Brian Laundrie’s autopsy was deemed inconclusive and his remains will be shipped to an anthropologist to try and determine how the young man died, the New York Post reported Friday.
The news came two days after his remains were found with his backpack and notebook in a Florida park near his parents’ house in North Port.
The body was identified Thursday using dental records.
“No manner or cause of death was determined, and the remains were sent to an anthropologist for further evaluation,” the Laundrie’s family lawyer, Steven Bertolino, explained to the Post on Friday.
His remains were discovered in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park that had been underwater and is a habitat for alligators and wild pigs.
Anthropologists were also sent to analyze Gabby Petito’s body, Laundrie’s girlfriend, who was found strangled in Wyoming.
“Forensic anthropologists are called upon when the environment has ravaged or removed the soft tissue,” Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney explained, adding, “Soft tissue markers that the forensic pathologist would use.”
The young man’s parents, Chris and Roberta, led authorities to the park Wednesday, after the month-long search for the person of interest in Petito’s case did not yield any viable leads.
Video footage showed the couple at the scene with authorities:
“My understanding was it either open to the public on Tuesday or Wednesday, and Chris and Roberta decided that since it was open … they wanted to go and look for Brian by themselves,” Bertolino said Thursday. “After speaking with me, I told him that I wanted to notify law enforcement so that we would have no issue.”
Meanwhile, the search for Petito reportedly resulted in at least nine bodies of other missing persons being found.
“While Petito’s case has lead to increased interest in missing persons and domestic violence cases, many families are still searching for their loved ones,” the Daily Mail said.