How Brian Laundrie search saw 16 agencies, drones & choppers hunt him – but fell short until parents showed up at park
THE weeks-long, 16-agency manhunt for Brian Laundrie that included drones, choppers, and high-tech equipment couldn't locate the fugitive - but his parents found their son's belongings in less than two hours.
Chris Laundrie stumbled upon his backpack and notebook while he was reportedly away from law enforcement within 90 minutes on Wednesday, while officers later found human remains in the vicinity.
Cops combed through the alligator and insect-infested swap of the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park near the Carlton Reserve in for any signs of Brian.
Multiple agencies led by the have been using dive teams, cadaver dogs, infrared cameras, sonar, among other search tools to search for Laundrie.
But it was his father who found the white plastic bag and a black object believed to be Laundrie's - just 24 hours after the park was reopened to the public.
The remains haven't been positively identified as Brian, but Laundrie's family lawyer Steve Bertolino said there's a "strong possibility" that they are his but noted that the family would wait for forensics to confirm.
There's no definitive timeline for when the remains will be identified, but it could be as early as this week.
The fugitive's mom, Roberta Laundrie, could be seen wiping a tear from her husband's face as they helped cops with the search.
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The unexpected finding may exonerate Brian’s parents, who have been accused of helping their son escape and evade law enforcement, or raise further suspicion.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told The Sun that the evidence may have been planted to confuse law enforcement - though he said it's not likely his parents did it.
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"Law enforcement found a backpack and notebook, that’s key evidence," he said.
"It’s certainly likely that those human remains they found belong to Brian Laundrie, unless he was trying to plant evidence next to someone else’s remains to throw law enforcement off his tracks."
Bertolino has denied accusations that the evidence was planted.
He called it "hogwash" during a Wednesday interview on CNN.
Brian has been on the run since September 13, two days after his girlfriend was reported missing by her mother in New York.
Her remains were discovered at a campsite in Teton County, Wyoming on September 19.
GABBY'S DEATH
A coroner later ruled that she had been strangled to death by a "human force" and that she'd been killed between three to four weeks before she was found.
The pair had been on a cross-country road trip touring the US' national parks at the time of Gabby's death.
Brian has not been named as a suspect but is the only named person of interest in the case.
He returned home to Florida without her on September 1 in the couple's repurposed van before disappearing himself 12 days later.
Brian's parents initially claimed to have last seen him on September 14 but later revised that date in a statement issued through their attorney.
After finally reporting him missing on September 17, they told police they had driven to the reserve in search of him.
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While they say they didn't find Brian, they did find his silver Ford Mustang and drove it back to their home before contacting the cops the next day.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie are not currently facing any charges in relation to the case.
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