EXCLUSIVE: Brian Laundrie's parents maintain their silence as they return to Florida home from two-day trip to 'grieve privately' after their son's skeletal remains were found in swamp
- Christopher and Roberta Laundry were seen Tuesday returning to their North Port, Florida home
- The parents of Brian Laundrie took off Sunday morning to 'grieve privately' after the remains of their son were finally located last week in Florida swampland
- The couple maintained a wall of silence and have yet to say anything publicly about either the death of their son, or what he told them about Gabby Petito
- 'No charges expected. No plans on a statement,' the Laundries' lawyer told DailyMail.com in a terse text message exchange
Brian Laundrie's parents maintained their wall of silence today as they returned home from a secret getaway carrying beach bags.
Christopher and Roberta Laundry took off Sunday morning to 'grieve privately' after the remains of their fugitive son were finally located last week in Florida swampland.
Their attorney, Steven Bertolino, declined to say where the couple were headed but they returned to the North Port home just after 3pm Tuesday, stopping to pick up a parcel before dashing inside.
Christopher, 62, was wearing a pale blue t-shirt, shorts and baseball cap, and was carrying a bulging beach bag emblazoned with 'Peace Joy Love, Joy Love Peace, Love Peace, Joy'.
Roberta 55, wore a pink hat, capri pants and a patterned tank top. She was clutching a cooler bag, a second bag and kept her mask on before heading indoors.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie were seen Tuesday returning to their North Port, Florida home, from a couple days away
Christopher and Roberta Laundry took off Sunday morning to 'grieve privately' after the remains of their fugitive son were finally located last week in Florida swampland
'No charges expected. No plans on a statement,' the Laundries' lawyer told DailyMail.com in a terse text message exchange
Roberta 55, wore a pink hat, capri pants and a patterned tank top
Christopher, 62, was wearing a pale blue t-shirt, shorts and baseball cap
He was carrying a bulging beach bag emblazoned with 'Peace Joy Love, Joy Love Peace, Love Peace, Joy'
The Laundries have yet to say anything publicly about either the death of their son, or what he told them about Gabby Petito's abrupt disappearance.
That is unlikely to change anytime soon, according to Bertolino.
An extensive manhunt for Brian was underway for almost five weeks, with a particular focus on the Carlton Reserve because his Ford Mustang had been parked there and it was an area he was known to go hiking
'No charges expected. No plans on a statement,' he told DailyMail.com in a terse text message exchange.
On Tuesday, North Port PD said in a tweet: 'We have received a number of inquiries Tuesday about a false report of DNA not matching Brian Laundrie. Below is the Medical Examiner's statement on the matter.'
The statement from the Medical Examiner reads: 'The identity of the remains found at the Carlton Reserve on Oct. 20 was confirmed by comparison to known dental records of Brian Laundrie. No DNA analysis has yet been performed on the remains.'
An extensive manhunt for Brian was underway for almost five weeks, with a particular focus on the Carlton Reserve because his Ford Mustang had been parked there and it was an area he was known to go hiking.
But the search was incredibly difficult due to the swampy conditions, with the park full of alligators and snakes, and much of it underwater.
Laundrie's skeletal remains - said to include part of a skull - were found on October 20 in an area of the swamp which until recently were under several feet of water.
His autopsy was inconclusive and cause of death remains unknown. A water-damaged notebook was found close to his body, whose contents investigators say may be salvageable, and which they hope could offer clues to Gabby's killing.
On Tuesday, North Port PD said in a tweet: 'We have received a number of inquiries Tuesday about a false report of DNA not matching Brian Laundrie. Below is the Medical Examiner's statement on the matter'
The Laundries have yet to say anything publicly about either the death of their son, or what he told them about Gabby Petito's abrupt disappearance
Roberta was clutching a cooler bag, a second bag and kept her mask on before heading indoors
According to Bertolino, the Chris and Roberta are 'quietly grieving' Brian's death at their North Port home, alongside their daughter, Cassie. They are not planning to hold a funeral for their son
Experts say it had been expected that pinpointing his cause of death would be complicated because his body had reportedly lain in the water for some time.
'Forensic anthropologists are called upon when the environment has ravaged or removed the soft tissue,' said Dr Heather Walsh-Haney, speaking to WPBF News.
'Soft tissue markers that the forensic pathologist would use.'
Gabby and Brian embarked on a cross-country trip earlier this summer with a plan to document it all on film for their social media channels.
However, their loved-up Instagram persona was a far cry from the combative relationship that was playing out behind the scenes.
Just a few weeks before she vanished, police in Moab, Utah, were called to the pair's van after fellow travelers saw Brian hit Gabby.
They were separated for the night, and Gabby was deemed to be the aggressor.
August 26 was the last time anyone saw or heard from Gabby.
Brian returned to his parents home on September 1.
At first, they told officers they last saw him on September 14.
They later said it was in fact September 13, when he told them he was going on a hike in the reserve and never returned.
Brian Laundrie, 23, was the sole suspect in the murder of his 22-year-old fiancee Gabby Petito. Her strangled body was found in September, weeks after she was last seen alive. The pair were on a cross-country camper van trip when she vanished and he went home in September
Laundrie's remains - said to include part of a skull - were found on October 20 in an area of the swamp which until recently were under several feet of water. His autopsy was inconclusive and cause of death remains unknown
The family lawyer, Steven Bertolino, told WFLA last week he notified the FBI of Brian's disappearance the night he failed to return home.
He had been on the run ever since and his parents refused to speak publicly about the case or help Gabby's parents.
The Petito family retrieved her remains from a mortuary in Wyoming on October 18.
According to Bertolino, the Chris and Roberta are 'quietly grieving' Brian's death at their North Port home, alongside their daughter, Cassie. They are not planning to hold a funeral for their son.
Brian's remains will be cremated and given to his parents 'when the time comes,' he said.
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