Police were wrong while monitoring Brian Laundrie: they thought he had returned home but mistook him for his mother

By Elisha Fieldstadt -

Police in North Port, Florida, admitted to making a mistake in monitoring Brian Laundrie's movements at his home.

Investigators

young man's home after the family of his fiancee, Gabby Petito, reported the young woman's disappearance on September 11.

Laundrie had returned to Florida on Sept. 1 without her, after the two traveled together by road across the country, according to police.

Brian Laundrie was caught on a police camera while speaking with a Utah agent on Aug. 12 The Moab Police Department via AP

Those who guarded the house, where Laundrie lived with his parents,

on September 13 and believed they saw him return on September 15, according to a report from the WINK News station in Fort Myers, whose veracity police confirmed to Telemundo in Tampa.

"All I'm going to say is we know where Brian Laundrie is," North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said Sept. 16.

[Public attention is focused on Brian Laundrie's parents following the discovery of the mortal remains of Gabby Petito's boyfriend]

But

.

The person who got back in the Mustang was not Petito's boyfriend, his spokesman, Josh Taylor, told the news station, but Laundrie's mother, Roberta, who was wearing a baseball cap, according to the official.

"They have a similar [physical] build," he said.

Brian Laundrie's family cordon off the perimeter of their home

Oct. 23, 202100: 26

Officers realized something was wrong when the family reported on September 17 that their son was missing, according to police.

[Gabby Petito was strangled to death, according to the coroner's report.

Her boyfriend is still on the run]

"That was certainly a surprise," Taylor said.

"

. But now we know that was not true. The area was difficult to monitor with increasing activity. He was not yet wanted for any crime," he added.

While authorities were searching for Laundrie, 23, primarily in the vast Carlton Preserve, attempts were also being made nationally for Petito, 22.

The body of the young woman was found on September 19 in a camping area in Bridger-Teton National Park, in Wyoming.

Petito had been dead for at least three weeks and her death was declared a

, according to the coroner.

Gaby Petito: they confirm that remains found in Florida are Brian Laundrie

Oct. 21, 202103: 43

Laundrie was never charged with Petito's death, but was named a

in his disappearance.

Authorities also issued an arrest warrant for having used a Petito debit card without permission.

The first forensic analyzes confirmed that the human remains found in the Carlton Reservation last week are those of Laundrie.

North Port

to reach the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, which is part of the nature reserve.

According to the FBI, Laundrie's personal belongings, such as a backpack and a notebook, were also found alongside the remains.

Its content has not been disclosed.

[Gabby Petito's boyfriend's sister breaks the silence: “I want answers as much as anyone else”]

The remains have been sent to an anthropologist "for evaluation" after

, the family's attorney, Steven Bertolino, announced late last week.

The lawyer said he did not know when the final report of the exploration of Laundrie's remains will be available.