Brian Laundrie's Family Allegedly Knew Of Gabby Petito's Death For Weeks
By Favour Adegoke on December 5, 2023 at 8:50 PM EST
Brian Laundrie reportedly informed his parents about Gabby Petito's disappearance and the need for a lawyer nearly two weeks before she was officially reported missing.
The Petito family's amended complaint alleges that Laundrie's parents and attorney Steven Bertolino knew the truth but spread false hope. Bertolino, accused of engaging a criminal defense firm in Wyoming, declined to comment.
The complaint also details a deceptive text allegedly sent by Laundrie posing as Petito. Recent depositions exposed shocking insensitivity, with Petito's family learning what the Laundries and Bertolino allegedly knew during the search for Gabby.
Brian Laundrie Told His Parents Gabby Petito Was ‘Gone’ Before She Was Reported Missing
In an amended complaint lodged on November 30 in the Petito lawsuit against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, along with attorney Steven Bertolino, Petito's parents claim that Laundrie urgently informed his parents that Petito was “gone” and he “needed a lawyer” in a frantic call on August 29, 2021.
This was 13 days before Petito was officially reported missing by her mother on September 11, 2021. The complaint alleges: “On August 29, 2021, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie spoke with Steven Bertolino, advising him that Gabrielle Petito was ‘gone,’ that Brian Laundrie needed a lawyer, and sent him a retainer on September 2, 2021.”
According to the document, Bertolino is accused of engaging the criminal defense firm Fleener Peterson LLC in Wyoming and reaching out to other attorneys, including the local public defender's office where Petito's body was eventually discovered.
Responding to the claims, Bertolino, the Laundries attorney, stated, per NBC News, "We have no comment to the filed allegations. We will be filing our answers in the next few days."
Brian Laundrie Reportedly Posed As Gabby Petito And Sent Her Parents Deceptive Texts
The complaint additionally alleges that on August 30, 2021, Laundrie purportedly sent a deceptive text from Petito's phone to her mother, falsely claiming no service in Yosemite Park, as part of an attempt to “deceive Nichole Schmidt into believing that Gabrielle Petito was still alive.”
Petito disappeared during their cross-country road trip in the summer of 2021 gaining international attention. At the time, Laundrie, who was named a person of interest in the case also vanished and was later found dead in Florida, a month before Petito’s body was found in a national forest in Wyoming.
Authorities also discovered a note in which he admitted responsibility for Petito's death. Her parents accused Laundrie's family and their attorney of knowing the truth but spreading false hope.
Brian Laundrie's Notebook Nails Him For Gabby Petito Murder
At the time, Laundrie's lifeless body was discovered in a nature preserve near his parents' Florida residence, accompanied by a backpack, notebook, and a revolver.
According to the FBI, “A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death.”
A Florida medical examiner also determined Laundrie's cause of death as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Wyoming's coroner revealed Petito's demise was due to "manual strangulation" about three weeks before her remains were located.
The Petito family, through their lawyer Richard Stafford, expressed gratitude for the FBI's exhaustive work, stating, “We truly appreciate the FBI’s diligent and painstaking efforts in this extremely complicated case.”
“The quality and quantity of the facts and information collected by the FBI leave no doubt that Brian Laundrie murdered Gabby,” they added.
Gabby Petito's Family Slams The Laundries For Allegedly Acting Unaware Of Her Murder
Laundrie triggered further controversy when he returned to his parents' Florida home in Gabby Petito's van on September 1, 2021,
The complaint emphasized a statement released by Bertolino on September 14, expressing support for the search for Petito near Grand Teton National Park and hopeful sentiments for her reunion with her family.
The lawsuit contends that “for the Laundries and Steven Bertolino to express their ‘hope’ that Gabrielle Petito was located and reunited with her family, at a time when they knew she had been murdered by Brian Laundrie was beyond outrageous.”
The amended complaint follows depositions of the Laundries and Bertolino, revealing shocking insensitivity according to the Petito family's attorney, Pat Reilly.
In a statement on the depositions, Reilly shared: “It was an emotional, gut-wrenching, and eye-opening day for Joe and Nichole."
The lawyer continued, "They learned exactly what Laundries and Bertolino knew while Joe and Nichole and the rest of the family were searching for any information on Gabby, but failed to disclose. The level of insensitivity of Mr. Bertolino is shocking but not unexpected.”
