Brian Laundrie DNA Analysis Not Yet Performed; Police Dispel Rumors

The North Port Police Department announced on Tuesday that a DNA analysis on Brian Laundrie's body has yet to be performed and dispelled rumors that the DNA did not match his remains.

According to the North Port Police Department, they recently received numerous inquiries "about a false report of DNA not matching Brian Laundrie." The police department also posted a statement from the local medical examiner's office dispelling any potential rumors that the remains found did not match Laundrie's DNA.

The statement from the medical examiner's office said, "The identity of the remains found at the Carlton Reserve on October 20th was confirmed by comparison to known dental records of Brian Laundrie. No DNA analysis has yet been performed on the remains."

The statement continued, "Samples will be submitted for DNA testing once the examination of the remains by the medical examiner's office is complete."

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. pic.twitter.com/tXAe63IdlC

— North Port Police (@NorthPortPolice) October 26, 2021

As the medical examiner noted in the statement, the FBI in Denver announced on October 21 that the remains found in Florida's Carlton Reserve and the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park were confirmed to be his following a "comparison of dental records."

Newsweek reached out to the North Port Police Department in regard to a potential timeline for when the DNA analysis will be completed by but the department's Public Information Officer Josh Taylor said that they have not received that information from the medical examiner's office.

Earlier this week, the Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, said that an autopsy of Brian's remains came back inconclusive and were being sent to an anthropologist "for further evaluation."

"No manner or cause of death was determined," Bertolino added in the statement sent to NBC News.

Laundrie went for a hike in the Carlton Reserve on September 13, just two days after his fiancée, Gabby Petito was reported missing by her parents. Bertolino told officials with the FBI that Laundrie had not returned from his hike a day later but the North Port Police Department didn't learn of his disappearance until September 17.

Petito first went missing while on a road trip with Laundrie and her body was eventually found on September 19 in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. She died by manual strangulation, the Teton County Coroner's office ruled.

Laundrie was never accused of murdering Petito, but he was named a person of interest in her disappearance and death. A federal arrest warrant was also previously issued for Laundrie, accusing him of credit card fraud.

Brian Laundrie
The North Port Police Department announced on Tuesday that a DNA analysis on Brian Laundrie's remains has yet to be conducted. Above, the North Port Police Department along with other surrounding law enforcement agencies are... Octavio Jones/Getty

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