North Port Police Department
- Human remains and a backpack and notebook belonging to Brian Laundrie were found Wednesday, the FBI said.
- Chris and Roberta Laundrie joined the search at the Florida reserve, fueling rumors that they planted his belongings.
- A Florida police official shut down rumors that Laundrie's parents planted evidence found on Wednesday.
A Florida police official shut down speculation Thursday that Brian Laundrie's parents planted evidence in the state reserve where Brian's remains were found, calling the rumors "completely untrue."
On Wednesday, Chris and Roberta Laundrie joined the search for their son, who went missing last month and is the sole person of interest in the death of his fiancée Gabby Petito, after the park reopened once water levels receded.
Apparent human remains were found, on Wednesday, in the previously flooded area of the Carlton Reserve nearby a backpack and notebook that belonged to Laundrie, according to Michael McPherson, Special Agent in Charge in the Tampa Division of the FBI.
The FBI confirmed Thursday that the remains belonged to Laundrie through a comparison of dental records.
In a Wednesday statement, Steve Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, said Laundrie's parents were at the reserve "when human remains and some of Brian's possessions were located in an area where they had initially advised law enforcement that Brian may be" fueling wild speculation that the Laundries had planted the evidence.
When asked for a comment in response, North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor denied the rumors.
"Completely untrue," Taylor told Insider Thursday. "We walked into the park with them."
In a statement to Insider on Thursday, Bertolino echoed the sentiment, calling the speculation "nonsense."
"People with nothing else to do are afraid this case will go away and they will have to go back to following celebrities and others in the fake world of the internet," he added.
"Enough is enough," Bertolino said in an interview with NBC Newsnow on Thursday night, maintaining that the "Laundrie family has coordinated with law enforcement since day 1."
Bertolino added that the Laundrie family joined the search on the day that the park opened to the public again, and that he alerted the North Port police before they started searching.