Brian Laundrie’s Remains Found With Handwritten Note, Photos, Revolver: Medical Examiner

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Brian Laundrie’s full autopsy and forensic reports were released by the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday, revealing new details about the items he brought with him when fleeing his family’s North Port home in September and the circumstances surrounding his death. (Read the full report below.)

Among his personal items found with his remains at the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County were a “handwritten half note,” a red hat with a Moab Coffee Roasters logo, a journal, and a wooden box with a small notebook and photos, including some of Laundrie, the documents show.

A gun — a European American Armory Windicator snub-nose revolver — with two live rounds and one spent round was also found at the scene.

Laundrie — the only person of interest in the death of his fiancée, Gabby Petito — died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the medical examiner’s office determined in November.

The medical examiner's office confirmed the identity of Laundrie's remains through dental comparison and DNA analysis.

The office also consulted with a forensic anthropologist, including skeletal reconstruction, and a forensic odontologist for dental comparison and identification to complete its investigation.

Other items found at the scene included green shorts with a green belt, two slip-on shoes, a backpack and a white metal ring, as well as camping gear including a tent and flares.

His remains, which were found in an area that had previously been under 3 feet of water when authorities first started searching for him, were "scattered" and showed signs of "post-mortem scavenging/carnivorous activity," according to the medical examiner's report.

The bones had “multiple gouging and gnawing marks,” which are “consistent with carnivores and/or omnivores including canines, such as feral dogs and coyotes, along with rodents and raccoons,” the medical examiner said. Animal bones were also found near Laundrie’s remains.

Petito, who was last heard from at the end of August 2021 while on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie, was found strangled to death near a Wyoming national park in September.

Related Stories:

• Brian Laundrie Confessed To Killing Petito In Notebook: FBI
• 'Unintentional Mistakes' By PD In Gabby Petito Utah Fight: Report
• Brian Laundrie's Parents Ask FBI For His Notebook: Report
• Parents File To Access Brian Laundrie's Estate: Court

Laundrie was reported missing Sept. 17 in North Port, Florida, where the couple — Long Island, New York natives — previously lived with his parents.

His skeletal remains, including a portion of his skull, were found Oct. 20 in the Carlton Reserve, along with several of his belongings, after more than a month of searching for him. The FBI initially used dental records to match the remains to Laundrie.

No cause of death could be determined after an Oct. 22 autopsy, and Laundrie's bones were sent to a forensic anthropologist for further examination.

After four months of investigating the disappearance and death of Petito, the FBI offered its final comments on the case in January, stating that Laundrie admitted to killing her before he died.

A notebook found near his body included written statements by Laundrie claiming responsibility for Petito's death, the FBI said.

Read Brian Laundrie's full autopsy and forensic report: