Brian Laundrie’s remains given to anthropologist to determine cause of death

Brian Laundrie’s skeletal remains will be examined by an anthropologist in order to determine the cause of death for the 23-year-old “person of interest”, the Laundrie attorney said.

Now that the decomposed remains of Brian Laundrie have been found, where does the investigation into the strangling of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, go from here?

Petito, 22, was discovered slain last month on the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, one of the places the young couple had visited during a cross-country van trip that ended with Laundrie mysteriously returning home alone to Florida in the vehicle.

Laundrie, named a “person of interest” in the case, was missing for a month before his skeletal remains were found Wednesday in a swampy wilderness park near his home.

Can authorities prove if Laundrie killed Petito?

It could take a DNA match to answer that. Both sets of remains were exposed to the elements and animals for weeks.

The FBI has not said whether there are any witnesses to Petito’s immediate aftermath. One piece of evidence is Laundrie’s use of a debit card that didn’t belong to him after Petito was listed as missing.

“That would be circumstantial evidence that points to him,” said Alfredo Garcia, former dean at the St. Thomas University College of Law in Miami Gardens and a one-time Miami prosecutor. “It’s a difficult proposition to establish but not impossible.”