Petito coverage may have led to remains of missing Texas man, officials say

Lowery had not been seen since Aug. 20, according to KTVX.

Earlier this month, Petito’s body was discovered in the same national forest, on the opposite side at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area, NBC News reported. Brian Laundrie, her fiancé and a person of interest in her case, has vanished, prompting a manhunt.

The two cases are not related, according to Teton County Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Sachse, NBC News reported.

But, the Teton County Search and Rescue said in its statement Tuesday that coverage of Petito’s search helped bring light to Lowery’s case, which resulted in at least two people calling authorities with new information about the last area he was likely seen, NBC News said.

“The new information put Lowery on the Black Canyon Trail, wearing a black baseball cap with a gold P, and carrying a black duffle bag with the Nike logo,” the Teton County Search and Rescue statement read.

“Given this new information, TCSAR initiated a response. The volunteers split into seven teams and combed the thick timbered area surrounding Black Canyon, a popular hiking and mountain biking trail in the summer. At about 1 p.m., a dog team located a body and black Nike duffle bag significantly off-trail on a steep, wooded slope. Volunteers spent Tuesday afternoon recovering the body from the mountainside,” the statement continued.

Lowery, a father of two, had flown to Jackson Hole on Aug. 19, according to NBC News.

His sister, Leigh Lowery, told “Dateline” that he had started to go on hiking and camping trips after recently resigning from his real estate job, NBC News reported.

According to Leigh, his family became worried when he stopped contacting his children, the news outlet reported.