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Brian Laundrie: When will FBI be able to establish cause of death?

A forensic pathologist has said there will be many challenges in establishing how he died

Helen Elfer
Friday 22 October 2021 21:14 BST
Criminal profiler discusses Brian Laundrie case
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A forensic pathologist has said determining Brian Laundrie’s cause of death could prove difficult.

Dr Priya Banerjee told CNN that depending on the condition of the remains that were found in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, finding out how Laundrie died could be “challenging.”

“Now my colleagues have quite a challenge in determining the cause of death,” she said. “I don’t know how much has been recovered of his body. So that will be challenging.”

North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor told CNN that the human remains found in the park were “skeletal remains,” while two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that a portion of a human skull was found.

The FBI later said they had verified Laundrie’s identity through dental records.

Speaking on Morning in America Dr Banerjee said: “Knowing that the body’s not going to be in what I would call a normal condition, you know, decomposition, environmental effects, all of that has to have really damaged the remains.”

The attorney representing the Laundrie family said the medical examiner may make a determination about Laundrie’s cause of death as early as midday Friday, reported Fox News, although that did not in the end transpire.

“I was informed from law enforcement yesterday that perhaps midday today we may have some more information,” Steven Bertolino reportedly said. “But as of right now, we know as much as you do.”

Dr Banerjee said that authorities may be able to use information gathered from the contents of the notebook of Laundrie’s that was recovered from the Florida park along with a backpack to shed light on what had happened to him.

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