A lawyer for the Laundrie family said Tuesday that Brain Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, The New York Post reported.
“Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families,” Attorney Steve Bertolino told The Post.
Brian Laundrie cause of death revealed https://t.co/hRFAjIRHxP pic.twitter.com/TyA6X6uWTP
— New York Post (@nypost) November 23, 2021
Laundrie, 23, and his fiancé Gabrielle Petito, 22, embarked on a cross-country road trip in July. Laundrie returned to North Port, Florida, without Petito in early September.
Laundrie was identified as a person of interest in her disappearance, but he was reported missing by his parents soon after he arrived home. They said Laundrie had gone hiking in the Carlton Reserve and never returned.
Laundrie’s skeletal remains were found in the reserve Oct. 20 after a massive manhunt.
Petito’s body was discovered Sept. 19 in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Forest. Her cause of death was ruled a homicide. Dr. Brent Blue, from the Teton County Coroner’s office, determined Petito died of strangulation roughly three to four weeks before her body was found.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, and father and stepmother, Joe and Tara Petito, started The Gabi Petito Foundation after her death, with the goal of addressing “the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons and to provide aid to organizations that assist victims of domestic violence situations, through education, awareness, and prevention strategies,” according to its website.
“I think the foundation is a way of us grieving,” Schmidt told NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa. “It’s about the changes that we can make. We can’t change the past, but we can change the future.”
“For me, it means preventing this from happening to someone else,” she said. “That’s what we’re trying to do here. And that’s justice, for me, it’s helping others.”