Brian Laundrie’s autopsy results resurface after Netflix’s Gabby Petito documentary

The release of American Murder: Gabby Petito on Netflix has renewed public interest in the tragic case, leading to a resurfacing of Brian Laundrie’s autopsy results and the lingering questions surrounding his final days. Warning: some may find this content distressing.

In August 2021, Brian murdered his fiancé during their vanlife trip across the US. As the police and the FBI searched for Gabby after she was reported missing by her family, Brian went on the run. 

His partial remains were found in October at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, with his death ruled a suicide. The authorities also uncovered a notebook in which he confessed to killing Gabby, although his versions of events don’t line up with Gabby’s autopsy. 

With both Brian and Gabby deceased, so many details of the case have been left unanswered, leading to conspiracy theories, one of the biggest being that Brian faked his own death with the help of his family. However, the autopsy results show otherwise. 

What the Brian Laundrie autopsy results show

Netflix

The full, 47-page autopsy report of Brian Laundrie is available to the public, and can be read as a PDF file here, with American Murder: Gabby Petito attracting renewed focus on the details surrounding his death.

One of the aspects of the case that fuelled the ‘Brian is alive’ conspiracy theory is the fact that he could only be identified through dental records, with some suggesting his teeth were planted by his parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie. 

However, as was determined by the District Twelve Medical Examiner, a “vast majority of the skeleton” was recovered, including the entire lower jaw with 15 teeth still in place, as well as the upper jaw bone with nine teeth. 

The report also states that many of the bones have “gouging and gnawing marks… consistent with carnivores and/or omnivores including canines such as feral dogs and coyotes along with rodents and raccoons.”

The cause of death is stated as a “gunshot wound of the head,” while the manner of death is ruled as “suicide (shot self with handgun).” 

“The cranium evidenced fracturing consistent with perimortem gunshot trauma,” it says. 

“Postmortem taphonomic change included evidence of scavenging and bone discoloration consistent with decomposition on the soils and within the waters of the Myakkahatchee wetlands.”

All of the details, from the investigation of the crime scene to the systematic examination of the remains, are included in the report. The only redacted element is the collection of images of the autopsy.

This is in accordance with Florida Statute 406.135, which states: “A photograph or video or audio recording of an autopsy in the custody of a medical examiner is confidential.” The report containing the photographs is on file at the District 12 Office of the Medical Examiner.

Following the release of American Murder: Gabby Petito, some spectators have highlighted the autopsy results, with one writing on X/Twitter, “I’m going to need the ‘Brian Laundrie is still alive’ conspiracy theorists to take several seats. 

“His parents found his remains quickly because they knew exactly where he liked to hike. The remains were identified by dental records. Is Brian casually running around without a jaw?”

One “bothersome” detail about the autopsy

Netflix

Although the report is as conclusive as it can be, FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer highlighted one “bothersome” part of the autopsy report: Brian Laundrie shot himself to the left side of his head, despite being “right-hand dominant.”

In a conversation with WRIC ABC 8News back in 2022, Coffindaffer said, “That was bothersome. Because it does not fit with a right-handed person committing suicide with their off-hand.”

She explained that there could be three explanations for this, the first being that Laundrie was ambidextrous. “Or he used his left hand because he was holding something like a picture in his right hand,” she added.

The third is that Laundrie was assisted in the suicide. “I’m not a conspiracy theorist at all but I cannot ignore facts, nor can I ignore statistics,” Coffindaffer continued. “And statistics would say a predominantly right-handed person does not commit suicide with their left hand.”

It’s worth noting that no evidence has been presented in the years that followed to suggest Laundrie was assisted.

American Murder: Gabby Petito is streaming on Netflix now. For more on the doc, read about whether the Laundrie family could be prosecuted, what Brian’s sister Cassie Laundrie shared on Instagram, and why you can’t find FBI agent Loretta Bush online.