Brian Laundrie's Parents Reveal What Happened the Day He Told Them "Gabby's Gone"
Depositions from Brian Laundrie’s parents that were recently made public reveal the “frantic” and “excited” phone calls between Laundrie and his parents after he strangled his fiancée Gabby Petito to death.
Their depositions are a part of Petito’s family’s civil lawsuit filed in March of 2022 against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and their lawyer, Steven Bertolino, accusing them of causing emotional distress. Petito's family claims that the Laundries knew Petito was dead and withheld the information from them, only speaking through statements made by Bertolino on behalf of the family, causing them pain and distress.
For more on Gabby Petito:
Brian Laundrie Allegedly Posed as Gabby Petito in Texts to Her Parents After He Killed Her
Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie’s Parents Meet for First Time Since She Was Killed
What's in the "Burn after Reading" Letter That Brian Laundrie's Mother Wrote to Him?
What happened to Gabby Petito?
Petito’s body was found in September 2021 in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. In October of 2021, a coroner announced that Petito was strangled to death, stating that it likely happened three to four weeks before her body was discovered.
Laundrie's body was found on October 20, 2021, in Florida, in a nature preserve near his parents' home. A medical examiner in the state ruled that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Next to his body was a notebook, in which he mentioned Petito's death, writing that he “ended her life.”
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito Photo: Instagram
What did Brian Laundrie say in calls with his parents after he killed Gabby Petito?
In his deposition, Laundrie’s father, Christopher, described the day everything “hit the fan.”
Laundrie’s mother, Roberta, received a call from her son on August 29, 2021, which she said in her deposition was normal up until the end. "He all of a sudden completely changed and he sounded very upset, and his voice was very upset and I didn't know why and I didn't want to push him," Roberta said, adding that she told her husband to call their son back because he sounded upset.
Christopher called their son back, and described Laundrie as sounding “very panicked” on the phone as Laundrie repeatedly said, “Gabby’s gone.”
He said that during the phone call, Laundrie requested help from him, specifically asking for a lawyer. “I asked him why. He wouldn’t tell me,” Christopher said. After that phone call, he contacted the family lawyer, Bertolino.
When asked if he ever assumed that Petito was dead, Christopher responded, “It was a situation of how frantic he was. I had no idea what to think. He asked me to get a lawyer, and I couldn't get any more information from him."
When asked the same question, Roberta said she remembered thinking the couple may have gotten into a fight, but that she “didn’t know what to think” about the possibility that her son could have killed Petito.
“This is a girl you told me you loved. Someone you loved, someone who was going to become a part of your family, and you asked no questions about her of your son when you learned that she was gone, correct?,” Roberta was asked, to which she replied: “Correct.”
After learning from their son that Petito was “gone,” the Laundries never reached out to the young woman’s parents, according to their depositions.
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito Photo: Instagram
Why didn't Brian Laundrie's parents call Gabby Petito's family after learning she was "gone"?
“I didn’t [call Petito’s family], no, because I had no reason to — at that very moment to think anything was — was going on. Gabby took off and did things that I — you know, she — on her own free will, so I had no idea what — where she was,” Christopher said.
His wife said she was more concerned about her son and thought that Petito’s family would take care of her.
“My attorney told me not to talk to anybody, so I just didn’t talk to anybody,” Roberta said.
When Laundrie returned home to Florida without Petito, Roberta said she didn’t ask any questions, following her lawyer’s advice.
“I was told not to ask, and so I just kept Brian close, kept him home and safe, and didn’t talk to him about anything and hoped for the best,” she said.
While trying to figure out what had happened to their daughter, Petito’s parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, grew suspicious after repeatedly attempting to contact Laundrie’s family, to no avail.
When asked if the Laundries’ silence made them think that they knew something about what happened to Petito, Schmidt replied: “Yes.”
Petito’s father said in his deposition that he was upset over the Laundries’ statement expressing "hope" for Petito’s safe return, as they ignored the woman’s parents in their plea for answers.
“It bothered me that … they’re not trying to figure out a way to help Gabby be brought home,” Petito’s father said. “They supposedly love Gabby, but all they did was show that they didn’t give two sh-ts about her.”
Gabby Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, speaks during a news conference as her husband, Jim Schmidt, looks on, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Salt Lake City. Photo: AP
Roberta Laundrie called her "burn after reading" letter “embarrassing”
When Laundrie's body was discovered in October 2021, authorities found on him an undated letter from his mother titled “burn after reading.”
The note included lines from Roberta offering to help her son dispose of a body and break out of jail, should he need it.
When asked about the letter during her deposition, Roberta called it “embarrassing” and said it was written as a reminder to her son that she will always love him.
“It was a poor choice of words. When I read this later, I was like ‘This sounds awful,’” Roberta said. “It was a jokey, stupid letter that I dashed off before he left with lots of bad jokes and poor humor. ... I never imagined any of this.”
Joe Petito says there will be “no justice” for his daughter
Petito’s parents are seeking no less than $100,000 in damages. Petito’s father said in his deposition that the lawsuit is not about financial compensation, but that he wants to “make them hurt as much as they hurt us.”
