Human remains discovered at Carlton Reserve in Florida were confirmed via dental records to be those of Brian Laundrie, the FBI announced on Thursday the 21st. Laundrie, who was seen September 13th, was the subject of a national manhunt after the suspicious disappearance of his girlfriend Gabby Petito while on a cross-country road trip. 

Petito’s body was found earlier this month in an area of Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest. A Wyoming coroner ruled Petito’s cause of death to be strangulation.

The story of Petito’s disappearance has been of national interest due to the popularity of “van living,” a trend wherein young adults looking to avoid the extreme costs of the current housing market opt instead to live in a converted van or small bus. Laundrie and Petito shared a Youtube channel where they had begun documenting their van travels after setting off for their trip from North Port, Florida in June 2021. 

Over the course of the trip, the couple was involved in a domestic disturbance on August 12th in Moab, Utah. Moab police separated the pair for the evening. Petitio was last heard from on August 30th, when she texted her mother to let her know that she would not have cell phone service for a while. 

On September 1st, Laundrie returned to Florida without Petitio. Petito was reported missing on the 11th. 

Although Laundrie had not been charged in relation to Petito’s disapperence nor murder, he was still considered a person of interest as he was likely one of the last people to see Petito alive. “Two people went on a trip, and one person returned,” North Port Police chief Todd Garrison said in September.

The investigation into the deaths of both individuals is ongoing.