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IT was a double disappearance that stunned America.
But six weeks after coroners confirmed Brian Laundrie’s cause of death and more than four months after Gabby Petito’s body was found a number of questions still remain.
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Namely, what the FBI findings are in the case and whether any charges will be brought.
Those following the disappearances online also point to the mystery of the Laundrie family camping trip and what exactly Brian told his parents when he returned home without Gabby.
Here The Sun looks at what we still don’t know about the deaths of Laundrie and his girlfriend Gabby.
WHAT ARE THE FBI FINDINGS?
The FBI investigation into Gabby’s death remains open.
Laundrie, 23, was a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance and a search for his whereabouts was underway after Gabby was found strangled to death near Grand Teton National Park in September.
Just weeks later remains were found in the search for Laundrie and identified as his.
However, the investigation into Gabby’s murder still remains open as the new year begins.
Authorities have not provided an update on the case since November 23, when medical examiners confirmed that Laundrie’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
The Sun has contacted FBI Denver about why the case remains open, but did not immediately hear back.
Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told NewsNationNow the reasons as to why she thinks the case remains open.
Coffindaffer said: “I believe the FBI is using all their chemical techniques and other techniques to get everything they can out of that notebook, depending on how much was written in there…. You can imagine it may be a long, tedious process, but they can do it.”
Brian’s parents are fighting in court to access his estate, which would include the $20,000 in his bank account.
According to family attorney Steven Bertolino, once the FBI closes the case on Gabby’s murder and Brian’s death by suicide, “retained property will be returned to its owner.”
The FBI has not revealed whether it will return the notebooks to the Laundrie family or the other items found with his body last year.
It has also not said if they have found further information about Laundrie’s last weeks or Gabby’s death in the notebooks.
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WILL THERE BE ANY CHARGES?
Former NYPD homicide detective Tom Joyce thinks Gabby Petito’s murder case will be closed, due to the exceptional circumstances.
He said: “Gabby’s murder will be closed with what’s known as an exceptional clearance, or where the suspect and culprit is known but cannot be arrested – in this case, because he’s dead.”
It’s possible that the case could end with an “unfulfilled expectation”, according to reports, as Gabby’s parents may never get the answers about what occurred before and after their daughter’s death.
Laundrie was never charged in relation to Gabby’s disappearance and death.
He was named a person of interest in her murder.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING BOTH DEATHS
Laundrie’s remains and personal items were found in Florida’s Carlton Reserve on October 20, a month after his fiance Gabby was found strangled to death at a Wyoming campsite.
Laundrie died from suicide, but the date of death still remains unknown.
He was first reported missing on September 17 – days after allegedly telling his parents that he was going for a hike in the snake-infested Carlton Reserve.
Gabby was found strangled to death.
But for both the exact circumstances surrounding their deaths remain.
The couple had last been seen together in a restaurant in Wyoming where staff said there had been an argument about them paying the bill.
It came only days after they were stopped by cops in Moab, Utah, after a witness said that Laundrie hit Gabby in the street on August 12.
In bodycam footage, Laundrie is heard saying that he would not have money to stay in a motel for the night as cops asked the couple to separate.
THE LAUNDRIE FAMILY CAMPING TRIP
Laundrie and his parents stayed at a Florida campground 75 miles from their home just days before he vanished and after he has returned home without his girlfriend Gabby, the family’s attorney has confirmed.
The potential lead in the case was first offered by Dog the Bounty Hunter, who claimed he’d received a tip that Laundrie and his parents had visited Fort De Soto Park twice in September, most recently on September 6.
Gabby was not reported missing until five days later after he parents failed to reach her.
The Laundries reported their son missing on September 17.
Two days later, Gabby’s remains are found near a campground in Wyoming.
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HOW WERE BRIAN’S REMAINS MISSED?
Just minutes after Roberta and Chris walked into the Carlton Reserve in late October, they found Brian’s remains and belongings.
Officials were then pictured with a bag showing what looked like a notebook among Brian’s stuff.
Chris and Roberta were seen moving in and out of areas of the brush, before separating for roughly 12 minutes when Chris lead two men into the brush on the left side of a trail.
Cops has been searching that land for 33 days before his remains were found.
WHAT IS IN BRIAN’S NOTEBOOK?
Online sleuths speculated what may be inside Laundrie’s notebook after it was discovered.
Some amateur detectives thought it may contain chilling drawings, while others predicted a confession note may be inside.
A friend of Brian’s told The Sun exclusively that the notebook could contain clues to solve Gabby’s death,
One Facebook “detective” said: “I think it’s probably his art. They were both into drawing.”
An internet sleuth feared: “My theory is drawing of the events that led up to it and during her strangulation. It’s going to be dark (sic).”
It’s not known what’s inside the notebook or if it contains anything at all.
Criminologist Casey Jordan said a notebook “pointed to the possibility” of a suicide note, 7News reports.
Jordan told CNN: “That really raises the question if indeed this is Brian Laundrie and if he died by his own hand, did he take the time out to write out a note of explanation, maybe even regret?
“Something that would give answers to not only police. If that notebook is there, there is a good chance there could be a note.”
Jordan speculated that the notebook could provide law enforcement with “answers”.
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WHAT DID BRIAN TELL HIS PARENTS?
Brian’s parents initially gave the police the wrong date of their son’s disappearance.
The family’s attorney revealed that the Laundries provided investigators with the incorrect date for his alleged disappearance into the Carlton Reserve in September.
Brian “left to hike in the preserve” on Monday, September 13, not Tuesday, September 14 as originally shared, their lawyer revealed, resulting in a barrage of Reddit speculation.
Steven Bertolino wrote in a text response to anchor Josh Benson from WFLA in Florida, “The Laundries were basing the date Brian left on their recollection of certain events.”
It is also unknown why the Laundries “didn’t return” Gabby’s mom’s texts as she desperately wanted to find her daughter.
Nichole Schmidt says she tried to communicate with Chris and Roberta Laundrie after she lost contact with Gabby in late August.
Gabby last spoke to her family on August 25 as she and her fiancé reached Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
During an interview with Dr. Phil, Nichole claimed Brian’s parents ignored the calls and texts, leaving her “infuriated.”
It’s not known if the Laundries’ deliberately ignored the texts and calls.
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