Brian Laundrie's Family Opens Up About Their Funeral Arrangements

Brian Laundrie's remains were found at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida, on October 20. According to People magazine, the Sarasota County medical examiner's office and a cadaver dog were sent to the area after a few items belonging to Laundrie had been discovered. Along with a backpack, a notebook, and some clothes, skeletal remains were found. Authorities say that the items were located in an area that was previously submerged in water, according to CNN. It was Laundrie's dental records that confirmed that the remains found belonged to him.

A search for Laundrie had been underway since mid-September after his parents say he left home and didn't return. This happened about a week after Laundrie showed up in Florida without his fiancee, Gabby Petito, who had been on a cross-country road trip with him since June, according to The New York Times. A search for Petito ensued when her parents reported her missing on September 11. Her body was found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming eight days later. Authorities confirmed that her death was a homicide, and her cause of death was later determined to be strangulation, and Laundrie was named a person of interest in the case.

Now that Laundrie's remains have been found, his family has made some decisions about his funeral arrangements. Read on for more.

Brian Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta, are not having a funeral service for their deceased son, according to TMZ. Instead, their lawyer, Steve Bertolino, confirmed that Laundrie will be cremated, and his ashes will be given to his parents. The decision was made after Laundrie's cause of death was inconclusive. "No manner or cause of death was determined, and the remains were sent to an anthropologist for further evaluation," Bertolino told People magazine. Laundrie's parents haven't given a reason for their decision to not hold a funeral service for their son, but TMZ suggests it's because there would likely be a large amount of protestors to deal with. Several protestors have been outside Chris and Roberta's Florida home for weeks. 

An investigation into what might have happened to Laundrie — and to Gabby Petito — is still ongoing, and may ultimately be inconclusive. "The investigation could go on indefinitely," former Hillsborough County prosecutor Steven Capriati told WFLA. "If they go and decide Brian was responsible and there's no one else they can blame, then that's the end and the family will have to live with it and it's a tragic incident," he added.