Florida nature reserve's swampy landscape made the search for Brian Laundrie treacherous
For more than a month, investigators spread out across a sprawling, swampy Florida nature area known as the Carlton Reserve in search of Brian Laundrie, the missing man whose fiancée Gabby Petito was fatally strangled last month.
The investigators waded through near chest-high waters. They rode on swamp buggies and air boats and called in underwater dive teams to explore the reserve's 25,000 acres. And they tried to avoid the many poisonous snakes, gators, palmetto bugs and swarms of mosquitoes that call the swamp home.
On Wednesday, a team of searchers, including Laundrie's parents, finally found what they had been looking for: suspected human remains, as well as a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie, according to the FBI.
The identity of the remains is not yet clear, but Laundrie's family attorney Steven Bertolino said "the probability is strong that it is Brian's remains." A source close to the investigation told CNN that the suspected human remains "appear to have been there a while."
The suspected remains were found "about 2 to 3 miles inside the Carlton Reserve, or about a 45-minute walk" from the entrance at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, a connected nature area, North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor said.
The discovery came at an area of the reserve that had been underwater, but recently dried out due to clearer weather, and had reopened to the public a day earlier. The search remains ongoing as teams of K-9 dogs and law enforcement continued to comb for any more evidence.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno visited the reserve Thursday and saw firsthand the "treacherous" conditions of the search.
"These are very, very difficult conditions," he said. "You're searching in areas that you just can't walk up and look. It's not like you're searching a house or a car. These areas are huge and they're covered by water."
The challenging landscape of the Carlton Reserve has hampered the search for Laundrie as investigators have tried to pin down what happened to him and Petito on their road trip through the Western US this summer.
Petito, 22, disappeared on the trip amid tensions in their relationship, and Laundrie, 23, returned by himself to his parents' home in Florida on September 1.
Her parents, unable to get in contact with her, reported her missing 10 days later. Laundrie, meanwhile, declined to speak with authorities and then himself went missing in the reserve, his parents told authorities. Petito's body was ultimately found in Wyoming near where the couple had last been seen, and the Teton County Coroner ruled her death a homicide by manual strangulation.
He has not been charged in her death, although he was indicted for allegedly using two financial accounts that did not belong to him in the days following her killing.
HOW THE CARLTON RESERVE IMPACTED THE SEARCH
The search for Laundrie began in earnest on September 17 after his parents told authorities he had gone to the Carlton Reserve with a backpack days earlier and did not return home.
Since then, investigators have repeatedly tried to navigate through the foreboding landscape of the reserve.
"The Carlton Reserve is a vast and unforgiving location at times. It is currently (waist) deep in water in many areas," North Port police said in a Facebook post last month. "This is dangerous work for the search crews as they are wading through gator and snake infested swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails."
The search team has included a range of specialized vehicles and personnel for such an environment.
"We're looking through wooded areas, we're looking through bodies of water, we're looking through swampy areas," North Point Police Commander Joe Fussell said last month. "And we're deploying the resources to be able to do that. We have air units, we have drones, we have the swamp buggies, air boats, multiple law enforcement agencies, we have ATVs, we have UTVs and we have officers on foot as well."
Given those tricky conditions, expert survivalists expressed skepticism that Laundrie was still in the reserve.
Alan McEwen, a cattle rancher and outdoorsman who lives near the reserve, told CNN last week the area feels like "muck," with parts of the reserve reaching knee- and waist-deep water levels -- making camping in that wilderness extremely difficult.
"The palmettos out there alone are enough to trip you up, when you're walking through them, when you stumble through them," McEwen told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "The mosquitoes will carry you off, anybody out there more than a day without mosquito spray, you'd go insane with the bugs getting you and everything else."
In an ABC interview earlier this month, Laundrie's sister, Cassie Laundrie, said he had previously taken trips for up to five days on the Appalachian Trail. She said her brother is a "mediocre survivalist."
Robert Urban, founder and chief instructor of the Urban Survival Academy, said he believes it's highly unlikely that someone who is not professionally trained in survival tactics would be able to survive in the reserve for this long.
"Florida's climate is very, very difficult," Urban told CNN. "I'm an expert with plenty of experience, and it would be everything that I could do to survive for (more) than three weeks. Someone with no experience, you cannot be lucky and survive in that sort of climate."
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.
Local Spotlight
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
Chris Hadfield inspires youth musical in Sudbury
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Toronto-area dessert shop featured by Keith Lee forced to move after zoning complaint
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
'Oh Crap!' New exhibit at Canada Science and Technology Museum explores human waste
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'