4:54 p.m. ET, October 20, 2021
Remains and personal items were previously submerged in water, authorities say
From CNN's Josiah Ryan
The apparent human remains officials found today, as well as personal items of Brian Laundrie, were covered by water until recently, authorities said.
"Earlier today, investigators found what appears to be human remains, along with personal items, such as a backpack and notebook, belonging to Brian Laundrie," FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson said in a press conference.
"These items were found in an area that up until recently have been under water," he added.
The items were found near a trail that Laundrie frequented at a North Port, Florida, park, according to the family's attorney.
Throughout the search for Laundrie, authorities have contended with sitting water. Early in the search,
the Sarasota Sheriff's Office deployed the Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, which consists of "highly trained underwater specialists," who were "called upon to search for evidence of crimes and victims of drowning, water accidents and foul play," according to the sheriff's office website.
Laundrie disappeared after his fiancée, Gabby Petito, was reported missing in the wake of a road trip through the Western US. Her body was found last month.