Gabby Petito: Notebook found near Laundrie’s remains could contain key answers

As investigators work to piece together the circumstances of the death of Gabby Petito and her estranged fiancé, crime experts say the notebook found near Laundrie’s remains could contain some answers.

Helpful Information

The FBI confirmed Thursday that the human remains found in Carlton Reserve belonged to Laundrie who disappeared last month after returning home from a road trip without his fiancée. She was found strangled to death on September 19.

Laundrie’s personal items including a backpack, a notebook, a dry bag and some clothing were found near his body.

Former FBI profiler Jim Clemente said:

If that notebook contained, for example, information that could have been admissions, it could be projecting blame or rationalization, all that information could help in the determination.

Wet but Redeemable

A source close to the investigations told CNN, the notebook was wet but salvageable.

Mark O'Mara, a criminal defence attorney and former prosecutor, believes the FBI should be able to retain some information in the book, thanks to the advancements of forensic technology.

So I think there's going to be great information to come from that. Because even if there is bleeding amongst the ink and the pages, they have done a great job with even much older items that they find.

Laundrie had not been charged for the murder of Petito, but police named him a person of interest in the case. Authorities had been searching for him for over a month. They are yet to determine the cause of death.

The pair embarked on a cross-country road trip in July, but Laundrie returned home on September 01 without Petito who was reported missing ten days later.