CONTENT WARNING: This article contains references to domestic violence and violence against women. If these issues affect you or someone you love, read on with caution, and contact 1800 RESPECT for support.
In June 2021, 22-year-old Gabby Petito set off on what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime: A four-month journey through the United States in a van with her fiancée, Brian Laundrie.
Her mother filed a missing persons report on September 11, after growing worried that her daughter had stopped responding to messages from her loved ones. Tragically, it would be too late. The family—and the world, who had been rapidly swept up in the search for the young travel vlogger—would later learn that Gabby had been killed on or around August 27, 2021.
Around this time, Brian made the trip from Wyoming, where the couple were camping, to his parents’ home in Florida. The alarm was raised when police officers responding to Gabby’s mother’s concerns visited the Laundrie family home. When Brian’s parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, opened the door to police, they were reluctant to speak and instead handed over a contact for their attorney. Police also noted that the van the couple had been travelling in—which was registered in Gabby’s name—was parked in the driveway of the house.
Brian quickly became a person of interest for police, but went missing himself nearly a week before Gabby’s remains were found in a national park in Wyoming. Her death was ruled as a homicide by strangulation.
The Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino told PEOPLE at the time that Brian’s parents did not know where he was.
“They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him. The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong,” the lawyer told the outlet.
They eventually joined the search for their son and ultimately helped locate some of his belongings and remains in Florida’s Carlton Reserve, per NBC. An autopsy would later rule his death a suicide.
A waterproof notebook was found alongside Brian’s body. In one entry, he claimed had killed Gabby after she was injured from falling in a lake, and attempted to frame it as an act of mercy.
” I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock. But from the moment I decided I took away her pain, I knew I couldn’t go on without her,” he wrote, per WFLA.
Gabby’s disappearance, and the eventual confirmation of her murder, generated global media coverage. Intrigue and outrage was bolstered by Brian’s parents’ refusal to cooperate with authorities after their son returned home from the trip, as well as the fact that Brian called his parents around the suspected day of the murder.
In 2022, Gabby’s parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt filed a lawsuit alleging that Christopher and Roberta had assisted Brian in covering up Gabby’s murder, and claimed they were planning to help him flee the country, per PEOPLE.
Gabby’s story is being revisited in a new, three-part Netflix series titled American Murder: Gabby Petito, which examines the tragic case and aims to raise awareness for domestic violence. While Gabby’s loved ones were heavily involved in the series, Christopher and Roberta declined to comment or be involved, according to a note at the end of the final episode.
However, the couple have no released a statement via their lawyer, slamming the docuseries as containing “many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact.”
Scroll on for everything else the Laundrie’s said—as well as answers to all the other questions you probably have about the pair.
Related: A Timeline of the Gabby Petito Case
What Did Brian Laundrie's Parents Say About the Netflix Documentary?
Two weeks after the Netflix documentary about the murder of Gabby Petito was released, Brian Laundrie’s parents have fired back at the streamer via their lawyer, Steven Bertolino.
In a statement to TODAY, Bertolino said: “The documentary was what we expected. One perspective depicted as the ‘truth’ as seen through their lens. Similar to Republicans and Democrats fighting it out lately.”
“Each side believes their perspective is correct. Hard to see through the lens of the other with all the noise and distrust,” the attorney added. “The documentary contained many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact—perhaps deliberate to capture their ‘truth’, perhaps due to simple error.”
Despite their criticisms of the docuseries, Christopher and Roberta did acknowledge the fact their son was responsibly for Gabby’s death.
The statement noted: “We all know Brian took Gabby’s life and Brian then took his own as well. Let the parents of both Gabby and Brian mourn and remember them in peace.”
Why Did Gabby Petito's Parents Sue Brian Laundrie's Parents?
Christopher and Roberta Laundrie did not face any criminal charges in connection to Gabby Petito’s murder. The couple did, however, face a civil suit, which filed by Gabby’s parents.
In March 2022, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt filed a civil lawsuit claiming that Christopher and Roberta knew their son, Brian Laundrie had murdered their daughter, Gabby.
The lawsuit, which was obtained by WFLA, states: “It is believed, and therefore averred that … Brian Laundrie advised his parents, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie, that he had murdered Gabrielle Petito.”
The suit continues: “On that same date, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie spoke with Attorney Steve Bertolino, and sent him a retainer on Sept. 2, 2021.”
“While Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt were desperately searching for information concerning their daughter, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie were keeping the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie secret, and it is believed were making arrangements for him to leave the country,” the lawsuit also alleged, according to the outlet.
The Laundries’ lawyer released a statement to PEOPLE at the time of the suit’s filing. He told the outlet: “Assuming everything the Petitos allege in their lawsuit is true, which we deny, this lawsuit does not change the fact that the Laundries had no obligation to speak to law enforcement or any third-party including the Petito family. This fundamental legal principle renders the Petitos’ claims baseless under the law.”
The case did not go to trial and was resolved in February 2024. According to the BBC, the details of the resolution were kept confidential.
Did Christopher and Roberta Laundrie Know Brian Killed Gabby Petito?
According to a deposition from Christopher Laundrie obtained by WFLA, Christopher said his son called him in a “frantic” state on August 29, 2021—two days after Gabby is thought to have been killed. He reportedly told him Gabby was “gone” and asked his father to get him a lawyer. Christopher said he did not know what his son meant by “Gabby’s gone.”
Brian returned to his family home in Florida on September 1, 2021. Brian, Christopher and Roberta were joined by Brian’s sister, Cassie, as well as her partner and children, on a camping trip shortly after.
Gabby’s mother reported her missing on September 11 and Brian was named as a person of interest four days later.
Throughout the investigation into Brian, Christopher and Roberta remained mostly silent and unwilling to speak with police. When police initially showed up at their home hoping to talk to Brian, Christopher passed on the contact details of their attorney.
On October 7, after Brian had also gone missing, Christopher and Roberta joined the search for him, and were ultimately the ones who found their son’s remains in a Florida reserve on October 20, 2021.
A notebook found alongside Brian’s body contained an entry that pleaded: “Please do not make life harder for my family, they lost a son and a daughter—the most wonderful girl in the world. Gabby I’m sorry,” per The Independent.
Evidence later cited in the civil case against Brian’s parents included a letter Roberta is believed to have written to Brian, with the words “burn after reading” on it.
It contained the lines: “If you’re in jail I will bake a cake and put a file in it. If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags.”
Roberta denied the note was connected to Gabby’s disappearance and claimed it was written before the couple left for their travels.
Christopher and Roberta’s lawyer shared a statement to Fox News at the end of the suit, saying: “Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and I participated in mediation with the Petito family and the civil lawsuit has now been resolved. The terms of the resolution are confidential, and we look forward to putting this matter behind us.”
Where Are Brian Laundrie's Parents Now?
Christopher and Roberta Laundrie were incredibly private throughout the initial investigation into Gabby’s disappearance, as well as the proceedings of the civil lawsuit. This also remains the case today.
They are believed to still be living in Florida, according to The Sun.
If this article has raised difficult feelings for you or concern for loved ones, please contact 1800RESPECT, 13YARN or Lifeline for support.
