Bertolino first made the revelation inan interview with Fox News, when asked if he expected the FBI would want to meet with Brian’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie.
They also are not planning a funeral for their son, Bertolino says.
The FBI would not confirm or deny Bertolino’s assertion.
Dental records were used to confirm thathuman remains found last weekin Florida’s Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park belong to Brian.
The body was found next to a notebookand backpack he owned.
The 23-year-old fugitive was last seen six days before the body ofPetito, his missing fiancée, was found in Wyoming’sGrand Teton National Park.
According to authorities, Petitodied from strangulationwhile on a two-month-long, cross-country road trip with Brian, who was named a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance on Sept. 15 — two weeks after returning home alone.
The couple had spent the summer traveling across the country in a white van together,documenting their adventures on YouTubealong the way.
Petito’s family first reported her missing on Sept. 11.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Brian’s family refused to meet with the FBI to discuss Petito’s missing persons case, referring them instead to Bertolino, a longtime family friend.
The FBI and local Florida authorities quickly launched a search for Brian in the 25,000-acre nature preserve, wading waist-deep throughsnake- and alligator-infested swampsin some areas. (The Carlton Reserve is connected to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where his remains were eventually found.)
Bertolino told PEOPLE that Brianwas visibly “upset"the last time that his family saw him.
“Yes, Brian was upset when he left and he was not able to be persuaded not to leave the house,” Bertolino said.
source: people.com
