The search for Gabby Petito led to the Tuesday discovery of a Texas man’s body in Wyoming, just miles away from the location where Petito’s remains were discovered.
Authorities discovered the body of 46-year-old Robert “Bob” Lowery, a father of two from Houston, who was last seen in Bridger-Teton National Forest on Aug. 20, according to a Teton County Search and Rescue news release. A search dog discovered Lowery’s remains on a slope located at the Black Canyon Trail around 1 p.m.
The cause of death is currently unknown and is under investigation, according to the report.
Lowery went missing about 40 miles away from where authorities found the remains of 22-year-old Petito on Sept. 19, according to The New York Post. Lowery traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Aug. 19, where footage reportedly captured him eating at a restaurant in Teton Village. The father was last seen the following day carrying a black duffel bag, sleeping bag and tent on the Black Canyon Trail, CNN reported.
Petito’s family declared her missing on Sept. 11 after her former fiancé, Brian Laundrie, returned from a cross-country trip without her. Authorities continue to search for Laundrie. (RELATED: ‘We’ve Gotten Over A Thousand Leads’: Dog The Bounty Hunter Joins Search For Gabby Petito’s Former Fiancé)
Authorities say national attention on the Gabby Petito case helped locate 46-year-old Robert “Bob” Lowery, who vanished in Bridger-Teton National Forest last month. #Datelinehttps://t.co/f2VzaLtHwV pic.twitter.com/NubOqIb2Yy
— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) September 29, 2021
The nationally-covered Petito case prompted at least two new leads as to Lowery’s possible whereabouts, according to the report. The Teton County Sheriff’s Office reportedly said there is no indication that the deaths are connected.
“The Teton County Sheriff’s Office informed our family this afternoon that the Search and Rescue Team located a body that fits the description of our son, Robert “Bob” Lowery near Black Canyon Trail. We await the Teton County, WY coroner’s report,” Lowery’s family reportedly said in a statement.
“Bob has been a wonderful father, son, brother and friend,” Lowery’s family continued. “Our family wants to thank the news media and others involved in the search for our privacy at this difficult time.”