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Body Discovered in Wyoming Thought To Be Gabby Petito’s

Rescue teams found a body on Sunday matching missing woman Gabby Petito’s description in a national park in the US state of Wyoming.

The news was confirmed by FBI agent Charles Jones who gave a brief news conference to the media.

Trying to hold back tears, Mr. Jones said: “As every parent can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for her family.”

The cause of death has yet to be determined and official identification of the remains by authorities is ongoing.

The 22-year-old woman disappeared while visiting the Grand Teton National Park with her fiancé Brian Laundrie, who was declared a “person of interest” in the case. He was not charged with any crime but refused to speak to the police and vanished a few days later.

According to the FBI, forensic examinations have yet to confirm 100% that the human remains found were consistent with Ms. Petito’s description.

However, her father, Joseph Petito, posted a photo of his daughter on Twitter shortly after the press conference. “#GABBYPETITO she touched the world,” he wrote alongside a picture of her with angel wings painted in the background.

Mr. Laundrie and Ms. Petito embarked on a nomadic RV trip across the United States in July.

The couple filmed themselves smiling and kissing during their adventures, which they shared via social media. One of their YouTube videos reached more than 2.3 million views.

However, Mr. Laundrie returned to Florida with his white van on September 1, a month after they started traveling, without his fiancée.

Ms. Petito’s family reported her missing ten days later.

On Friday, Mr. Laundrie’s family reportedly told police that they had not seen him since Tuesday.

Authorities deployed a search team, with police dogs and drones, which scoured a 25,000-acre wildlife reserve in Florida to find Mr. Laundrie. But researchers, “frustrated” by the developments, had found nothing as of Sunday night.

His family issued a statement recently, saying that the news about Ms. Petito’s disappearance was “heartbreaking,” adding that they prayed for her and her relatives.

Thousands of online users have left comments on the couple’s Instagram profile, and some protesters have gathered outside the Laundrie family home, shouting: “Where’s Gabby?”

Meanwhile, the police reiterated the call for anyone with information to contact officers.

It also emerged that Moab city police in southern Utah were alerted to a possible incident of domestic violence involving the couple on August 12.

Authorities also released bodycam footage showing Ms. Petito crying.

She complained about her mental health and revealed that she and Mr. Laundrie had been arguing more frequently.