Gabby Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie died of a gunshot wound to the head, family lawyer says

The boyfriend of Gabby Petito, who was being hunted after she was found dead, fatally shot himself in the head, a lawyer has said.

Brian Laundrie had been on a cross-country trip in the US with Ms Petito when she disappeared.

As police appealed for help in finding her, a video emerged of her speaking to police after the couple had had a fight.

Mr Laudrie returned to Florida without her but as police searched for clues, he vanished.

His remains were later found in a swampy wilderness near his family home.

Lawyer Steve Bertolino, acting on behalf of the Laundrie family, said his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide.

"Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families," he said.

Laundrie, 23, was a person of interest in the killing of Ms Petito, who was reported missing on 11 September by her parents while the couple were on a road trip.

His remains were found last month, exactly a month after Ms Petito's body was found in Wyoming.

Laundrie's remains, which included part of a human skull, were discovered along with a backpack and notebook in an area of the park previously submerged in water.

The FBI confirmed his identity the day after discovering his body with the help of dental records and authorities have been trying to repair a notebook retrieved body as part of their investigation.

Ms Petito's family strongly suspect that Laundrie was impersonating her in text messages after her death to try to confuse them and the police.

A coroner concluded that Ms Petito had been strangled and that her body had been at Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park for three or four weeks.

The couple were stopped on 12 August by police in Moab, Utah, after they had a physical altercation, but no charges were filed.

Laundrie returned home alone on 1 September in the Ford van the couple took on their trip.

He had previously been charged in a federal Wyoming indictment with unauthorised use of a debit card, which would have allowed authorities to arrest him if had been found alive.

It alleged that Laundrie used a Capital One Bankcard and someone's personal identification number to make unauthorised withdrawals or charges worth more than $1,000 (£725).

It did not say to whom the card belonged or what type of charges were made.