What Does The Discovery Of Brian Laundrie's Remains Mean For The Gabby Petito Case

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00:00The Denver FBI announced on October 21st that Brian Laundrie's remains were identified.

00:06The FBI's official statement noted the remains were found at the T. Mabry-Carlton Junior Memorial

00:11Reserve and Myakahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida and that, quote,

00:16"...a comparison of dental records were used to confirm Laundrie's identity."

00:20The news came nine days after Wyoming's Teton County Coroner's Office confirmed his girlfriend,

00:25at the time, Gabby Petito, was killed by strangulation. Her remains were located in

00:30Grand Teton National Park on September 19th. Following the identification, the lawyer

00:36representing Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta, made a statement. The legal representative said,

00:41according to The Washington Post,

00:43"...we have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundrie's privacy at this

00:48time."

00:48Of course, with the news about Laundrie, many want to know what this means for the Gabby Petito case.

00:53Los Angeles County Public Defender Philip Dubé exclusively theorized to Nicki Swift what

00:58happens next now that Brian Laundrie has officially been found deceased. He said,

01:03"...if theoretically the police have strong evidence Brian Laundrie is Gabby's killer,

01:07then there will be no criminal prosecution, because prosecutors cannot pursue people posthumously.

01:12A deceased person can be named a killer based on competent evidence,

01:16but that person can never be legally adjudicated the killer."

01:20He added,

01:20However, additional evidence may lead to other persons of interest in her death.

01:25Dubé also had thoughts about the investigation leading up to this point,

01:28explaining the likely reasoning behind Laundrie's lack of cooperation in the initial investigation.

01:33He shared,

01:34Brian Laundrie was not immediately questioned in the Gabby Petito disappearance because his family

01:39hired a criminal defense attorney who advised him of his right to remain silent. Undoubtedly,

01:44his counsel expressed the legal dangers associated with being interviewed by law enforcement and the

01:49irreversible pitfalls of making any misstatements. In response to the public frustration, Dubé concluded,

01:56"...our constitution provides protective safeguards to anyone in the United States

02:00with whom the police want to talk. No matter what familial or public pressure may be expressed,

02:05the right not to talk attaches to anyone who is on the police radar."

02:09After the FBI announcement that Brian Laundrie's remains were found, there was an outpouring of

02:14sympathy for the family of Gabby Petito, the murder victim. One Twitter user replied,

02:19I hope that you are still able to find some closure and justice for Gabby and her family.

02:23Another tweeted,

02:24Prayers for Gabby's family. I wish they could have had more closure to this sad situation.

02:29Many are angry at Laundrie's parents, too. One person penned,

02:32Please remember that hashtag justiceforgabby also means holding his parents accountable for what they

02:38knew or didn't know or how they held up this case, even if the coward is dead. Someone else argued,

02:44No parent should lose a child, but I don't feel for them at all for several reasons.

02:48They could have stopped this. They could have shown even the slightest bit of empathy to Gabby's

02:52family. You know who I feel bad for? Brian's sister and her kids.

02:56Of course, it's important to note authorities haven't named Laundrie as Petito's killer as of this

03:01writing, and that his parents haven't been charged with any crimes. In the aftermath of their

03:05unspeakable tragedy, Gabby Petito's loved ones are trying to help other families.

03:10On September 28th, BuzzFeed reported that Petito's parents and step-parents

03:14held a press conference to thank the people who tried to help them find their daughter,

03:18as well as announce the launch of the Gabby Petito Foundation.

03:22Petito's stepfather, Jim Schmidt, said,

03:24We're just hoping that through our tragedy of losing Gabby that in the future that some good can

03:29come out of it, that we can help other people that may be in a similar situation.

03:33According to the Foundation's website, their mission is to, quote,

03:36address the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons and provide aid to

03:41organizations that assist victims of domestic violence situations through education, awareness,

03:47and prevention strategies. The organization's mission statement continues,

03:52We wish to turn our personal tragedy into a positive. It is our hope that Gabby's Foundation

03:57will bring these important issues into the forefront of the public eye to the benefit of all our

04:01communities. As Gabby's dad, Joseph Petito, said on September 19th when her body was located,

04:07she touched the world.

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