The discovery comes following a five-week manhunt for Laundrie. His parents told police they had not seen him since mid-September, when he reportedly went for a hike in the reserve but never came back.
Laundrie was the former fiancé of Gabby Petito. Over the summer, the couple went on a cross-country road trip, which they documented on social media. But on Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his family’s home in Florida alone.
Petito’s family reported her missing on Sept. 11 and a search began. About a week later, on Sept. 19, the FBI announced that human remains consistent with the description of Petito had been found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue later confirmed the remains were Petito’s and ruled her manner of death to be a homicide. On Oct. 12, the coroner listed her cause of death as strangulation and estimated her time of death to be three to four weeks before her body was found. He also confirmed Petito was not pregnant at the time of her death.
Laundrie was named a person of interest, not a suspect, in the case of Petito’s disappearance. He was also charged with unauthorized use of a debit card, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.