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The authorities found Brian Laundrie’s personal belongings and remains on Wednesday morning. His parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie left their home before sunrise on Wednesday. They arrived at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park entrance at around 7:25 a.m., and two members of law enforcement arrived wearing hiking attire in a separate pickup truck. One later identified himself as a member of the North Port Police Department, and the other works for the FBI. The men said nothing at the park entrance and followed the Laundries from a distance of no less than 50 feet. At least 3 bystanders came through the area including a man walking his dog, a woman walking her dog, and a man on a bicycle. All of them were encountered under the power lines outside of the trail where investigators found Brian Laundrie’s remains that morning.

Laundrie’s parents entered the park and walked at a steady pace toward the Live Long trail, just off of South Powerline Trail in Sarasota County’s Big Slough Preserve. They entered the Live Long trail next to a wooden marker labeled 149 at around 7:40 a.m. Chris repeatedly stepped into areas of brush, popping back out at least a half dozen times. The two law enforcement agents remained far behind, although within sight. At around 8 a.m., Chris split off into an area of brush and Roberta walked up the main trail. Roberta made her way to the edge of a clearing that police cordoned off after telling the parents that they’d discovered human remains and some of Brian’s personal belongings. She was about 15 yards from where investigators set up a blue tent and within a ring of yellow caution tape that appeared in news helicopter footage later that day.

Investigators were seen searching both locations, a short distance up the trail from the dry bag. Spokespersons for the North Port Police Department and FBI both declined to specify which location contained Brian’s remains and which contained other items of interest. But the Laundries didn’t walk into either location or place any items on the ground in the area. Police collected the bones but could not determine at the scene whether they were human or animal. The attorney for Petito’s parents, Richard Stafford said, “They were more interested in the bones but they knew they were animal bones. I didn’t understand why the police would have left the bottle behind. It looks like hers. We have a picture that’s from before she left for her trip. It looks like that bottle. I don’t know why it would be left there”. The FBI said earlier this week that authorities discovered Brian’s remains in an area that had previously been underwater.