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Brian Laundrie's Family: Where Are They After Gabby Petito's Murder?
Brian Laundrie's family didn't take part in Netflix's 'American Murder' docuseries about his death and involvement in the murder of Gabby Petito
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Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. Courtesy of Netflix
Netflixâs docuseries about the murder of Gabby Petito mentioned Brian Laundrieâs family â but where are his loved ones after his death?
American Murder: Gabby Petito, which was released in February 2025, explored Petito and Laundrieâs tumultuous relationship leading up to their infamous cross country trip. The engaged couple documented their 2021 getaway for Petitoâs YouTube channel but she ultimately didnât return home.
Laundrie was discovered at his parentsâ home in September 2021 amid Petitoâs disappearance. He was reported missing more than a week later after Petito was found dead. A high-profile search for Laundrie ended in October 2021 when his remains were found in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
The FBI determined in January 2022 that Laundrie was responsible for Petitoâsmurder due to a confession written in his notebook before his death by suicide. Two months after the FBI investigation, Petitoâs parents filed a civil lawsuit against Brianâs mother Roberta Laundrie and father Christopher Laundrie for allegedly knowing about Petitoâs murder and the location of her deceased body.
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From the murder of Gabby Petito to the Rust tragedy, many true crime documentaries are coming our way in 2025. Hulu announced in February the release of Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna, which comes two years after actor Alec Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 following cinematographer Halyna Hutchinsâ [âŚ]
A judge ruled in favor of Petitoâs family in the wrongful death lawsuit in late 2022, awarding $3 million to Petitoâs mother as the administrator of her daughterâs estate. Brianâs loved ones, meanwhile, remained out of the public eye and chose not to take part in Netflixâs three-part docuseries about the case.
Filmmakers Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro exclusively spoke to Us Weekly about trying to get in contact with Roberta and Christopher.
âWe did reach out to his family. Itâs hard to open up about this [topic] for that side of the family. So we made best efforts to reach out to them,â Nason noted while Gasparro added, âWe reached out to the family, to their lawyer and to Brianâs sister. But we respected the fact that they didnât want to participate and thatâs it.â
Keep scrolling to see where Brianâs family members are now:
Brian Laundrie Brian Laundrie. Courtesy of NetflixAfter meeting in high school, Brian started dating Petito in 2019 and they got engaged in 2020. American Murder highlighted the issues that the couple started to face â specifically after moving to Florida to live with his family.
Brian and Petito saved up some money before heading on their cross-country trip in 2021, which they documented. In August 2021, cops in Moab, Utah, pulled Brian and Petito over after a 911 call reported a man striking a woman. In body camera footage released after Petitoâs disappearance, Petito admitted to striking Brian while he admitted to pushing her.
The incident was classified as disorderly conduct and the duo were separated for the night. They reunited, however, and continued their trip until Petito stopped responding to her parentsâ messages later that month. Petitoâs disappearance was the subject of intense nationwide attention after Brian returned home in September 2021 without her.
Petito was found dead at age 22 in September 2021 near Grand Teton National Park more than a week after she was reported missing. Brian was named a person of interest before going missing as well. He was found dead by suicide in Florida in October 2021. He had a backpack that the FBI confirmed had a notebook where he admitted responsibility for Petitoâs death.
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Ramey Photo/Mega Agency; Miles Crist/Netflix When a true crime case is making headlines, there are usually multiple programs covering the same subject within months of each other. Not every duel release is intentional, but topics such as Sherri Papiniâs kidnapping case and Erik MenĂŠndez and Lyle MenĂŠndezâs infamous murder trial are great examples of multiple [âŚ]
Roberta Laundrie Gabby Petito and Roberta Laundrie. Courtesy of NetflixNetflixâs American Murder special included excerpts from Brianâs correspondences with his mother where she stated that she would help him âdispose of a bodyâ if needed. The amount of knowledge Brianâs parents had about Petitoâs death was questioned when Petitoâs parents filed a civil lawsuit accusing Roberta and Christopher of failing to disclose that Brian admitted to killing his fiancĂŠe.
Lawyers for the Laundries argued over the admissibility of the letter claiming it was written before Petitoâs death. The case was settled in November 2022 and the families agreed to a confidential resolution.
âChristopher 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,â read a statement read from the Laundrie familyâs attorney.
The Petito family released their own statement where they expressed that âall parties reluctantly agreed in order to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict. Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives to allow us to move on and continue to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter, Gabby.â
Petitoâs mother, Nicole Schmidt, said at CrimeCon in May 2024 that she forgave Brian for her daughterâs death â but not Roberta.
âI speak for myself here when I say Brian, I forgive you,â Schmidt said at the Nashville convention. âI needed to release myself from the chains of anger and bitterness. And I refuse to let your despicable act define the rest of my life.â
Schmidt alleged that Brianâs parents were âcomplicit in his cowardly flight from justiceâ and said their actions âhave added saltâ to her wounds.
âAs for you, Roberta â and I call you out individually because you are evidently the mastermind that shattered your family and mind with your evil ways â I see no empathy in your eyes, no remorse in your heart and no willingness to take responsibility for your actions,â Schmidt continued. âYou are the dark. You are the sociopath that everyone fears. The one who appears so innocent and kind, but harbors darkness within your soul. You do not deserve forgiveness. You deserve to be forgotten and dehumanized. You epitomize pure evil.â
Roberta â and Christopher â have made no public comments during or after the case. They also havenât participated in any documentaries about the case after receiving widespread backlash from the public.
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From Sherri Papiniâs kidnapping hoax to the two separate documentaries about Scott Petersonâs murder conviction, itâs safe to say that most streaming services are investing in true crime in 2024. Netflix and Hulu usually corner the genre by focusing on the most recent â and most surprising â cases. It was Investigation Discovery, however, that [âŚ]
Christopher LaundrieFootage from American Murder showed Christopher refusing to discuss Brianâs whereabouts with the authorities when he initially returned home from his trip in 2021 with the van â but not with Petito.
Christopher and Roberta spoke under oath for the first time about Petitoâs murder ahead of the trial for the civil lawsuit, which was ultimately settled. Christopher acknowledged that his son called him in August 2021 and frantically said, âGabbyâs gone.â Brianâs father said in his deposition that he had âno ideaâ what Brian meant by that statement.
âIt was â it was all mumbled and I still donât remember everything that happened. Be said he needed help and to get an attorney,â Christopher recalled, according to WPTV and WFLA. âAnd I told him, âYeah, Iâll help you. Iâll call Steven Bertolino, and just stay put.â And then I asked him again, and he just said, âJust help me.â And I said, âYeah, Iâm going to, so stay calm. Stay put.â And he hung up.â
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Cassie Laundrie Brian Laundrie and Cassie Laundrie. Courtesy of NetflixBrianâs sister was the only one from the Laundrie family to break their silence during the widespread search for Petito.
âObviously me and my family want Gabby to be found safe,â Cassie told Good Morning America in September 2021. âSheâs like a sister and my children love her, and all I want is for her to come home safe and sound and this to be just a big misunderstanding.â
Cassie has also remained out of the public eye since her brotherâs remains were found in October 2021. She urged Brian to âcome forwardâ when the authorities were still searching for him, saying on GMA, âGet us out of this horrible mess. I really wish he had come to me first that day with the van, because I donât think weâd be here.â
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