SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities in Florida on Monday released an autopsy report and other documents related to the death last year of Brian Laundrie, the 23-year-old man whom officials said admitted to killing his 22-year-old fiancee, Gabby Petito, months before his own death.
The documents, released by the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office in Sarasota and obtained by WFLA-TV, WWSB and WINK-TV, confirmed that Laundrie died by suicide.
Authorities found Laundrie’s remains in a Florida nature reserve on Oct. 20 following weeks of searches. His remains were found in a part of the Carlton Reserve that had previously been under about three feet of water after rainwaters caused flooding in the area, officials said.
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Authorities earlier named Laundrie a person of interest in Petito’s death. Officials with the FBI said last month that among the items found with Laundrie was a notebook in which he had written statements “claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death.”
Petito vanished during a cross-country trip with Laundrie in August. Her remains were found Sept. 19 in a remote part of Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest. A medical examiner later determined that she died of manual strangulation.
After the discovery, federal authorities in Wyoming issued a warrant for Laundrie’s arrest, accusing him of using Petito’s debit card “on or about Aug. 30″ through Sept. 1. He was not charged with any other crimes related to Petito’s disappearance or death before his remains were found.
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