Internet obsessives scour Florida reserve for Laundrie clues showcasing possible ‘gator bones’ on social media
A water bottle that appears identical to Gabby Petito’s was also found in the park
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Your support makes all the difference.After the partial skeletal remains of Brian Laundrie were found in a park connected to the Carlton Reserve, internet-obsessed sleuths have been scouring the area searching for additional clues.
Mr Laundrie was the person of interest in the disappearance and death of his fiancé, Gabby Petito. Ms Petito's body was found on 19 September and was ruled a homicide from manual strangulation. Mr Laundrie's remains were found just over a month later on 20 October. The Sarasota County medical examiner used dental records to confirm the skeletal remains were those of Mr Laundrie.
One woman, whose Twitter name is just "Olivia”, claimed she found bones 60 yards from the spot where Mr Laundrie's remains were located. She shared imaged of the bones, which included long spikes along their edges.
Users responded to her post claiming the bones were from an alligator or a deer, with at last two people who claimed to be medical workers rejecting the idea that the bones were human.
“Definitely gator. They have those long spike extrusions on spoke bones. I feel when the water levels rised, Gators migrated to him and then went back out father as the water receded,” one user responded.
The Carlton Reserve is home to alligators, snakes, and other animals that could be the source of the bones.
The North Port police said they have received numerous items from searchers at the site, which they said were not connected to the case.
Investigators said the area where Mr Laundrie's remains were found was underwater for much of September. A dry October caused the water in the swamp to recede, revealing Mr Laundrie's remains as well as his notebook and a drybag.
Another Twitter user who scoured the site said she found a water bottle with markings that match one that was carried by Ms Petito during her road trip with Mr Laundrie. That bottle was turned over to North Port police, but there has been no confirmation that it belonged to Ms Petito.
After Mr Laundrie's remains were found at the park, an autopsy was performed by the Sarasota County medical examiner's office. The medical examiner said a conclusive time of death and cause of death could not be determined from the remains, which were then sent for further analysis by a forensic anthropologist.
Steven Bertolino, Mr Laundrie's attorney, told reporters that the analysis would likely be finished sometime within the next two to three weeks, and would likely reveal Mr Laundrie's time of death. When asked if the analysis would reveal Mr Laundrie's cause of death, he said "we'll see”.