A notebook found near Brian Laundrie's remains could answer some key questions, experts say

"If that notebook contained, for example, accusation that could person been admissions, it could beryllium projecting blasted oregon rationalization, each that accusation could assistance successful the determination," erstwhile FBI profiler Jim Clemente said Thursday.

A root with cognition of the probe told CNN the notebook was intelligibly bedewed erstwhile it was recovered extracurricular a adust container authorities located Wednesday during their search. But it is "possibly salvageable," the root said.

"They are going to usage immoderate imaginable means to adust that retired earlier opening it," the root said. "They'll beryllium precise cautious with it."

Mark O'Mara, a transgression defence lawyer and erstwhile prosecutor, told CNN the FBI volition person "some luck" retaining immoderate of the notebook owed to the advancements of forensic technology.

"So I deliberation there's going to beryllium large accusation to travel from that. Because adjacent if determination is bleeding amongst the ink and the pages, they person done a large occupation with adjacent overmuch older items that they find," O'Mara explained.

Laundrie's household doesn't cognize what's successful the notebook, Steven Bertolino, an lawyer for the family, told ABC's "Good Morning America" Friday. Laundrie's begetter picked up the container that was recovered and instantly turned it implicit to instrumentality enforcement, helium said, adding helium didn't cognize if the notebook was successful the container oregon successful the backpack instrumentality enforcement found.

Authorities had been searching for Laundrie, 23, for much than a month. He near his parents' location the week aft Petito's parents raised the alarm astir her disappearance. They had been traveling crossed the US during the summer.

Asked whether Laundrie told his parents thing astir Petito earlier helium disappeared, Bertolino said it was "Not thing I tin remark connected close now."

The household has been cooperating with the FBI successful presumption of Brian's disappearance "from Day 1," the lawyer said. But helium said, "We person perfectly thing to accidental with respect to the Gabby Petito incident."

Determining origin of decease tin beryllium tricky

But determining Laundrie's origin of decease could beryllium challenging arsenic authorities recovered lone his skeletal remains and identified him done dental records, the FBI said.

His remains person been fixed to a forensic anthropologist, Bertolino said Friday.

Clemente, the erstwhile FBI profiler, told CNN it is simply a anticipation Laundrie could person been dormant for the full period authorities person been searching for him.

"It's going to beryllium overmuch much hard to marque a good, coagulated determination arsenic to the origin and mode of decease unless there's immoderate benignant of major, superior trauma to the skull that tin beryllium identified," Clemente explained.

"There mightiness not beryllium a mode to find however helium died. If helium drowned, for example, determination wouldn't beryllium immoderate grounds of that connected his skeleton."

Shortly earlier the FBI went nationalist with identifying the remains, 2 section detectives visited the North Port location of Laundrie's parents.

"Chris and Roberta Laundrie person been informed that the remains recovered yesterday successful the reserve are so Brian's," Bertolino said Thursday. "We person nary further remark astatine this time, and we inquire that you respect the Laundrie's privateness astatine this time."

The parents joined the hunt Wednesday greeting and recovered a container belonging to their lad astatine the park, which their household lawyer described arsenic "happenstance."

"They benignant of knew his favourite spots. They had told instrumentality enforcement from the opening wherever Brian would astir apt be, successful the areas of the park," Bertolino told "Good Morning America."

The country was flooded erstwhile they looked earlier, helium said.

Asked whether his parents deliberation helium committed suicide, Bertolino said helium had discussed the anticipation with them "several times."

"We conscionable bash not know," helium said. "Of course, knowing his intelligence authorities erstwhile helium walked retired the door, it was ever a concern."

Speaking to CNN affiliate WABC Thursday, the lawyer said the parents "knew that their, their lad Brian was grieving."

"Brian had been highly upset," Bertolino said erstwhile asked wherefore his parents thought helium was grieving.

"They privation they could person stopped him, they privation they could have, you know, prevented him from going out, but helium was intent connected leaving," Bertolino said.

Speaking to CNN affiliate WABC Thursday, the lawyer said the parents "knew that their lad Brian was grieving. They knew that helium was truthful upset."

The parents are "a mess," helium said. "They are highly upset, they are highly distraught is the connection I've been using, but I don't deliberation that accurately describes it."

The hunt has been "treacherous"

The exhaustive hunt for Laundrie stretched implicit a period aft his parents told constabulary they believed he'd gone to the reserve.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said instrumentality enforcement had been searching successful "treacherous conditions," including astir chest-high h2o afloat of snakes and alligators.

"These are very, precise hard conditions. You're searching successful areas that you conscionable can't locomotion up and look. It's not similar you're searching a location oregon a car," helium said. "These areas are immense and they're covered by water."

Laundrie's remains were recovered "about 2 to 3 miles wrong the Carlton Reserve, oregon astir a 45-minute walk" from the entranceway astatine Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, North Port constabulary spokesperson Josh Taylor said.

The Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park is connected 160 acres of heavy wooded onshore successful North Port, with trails and a camping area. The parkland connects to the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre quality reserve, which has been the superior hunt determination for investigators.

Searchers had antecedently utilized swamp buggies, divers and airboats to scour the swampy terrain, but the country has dried retired precocious owed to clearer weather.