the home.
When pressed as to why information about the missing gun wasn't disclosed publicly, Berolino told The Sun both he and law enforcement agreed it was "best for that information to not be public."
"Imagine, with the frenzied atmosphere at the time, if the public thought Brian had a gun," he said.
"I cannot speak to why [police] did not reveal the info, but we spoke about it at the time and I believe they felt as I did."
Bertolino said he "does not know" if the weapon was recovered by police "near Laundrie's remains or among his possessions."
The FBI has been contacted for comment on Bertolino's remarks.
The autopsy revealed that the investigation included using information from the scene response, an examination of the skeletal remains, a DNA and dental comparison, and consultation with a forensic odontologist and anthropologist.
GABBY STRANGLED TO DEATH
Laundrie was never charged or publicly named as a suspect in relation to Petito's death; however, he was the sole person of interest in the case.
A warrant was issued for his arrest days after his disappearance for alleged bank fraud after he reportedly racked up charges of more than $1000 on a bank card belonging to in the days after she's believed to have been killed.
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The remains of Gabby, 22, were found in a campsite near Wyoming's Grand Teton Nation Park on September 19.
An autopsy found that she had been strangled to death by a "human force" between three and four weeks earlier.
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