The human remains believed to belong to Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito were found on the eastern boundary of the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, the F.B.I. said, an area that her family previously said was the last place they knew she was driving toward with her fiancé as they embarked on a cross-country trip.
The remains were specifically found in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, a remote, alpine landscape with glimmering lakes, sprawling mountains and more than 200 miles of trails, where millions of visitors come each year, according to the National Park Service.
The camping area, which is not in a developed campground facility and lacks services like drinking water and trash removal, is popular with campers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The site also offers views of the Tetons.
Ms. Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, said he and Ms. Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, last spoke with Ms. Petito on a FaceTime call on either Aug. 23 or Aug. 24. During that call, they learned that Ms. Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, were leaving Utah and driving to Grand Teton National Park.
The couple’s cross-country trip was well documented on social media.
Mr. Schmidt said Ms. Petito texted her mother a few times after that, according to the New York Post.
After Mr. Laundrie, who is now a “person of interest” in the case, returned to his house in North Port, Fla., without her, Ms. Petito’s family reported her missing, the North Port Police Department said.
The Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area was closed to the public on Sunday evening.
Charles Jones, an F.BI. agent, said on Sunday that crews with the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service had helped investigators navigate “rugged terrain” during the search.