1:37 PM PT -- The FBI just confirmed both Brian's backpack and notebook were found in the area near what appears to be human remains ... but they can not yet determine if the remains belong to Brian. The agent said the spot had previously been under water, and the investigative team will need several days to finish gathering evidence.
12:58 PM PT -- The FBI will hold a press conference at 1:30 PT to update the public on the discovery of the remains.
11:14 AM PT -- The FBI has finally weighed in themselves on what the heck is going on down there -- but they're not copping to any body that may or may not have been found.
More FBI showing up. https://t.co/s52hYh8Xqv
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) October 20, 2021
FBI Tampa says, "Items of interest were located at the Carlton Reserve this morning in connection with the search for Brian Laundrie. An #FBI Evidence Response team is processing the scene. The reserve is closed to the public and no further details are available at this time. @FBIDenver." No official word on why a Medical Examiner has been summoned.
11:06 AM PT -- Law enforcement found what appears to be partial human remains in an area that was underwater, near where some belongings believed to belong to Brian were found, according to NBC.
10:19 AM PT -- The Pasco County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... North Port Police requested the Sheriff's Human Remains Detection Team be sent to the area, and the Sheriff also sent a K-9 unit.
We're told the K-9 was called in to search the area, and the dog is trained to detect the odor from human remains.
It's not clear if human remains were found at the site, but we're told the Human Remains Detection Team and K-9 does not traditionally get called in if a body has already been found.
Brian Laundrie's family may have actually done something helpful in the ongoing search for their son -- leading the FBI to a new trail he frequented ... which, go figure, led to his stuff being found. And ... we've confirmed the Medical Examiner is on the way to the location.
The Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, tells TMZ ... Brian's parents, Chris and Roberta, went to Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, FL Wednesday morning to look for him -- apparently, a new area that hadn't been explored.
We're told the family told authorities about their intentions, and sure enough ... the FBI and North Port police showed up as well bright and early. Bertolino says after a brief search off a trail Brian was known to have hiked ... some evidence was discovered that he'd been there.
The parents of fugitive Brian Laundrie, ventured into Florida’s Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park today, where Fox News Digital saw an officer apparently tell parents that law enforcement "might have found something." @FoxNews @FoxNewsDigital #gabbypetitio #BrianLaundrie pic.twitter.com/KNo9WZyM5a
— Laura Ingle NOT Ingraham (@lauraingle) October 20, 2021
Unclear what exactly the FBI found -- but we're told a handful of belongings, including some articles of clothing, the feds believe might belong to Brian. There's even video of them seemingly breaking this news to his parents -- this as they and bystanders looked on.
Now, Bertolino says the powers that be will focus their efforts on this location for a more thorough investigation.
It's a stunning development -- but one that surely raises an eyebrow at the Laundrie family. If this was a place they believed Brian might be or might have been since vanishing ... why hadn't they said anything until now -- and how is it that on the day they decide to go looking here, they actually find something???
It's a bizarre set of circumstances, and we're sure the feds will ask these hard questions -- but, for now, their top priority is bringing this guy in alive ... and getting to the bottom of what he knows about Gabby Petito.
Originally Published -- 9:32 AM PT