Man found in same forest as Gabby Petito died of suicide: coroner

The death of man whose body was found in the same forest as Gabby Petito’s was ruled a suicide, according to a coroner’s report released Wednesday, NBC News reported.

Teton County Coroner Brent Blue announced that his office identified the body as Robert Lowery, 46, and confirmed that he died of suicide, the network noted. The Texas resident, who had two children, had been missing for more than a month.

Lowery’s body was discovered in late September in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest close to Grand Teton National Park, which is also where authorities found the body of Gabby Petito on Sept. 19. 

Teton County Search and Rescue noted that the national attention over Petito likely assisted in the tracking down Lowery’s body. Officials said that they received new information from a tipster over Lowery’s last-known whereabouts and what he was wearing, ultimately helping investigators find his body in a wooded slope in the forest.

Petito’s body was found over a week before Lowery’s, and she had been reported missing since Sept. 11. Questions about Petito’s whereabouts were raised after her fiance, Brian Laundrie, arrived back in Florida without Petito after a cross-country road trip together.

Laundrie remains missing despite an FBI warrant for his arrest and a high-profile multi-state search involving various law enforcement agencies. 

On Wednesday, police ramped up their search for Laundrie at a Florida nature reserve, according to CNN.