By Steve Neavling
The body found in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming is Gabby Petito’s, a 22-year-old Florida woman who was reported missing earlier this month after a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, the FBI confirmed Tuesday.
Teton County Coroner Brent Blue said her death was likely a homicide, but the final determination is pending complete autopsy results.
“The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms. Petito’s death is held accountable for their actions,” the FBI’s Denver Field Office said in a statement Tuesday. “Mr. Brian Laundrie has been named a person of interest. Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI.”
FBI agents executed a search warrant Monday at the home of Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend who returned from the trip without Petito and has refused to cooperate with authorities.
Laundrie, who has been named a person of interest in the case, was last seen on Sept. 14, and the FBI is urging anyone who knows about his whereabouts to contact the bureau.
His family said he packed a backpack and told them he was going for a hike at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Law enforcement has been searching the preserve and nearby areas.
