According to FBI officials, Gabby Petito’s death has been ruled a homicide, after an autopsy definitively confirmed the body discovered at a Wyoming national park as that of the missing Florida Woman.
The body was discovered by law enforcement agents who had spent the previous two days combing campsites, according to the FBI.
According to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Charles Jones, the cause of death has yet to be established.
“Full forensic identification has not been done to establish 100 percent that we discovered Gabby,” Jones added. “However, her family has been contacted.”
“This is a heartbreaking time for [Petito’s] family and friends.”
In a statement, an attorney serving as a representative for Petito’s family requested that the family be allowed time to grieve.
Attorney Richard Benson Stafford said the family will make a public statement later, and he praised FBI, Grand Teton Hunt and Rescue, and other organizations who helped in the search for Petito.
Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, set out in July on a cross-country journey in a modified van to tour national parks in the Western United States.
Laundrie was alone when he drove the vehicle back to his parent’s house in North Port, Fla., on Sept. 1, according to police.
Laundrie has been named as a person of interest in the investigation.
He was last seen by family members in Florida on Tuesday.
Laundrie and Petito, both 22, set out in July on a cross-country journey in a modified van to tour national parks in the American West.
Petito’s family reported him missing to police in Suffolk County, New York on September 11.
On Sunday, more than 50 law enforcement officers began a second day of searching for Laundrie at the more than 9,700-hectare Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Fla., a wildlife area with more than 160 kilometers of trails and campgrounds.
