The remains of Brian Laundrie that were discovered in Florida belong to a twin.
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Brian Laundrie’s remains confirmed by dental records, FBI says
If Your Time is short
- There is no evidence that Brian Laundrie had a twin whose remains were discovered in a Florida park on Oct. 20.
- The remains were found near Laundrie’s backpack and notebook, and the FBI later confirmed they were his with dental records.
The murder of Gabrielle Petito and disappearance of her fiancé Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the killing, captivated many Americans but dental records solved at least part of the mystery: human remains found in Florida on Oct. 20 belonged to Laundrie, according to the FBI.
Unsourced social media and blog posts had previously claimed without evidence that Laundrie was actually alive in Mexico. That claim has persisted even in his death. One Facebook post claimed that he had a twin, and the bones that were discovered in Florida belonged to the twin, while Laundrie was still somewhere south of the border.
But this defies evidence, and there’s nothing to support it.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
According to the FBI, Laundrie’s remains were found near his notebook and backpack in a park in North Port, Fla. Dental records confirmed they were his remains, the New York Times reported.
Featured Fact-check
Twins — even identical twins — don’t have identical dental patterns, according to a study published in a 1982 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.
There has been no mention in news or law enforcement reports that Laundrie had a twin, but there has been media coverage of his sister and their parents.
We rate this claim False.
RELATED: Why the Gabby Petito case, but not others, has drawn so much attention
Our Sources
Facebook post, Oct. 21, 2021
Conservative Beaver, Brian Laundrie found ALIVE in Mexico, according to US authorities, Oct. 17, 2021
The New York Times, Human remains found in Florida park were Brian Laundrie’s FBI says, Oct. 20, 2021
New York Post, Brian Laundrie’s sister spotted for first time since human remains found, Oct. 21, 2021
Journal of the American Dental Association, Computer comparison of bitemark partners in identical twins, September 1982
The New York Times, What we know about Brian Laundrie, the fiancé of Gabrielle Petito, Sept. 19, 2021
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Brian Laundrie’s remains confirmed by dental records, FBI says
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