Police admit to HUGE error in the days after Brian Laundrie vanished
Police have admitted a huge mistake was made in the days leading up to Brian Laundrie's disappearance.
Just days after Gabby Petito was first reported missing on September 11, North Port Police started watching the Laundrie family and set up cameras around the family home.
On September 17, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, Brian's parents, told police they hadn't seen him since September 14, when he went off on a hike.
They later said they believe Brian went missing the day before on the 13th.
At this time, police were confident they knew where Brian was.
According to WINK News, police watched Brian leave his family home in Florida on Monday, September 13 and they believed they saw him return on Wednesday, September 15.
The Mustang Brian was seen leaving in on September 13, was driven back to the Laundrie's home on September 15.
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Brian's remains have since been found at the Carlton Reserve, where he reportedly went hiking and police have now revealed there seems to have been a mix up.
Officers watching the Laundrie's home may have confused Brian's mother Roberta Laundrie for Brian when she returned home.
“When the family reported him (missing) on Friday that was certainly news to us that they had not seen him,” public information officer for the North Port Police Department, Josh Taylor, told WINK News.
“We thought that we’d seen Brian initially come back into that home on that Wednesday.”
Mr Taylor said Brian and his mother were "kind of built similarly".
After Brian's family reported him missing on September 17, they started searching for him the next day, while authorities were also searching for Ms Petito.
On September 19, the remains of Ms Petito were found in Teton County.
After weeks of searching the Carlton Reserve in Florida, human remains along with a notebook belonging to Brian were found on October 20.
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The next day it was announced dental records confirmed the remains found were Brian's.
On Monday (local time), a lawyer working for the Laundrie family said the initial autopsy results could not determine the cause of Brian's death.
“I was told the manner and cause of death were not determined, and the remains were sent to an anthropologist (for) further evaluation,” Steve Bertolino said according to the Associated Press.
Eventually, Brian's remains will be cremated and no funeral is planned by his family, Mr Bertolino said.
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