59°
Steven Bertolino told Daily Voice on Thursday, Oct. 21, that "the probability was high, that it is Brian's remains" found by the FBI.
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, law enforcement authorities in Florida, including the FBI and the North Port Police, found a backpack and a notebook they believe belong to Laundrie, age 23, near the suspected remains while they were searching in the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County with Laundrie's parents.
Bertolino, of East Islip on Long Island, added that Laundrie's parents were "distraught as you can imagine."
On Wednesday, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson said items found near the suspected remains included a backpack and a notebook.
They had previously been underwater in earlier searches, McPherson said.
Laundrie, a person of interest in the murder of his late girlfriend Gabby Petito, has been missing for more than a month.
He has not been charged with the death of Petito, of Blue Point, in Suffolk County, although he was indicted for allegedly using two financial accounts that did not belong to him in the days following her killing.
The discovery comes during an exhaustive search for Laundrie as authorities try to find out what happened to 22-year-old Petito, of Blue Point, in Suffolk County -- who was found dead by strangulation after traveling around the western US in a white van this summer with Laundrie and was later reported missing.
A medical examiner arrived on the scene Wednesday, and a formal identification could take a while, the FBI said.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice North Salem and receive free news updates.
