Brian Laundrie’s parents noticed one of their guns was missing when they turned all of their weapons over to the police, but that information was not made public until now.
Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, confirmed that the family knew one of their guns was missing on September 17, the same day they reported their son missing. The news comes just days after an autopsy confirmed Laundrie died by suicide from a gunshot wound to the head.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie noticed a handgun was missing from its case when they surrendered their arsenal to law enforcement. At the time, the Laundrie’s and authorities felt it was best not to release that information to the public.
“Imagine, with the frenzied atmosphere at the time, if the public thought Brian had a gun,” Bertolino told CNN. “I cannot speak to why (law enforcement) did not reveal the info, but we spoke about it at the time, and I believe they felt as I did.”
Laundrie’s remains were found in a nature reserve on October 20. He was located in an area that had previously been underwater. Bertolino did not know if a gun was located near where the remains were discovered.
Laundrie had returned home to Florida on September 1 from a cross-country trip with his fiancée, Gabby Petito. Petitio was reported missing by her parents, who had not spoken to her since late August. Shortly after, Laundrie was also reported missing by his family, sparking a weeks-long search. Petito’s remains were found on September 19, and her cause of death was homicide by strangulation.
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