Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman says Brian Laundrie wanted in connection to the homicide death of girlfriend Gabby Petito probably committed suicide. The wanted fugitive’s cause of death has yet to be determined.
The sheriff in the Florida county where Brian Laundrie’s remains were found has shared how he thinks the fugitive likely died, according to a report.
Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman in a statement during a panel with law enforcement leaders said he believes Laundrie died by suicide according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Hoffman said Laundrie went out to the nature reserve where his remains were discovered and ‘by all accounts probably committed suicide.’
Laundrie’s cause of death has not yet been announced.
His remains were found by law enforcement in the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County on Wednesday, Oct. 20.
Dental records confirm found human remains are those of Brian Laundrie along with wet notebook FBI hope to salvage https://t.co/2KMcysnnoO #BrianLaundrieMissing #BrianLaundrie #Gabby Petito #GabbyPetito #justiceforgabbypetito #GABBYPETITO #findbrianlaundrie #gabrielle petito
— Scallywagandvagabond (@ScallywagNYC) October 21, 2021
Killed self or was prey for wildlife?
‘That guy went out there and by all accounts probably committed suicide and he was right out there where we thought he was,’ Hoffman added. ‘There was four feet of water out there at the time.’
Social media users have given their theories as to what happened to the fugitive fiance of murdered Gabby Petito – with some believing that Laundrie was eaten by an alligator via memes.
One user on Twitter wrote: “Brian Laundrie may be gator food.”
Another wrote: “I would like to shake the alligator’s hand that ate Brian Laundrie…”
Laundrie’s parents had reported their son missing on Friday, Sept. 17, saying they hadn’t seen the 23-year-old in days.
Laundrie had been named a person of interest in the homicide of his 22-year-old fiancée, Gabby Petito, of Blue Point in Suffolk County.
Petito went missing in August while traveling across the country with Laundrie in her van.
On Wednesday, Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his parents’ home in Petito’s van, without his missing fiancée.
Her family reported her missing on Saturday, Sept. 11, and her remains were found eight days later in a Wyoming nature reserve.
The Teton County coroner said she was strangled to death.