A water bottle found by a tourist in the Florida nature park where Brian Laundrie's remains were discovered has been claimed to that of Gabby Petito's. The water bottle has since been handed to local police who are investigating the claim.
The bottle sparked speculation among internet sleuths after a TikTok user Olivia Vitale and her mother were visiting the newly reopened Carlton Reserve over the weekend, where they stumbled upon the water bottle that looked exactly the like the one carried by Petito in photographs and videos posted by her.
New Discovery
Vitale and her mother were visiting Carlton reserve over the weekend and filming their search when they found the water bottle near the trail where Laundrie's bones were discovered last week. The women initially didn't notice but later after referring it to the photos and videos posted by Petito had doubts as the bottle bore the same placement and pattern of designs.
The women turned the bottle in to the North Port Police Department. Josh Taylor, a spokesperson of the North Port Police Department later confirmed the discovery of the water bottle and said that it is in possession of the department.
Hours later Vitale took to TikTok and posted a video that allegedly shows the moment the bottle was discovered. The woman is seen walking through the grass while on a search. "So, we're looking for other stuff in the area where Brian Laundrie's remains were," she said. After walking for a few seconds, she sees the brownish container with distinctive markings just feet away to her left.
"There's a water bottle right here," she says, the video shows, and that's she's "not supposed to touch it" and notes it appears to say "Seattle, Washington," on it.
Police Investigating
Although police haven't confirmed if the water bottle belongs to Patito, internet sleuths are almost sure that it belongs to Laundrie's slain girlfriend. Laundrie returned to North Port from that aborted cross country trip alone on September 1. Petito was reported missing on September 11 and found dead in a Wyoming park eight days later and authorities determined she was the victim of a homicide.
That said, Vitale was not the only one scouring the area for clues over the weekend. A statement from the North Port Police Department released on Sunday said that a number of bones and other items turned in to them by searchers were unrelated to the case.
Laundrie's skeletal remains – including part of his skull – were found last Wednesday after his parents, Chris and Roberta, joined the FBI to search the protected swampland. A backpack and a notebook were also found alongside his remains, which police are investigating.
However, the exact cause of his death is yet to be determined as the remains recovered were mostly bones that have now been sent to an anthropologist for further review.
