Body found in Wyoming fits the description of missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito
The body has yet to be formally identified and the cause of death is yet to be confirmed but agencies are tweeting condolences for her family.
The search for Gabby Peitito entered the Grand Teton National Park on Saturday. She had been on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. They lived together in North Port, Florida. Her family filed a missing person report out of Suffolk County, New York, on September 11.
"I would like to extend sincere and heartfelt condolences to Gabby's family," an FBI supervisor said. "As every parent can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for the family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We ask that you all respect their privacy as they mourn the loss of their daughter."
Laundrie is considered a person of interest in the case as he came back from their trip alone, but he was reported missing on Friday by his family attorney. They contacted the FBI, indicating they wanted to talk about their son's disappearance. They said they had not seen him since Tuesday, police said.
"Be advised that the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown," Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino said Friday.
"For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's Fiancé Gabby Petito," police said. "Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail."
"It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime," police said. "We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigations."
Asked why Laundrie's family didn't tell police of his whereabouts until Friday, police Spokesperson Josh Taylor said, "that's a great question."
Authorities began searching for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve, a 24,000-acre county park in Florida's Sarasota County, on Saturday.
Richard Stafford, an attorney for the Petito family, said in a brief statement to CNN, "All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing."
Officials are still asking for tips from anyone who might have seen Petito, Laundrie, or their vehicle, a 2012 Ford Transit van with a Florida plate and stickers on the back, according to the FBI's Missing Person poster for Petito.