Brian Laundrie's lawyer calls Gabby Petito's death a 'tragedy' after coroner report, her mom responds

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Brian Laundrie's lawyer calls Gabby Petito's death a 'tragedy' after coroner says she was strangled
Brian Laundrie's lawyer, Steven Bertolino, called Gabby Petito's death a "tragedy" on Tuesday after Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said that her homicide was caused by "manual strangulation."

Petito's remains were found on Sept. 19 in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest about three to four weeks after she was killed, Dr. Blue said. 

Her former fiancé, Brian Laundrie, returned home to North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1 in Gabby's white van and disappeared on Sept. 13. He is a person of interest in Gabby's death and is wanted for alleged debit card fraud. 

"Gabby Petito’s death at such a young age is a tragedy," Bertolino told Fox News on Tuesday. 

"While Brian Laundrie is currently charged with the unauthorized use of a debit card belonging to Gabby, Brian is only considered a person of interest in relation to Gabby Petito’s demise," he continued. "At this time Brian is still missing and when he is located we will address the pending fraud charge against him."

Gabby's mom, Nichole Schmidt, rebuffed Bertolino's comments on Tuesday. 

"His words are garbage," she told WFLA. "Keep talking." CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.

In other developments:
- LIVE UPDATES: Brian Laundrie was allegedly last seen exactly 1 month ago
- Gabby Petito autopsy: Cause of death was strangulation, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue says
- Ted Williams: Brian Laundrie’s behavior ‘befuddling’ after Gabby Petito went missing
- Leading experts paint chilling picture after coroner reveals Gabby Petito died by 'manual strangulation'
- Brian Laundrie update: Where does the search stand now?

GABBY PETITO: CHRIS LAUNDRIE GRILLED ON WHETHER SON HAD VIOLENT PAST, VIDEO SHOWS: LIVE UPDATES

Loudoun County parents demand superintendent resign over alleged sexual assaults in schools
More than 60 concerned parents, students, and residents spoke at the Loudoun County School Board meeting Tuesday evening, with many demanding the resignation of Loudoun County Superintendent Scott Ziegler in the wake of allegations that the school district covered up two alleged sexual assaults.

Parents attended the school board meeting with signs urging Ziegler to resign.

"This is not China, this is the United States of America, and we will not be silenced," one irate mother said. "Remove the superintendent immediately and then resign for your negligence and duplicity. End this nightmare!"

Parents pointed to two alleged sexual assaults, the first of which the victim's father claims took place on May 28, 2021, telling The Daily Wire his ninth-grade daughter was assaulted in the bathroom by a boy wearing a skirt. Elizabeth Lancaster, the attorney for the father of the alleged victim, said the boy was charged with two counts of forcible sodomy, one count of anal sodomy, and one count of forcible fellatio.

"We can confirm a May 28, 2021 case that involved a thorough 2-month-long investigation that was conducted to determine the facts of the case prior to arrest," the sheriff’s office told Fox News. "This case is still pending court proceedings. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is not able to provide any documents that pertain to a pending case." The sheriff's office confirmed that the case involved sexual assault.

At a June 22 board meeting, Ziegler declared "the predator transgender student or person simply does not exist," and that to his knowledge, "We don’t have any record of assaults occurring in our restrooms." CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- Loudoun County School Board elects new member whom GOP leader views as a 'moderate'
- Loudoun County father arrested at school board event says school tried to cover up daughter's bathroom assault
- Virginia student takes on school board over mask mandate: 'You're making people go nuts'
- Conservative commentator accuses Loudoun County school board of being 'child abusers'

House votes to lift debt ceiling, likely delaying default showdown until December
House lawmakers approved a $480 billion hike to the debt ceiling on Tuesday, averting a potentially catastrophic U.S. default for at least another two months and teeing up another showdown over a long-term solution.

The Democrat-controlled House passed the measure in a 219-206 vote along party lines. The vote brought the House in sync with the Senate, which passed its own bill last week raising the debt limit by $480 billion. President Biden is expected to sign the bill.

The resolution will allow the federal government to cover its debt obligations through Dec. 3. Democratic lawmakers will use the temporary reprieve to identify a long-term solution to raise the debt limit without Republican support.

The debt ceiling bill’s passage followed a lengthy standoff on Capitol Hill. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and business leaders had warned of a potential economic catastrophe if Congress did not approve a hike before the government runs out of money on Oct. 18.

Republican lawmakers pledged not to help Democrats raise the debt ceiling, arguing a hike would only facilitate Biden administration spending programs that they deem to be fiscally irresponsible. Biden and Democratic leaders have rejected that argument, asserting the hike ensures the U.S. government can cover debts it has already incurred. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- Pelosi backs debt ceiling proposal that would allow Treasury to raise limit
- White House defends plan to snoop on your bank accounts: 'A lot of cheating'
- Yellen doubles down on need for global minimum tax and eliminating debt ceiling

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TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- US to reopen land borders next month for fully vaccinated: report
- Marine officer who criticized senior US officials over Afghanistan withdrawal to plead guilty to some charges
- Lindsey Graham: Border Patrol are abandoned by Biden administration
- Skechers drops Jon Gruden as brand ambassador following email scandal
- Paul McCartney slams The Rolling Stones, calls them a ‘blues cover band’

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SOME PARTING WORDS

Sean Hannity ripped President Biden and his administration Tuesday night on "Hannity" for planning to send American taxpayer money to Afghanistan as the economy continues to tank back home with record inflation, gas prices rising and supply-chain chaos, adding that many Americans are beginning to publicly show their frustration with the White House.

"The Biden administration," the Fox News host said, "is planning to send more money to the Taliban. They're calling it humanitarian aid, but in reality, where I grew up, that looks an awful lot like a massive ransom payment to terrorists."

Afghanistan, he added, is only one of the long list of things Biden has touched that "becomes an unmitigated disaster."

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Fox News First was compiled by Fox News' Jack Durschlag. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We’ll see you in your inbox first thing Thursday.