UPDATE: The FBI held a press conference on Wednesday (October 20) and confirmed that human remains and items belonging to Brian Laundriewere discovered in the Carlton Reserve. Those items included a backpack and a notebook.
Investigators have found human remains in a Florida Nature reserve that has been a focal point of the search for Brian Laundrie, according to TMZ. The remains were discovered not long after Laundrie's parents found "articles" belonging to their son near a hiking trail in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
According to NBC News, the area had not been searched because it was previously underwater. Authorities have not said if the remains belong to Laundrie. The outlet spoke to a senior law enforcement official who said that the partial remains were discovered near a backpack.
Stephen Bertolino, an attorney for the Laundrie family, confirmed that Chris and Roberta Laundrie were assisting with the search efforts but did not specify what items were found in the heavily wooded nature park.
Authorities have been searching for Brian for over a month. He disappeared several days after his fiance, Gabby Petito, was reported missing. Brian and Gabby were on a cross-country road trip together when he suddenly returned home without her on September 1.
Her body was found in a national forest in Wyoming, and her death has been ruled a homicide by strangulation. Brian is considered a person of interest in the case but has not been named as a suspect for her murder.