Brian Laundrie news – latest: Petito’s father asks for help against domestic violence amid sleeping bag theory
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Your support makes all the difference.Gabby Petito’s father, Joseph Petito is calling for more to be done to combat domestic violence. Mr Petito wrote on Twitter: “We have to do better,” as criminologists advised that deaths could be prevented if first responders had better training in dealing with intimate partner violence.
Meanwhile, a sleeping bag which could belong to Brian Laundrie is thought to have been found.
The FBI will have pieced together Brian Laundrie’s “digital footprint” and be aware of his movements and communications in the days before his death, according to one expert.
Laundrie’s remains are being examined by a forensic anthropologist in Sarasota County to try to determine his cause of death.
Authorities are also trying to repair a personal notebook retrieved from a dry bag near his body as part of their investigation into the death of his girlfriend Gabby Petito.
Crucial to their investigation will be Laundrie’s digital communications, including his texts and emails, use of social media, and internet browsing history prior to his death.
Ms Petito’s family strongly suspect that Laundrie was impersonating her in text messages after her death to try to confuse them and the police.
This blog is now closed, check www.independent.co.uk for any new developments.
Forensic anthropologist examining Brian Laundrie’s remains may have results by end of November
Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, said that the results of a forensic anthropologist’s examination of Brian Laundrie‘s remains are expected by the end of November.
Laundrie was a person of interest in the disappearance and death of his fiancée, Gabby Petito. His remains were found in the Carlton Reserve, a protected swamp, on 20 October, more than a month after he went missing. Ms Petito’s remains were found on 19 September. Her death was ruled a homicide by way of manual strangulation.
Mr Bertolino told Fox News that he believed the forensic anthropologist’s examination will conclude within two to three weeks.
Graig Graziosi has more:
Anthropologist examining Brian Laundrie’s remains may have results by end of November
How did Brian Laundrie die?
Internet obsessives scour Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie clues in the days after his remains were discovered
ICYMI: 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.
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.
The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more on the bones’ likely origins and other objects found in the Carlton Reserve in the story below.
Internet obsessives scour Florida reserve for Laundrie clues
A water bottle that appears identical to Gabby Petito’s was also found in the park
Gabby Petito Foundation offers advice for domestic violence victims
The Gabby Petito Foundation is now offering advice on where people in violent relationships can go to for help.
Gabby’s father Joe Petito announced the creation of a new foundation in September to help people in dangerous relationships, and assist families locate their missing children.
In an interview last month, Mr Petito said they had been inundated with messages from vulnerable young women who found themselves in similar situations to his daughter, who was strangled in what police have described as a domestic violence incident.
Now the foundation’s website has been updated to include tips on where people can go to for help.
Under the hashtag #justiceforgabby, the site says: “If you or somewhere you know is impacted by relationship abuse, you are not alone. There are many resources available that can support your path to a safer future.”
It’s provided links and contact details for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and the National Sexual Assault Hotline.
Thank you for all the amazing support. The https://t.co/oCYyFHWz9W has amazing things coming. We will make a difference. Changes are coming, tell us your stories, share your safe plans if you can. #gabbypetito #justiceforgabby @Jim_Schmidt416 @TaraPetito @Nikischmidt927
— joseph petito (@josephpetito) October 8, 2021
Utah city accused of violating state law to return $3,000 in fees collected for Gabby Petito police body camera video
ICYMI: The city of Moab, Utah is returning almost $3,000 in fees it charged several media organisations for the release of body camera footage depicting a police encounter with Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie.
Lisa Church, a spokesperson for the city, pointed out that once the video had been prepared for one request, no other entity should have been charged, as the “actual cost of providing a record” would be nothing.
“Even if one person were charged a fee once that document is created, everybody else should not have been charged,” she said.
The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more on the story below...
Utah city to refund nearly $3,000 in fees charged for Gabby Petito police footage
The city charged news organisations $98 for the video
‘That was one of the moments I got kind of emotional’
NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin says he found bodycam footage showing a distraught Gabby Petito speaking to Moab police officers after a fight with Brian Laundrie deeply distressing to watch.
“That was one of the moments I got kind of emotional. I felt it was especially sad.”
He said the release of footage from the 12 August encounter with cops altered people’s perceptions of the couple, who had shared seemingly idyllic photos and videos of their van-life trip.
“All we had seen up until that point was the YouTube video and the Instagram posts, and all of these beautiful images of Gabby and Brian, and when that video came out it was like, ‘oh my gosh there’s another side that we didn’t really know about.’
“That was the moment that we thought, ‘OK there’s another side to this.’ And I think people’s fascination with the case got even more intense.”
Read more here:
The little-known reporter who broke the biggest story in America
The journalist who became the most trusted source of information in the Petito-Laundrie story says the truth will eventually come out. ‘I think the FBI knows a lot of those questions and they will be resolved.’ he tells Bevan Hurley
Gabby Petito’s father celebrates missing woman being found
Gabby Petito’s father, Joseph, on Saturday celebrated that missing woman Mikaiya Richardson had been found, after he asked for help in locating the missing woman following his own daughter’s demise:
More than 3,400 people sign petition for police department investigation
A total of 3,439 people have signed the change.org petition, calling for a probe into North Port Police Department’s handling of the Brian Laundrie investigation.
“The North Port Police Department has been incompetent in their handling of both Gabby Petito’s missing persons case as well as the Brian Laundrie’s missing person case,” the petition reads.
“Millions of taxpayers money was spent on this investigation over a month’s time with little to no results. Within a day of the search area being opened back up to the public, the person of interest’s parents were the one’s to discover belongings of that of their son.”
Gabby Petito’s mum still ‘shocked’ by reminders of daughter’s death
“When you turn on Hulu, and your daughters story is the recommended show to watch. It’s still shocking, feels like I’m outside looking in, this cannot be our life. We must keep going!!” tweeted Niki Schmidt on Sunday.
Missing 16-year-old girl rescued after using TikTok hand signals for distress
A missing 16-year-old girl was rescued after using TikTok hand signals to warn a motorist she was in distress, police say.
Police in Kentucky say that they pulled over and arrested James Brick after someone in the car behind his truck recognised the hand gestures and called 911.
Mr Brick, 61, was charged with unlawful imprisonment after being stopped in Laurel County, Kentucky, with the missing youngster in his back seat.
Missing 16-year-old girl rescued after using TikTok hand signals for distress
Motorist called 911 after seeing teenager gesturing from truck in Kentucky
Heidi Planck now missing for three weeks in California
The Los Angeles woman has not been seen since she left her 10-year-old son’s football game in California on 17 October, with her pet dog found on the 28th floor of a downtown apartment complex.
The 39-year-old’s friends, who have posted missing signs all over the city, planned on holding a prayer vigil for her on Sunday night to mark three weeks since she was last seen.
When she was last seen, Planck was wearing jeans and a gray sweater, driving her 2017 gray Range Rover with a black-and-yellow California license plate of ‘U840X0.’
She is white, 5ft3 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes.
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