Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix’s docuseries in regards to the murder of Gabby Petito mentioned Brian Laundrie‘s family — but where are his family members after his death?
American Murder: Gabby Petito, which was released in February 2025, explored Petito and Laundrie’s tumultuous relationship leading as much as their infamous cross country trip. The engaged couple documented their 2021 getaway for Petito’s YouTube channel but she ultimately didn’t return home.
Laundrie was discovered at his parents’ home in September 2021 amid Petito’s disappearance. He was reported missing greater than per week later after Petito was found dead. A high-profile seek for Laundrie resulted in October 2021 when his stays were present in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
The FBI determined in January 2022 that Laundrie was liable for Petito’smurder because of a confession written in his notebook before his death by suicide. Two months after the FBI investigation, Petito’s parents filed a civil lawsuit against Brian’s mother Roberta Laundrie and father Christopher Laundrie for allegedly knowing about Petito’s murder and the placement of her deceased body.
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 discharge 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 Hutchins’ […]
A judge ruled in favor of Petito’s family within the wrongful death lawsuit in late 2022, awarding $3 million to Petito’s mother because the administrator of her daughter’s estate. Brian’s family members, meanwhile, remained out of the general public eye and selected not to participate in Netflix’s three-part docuseries in regards to the case.
Filmmakers Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro exclusively spoke to Us Weekly about attempting to get involved with Roberta and Christopher.
“We did reach out to his family. It’s hard to open up about this [topic] for that side of the family. So we made best efforts to succeed in out to them,” Nason noted while Gasparro added, “We reached out to the family, to their lawyer and to Brian’s sister. But we respected the incontrovertible fact that they didn’t wish to participate and that’s it.”
Keep scrolling to see where Brian’s relations at the moment are:
Brian Laundrie
Brian Laundrie. Courtesy of Netflix
After meeting in highschool, Brian began dating Petito in 2019 they usually got engaged in 2020. American Murder highlighted the problems that the couple began to face — specifically after moving to Florida to live together 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 person striking a lady. In body camera footage released after Petito’s 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, nonetheless, and continued their trip until Petito stopped responding to her parents’ messages later that month. Petito’s disappearance was the topic 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 greater than per week after she was reported missing. Brian was named an individual 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 Petito’s death.
Ramey Photo/Mega Agency; Miles Crist/Netflix When a real crime case is making headlines, there are frequently multiple programs covering the identical subject inside months of one another. Not every duel release is intentional, but topics reminiscent of Sherri Papini‘s kidnapping case and Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez‘s infamous murder trial are great examples of multiple […]
Roberta Laundrie
Gabby Petito and Roberta Laundrie. Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix’s American Murder special included excerpts from Brian’s correspondences together with his mother where she stated that she would help him “eliminate a body” if needed. The quantity of data Brian’s parents had about Petito’s death was questioned when Petito’s parents filed a civil lawsuit accusing Roberta and Christopher of failing to reveal that Brian admitted to killing his fiancée.
Lawyers for the Laundries argued over the admissibility of the letter claiming it was written before Petito’s death. The case was settled in November 2022 and the families agreed to a confidential resolution.
“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 sit up for putting this matter behind us,” read a press release read from the Laundrie family’s attorney.
The Petito family released their very own statement where they expressed that “all parties reluctantly agreed to be able to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict. Our hope is to shut this chapter of our lives to permit us to maneuver on and proceed to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter, Gabby.”
Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, said at CrimeCon in May 2024 that she forgave Brian for her daughter’s death — but not Roberta.
“I speak for myself here after I say Brian, I forgive you,” Schmidt said on the Nashville convention. “I needed to release myself from the chains of anger and bitterness. And I refuse to let your despicable act define the remainder of my life.”
Schmidt alleged that Brian’s parents were “complicit in his cowardly flight from justice” and said their actions “have added salt” to her wounds.
“As for you, Roberta — and I call you out individually because you might be evidently the mastermind that shattered your loved ones and mind together with your evil ways — I see no empathy in your eyes, no remorse in your heart and no willingness to take responsibility to your actions,” Schmidt continued. “You’re the dark. You’re the sociopath that everybody fears. The one who appears so innocent and sort, but harbors darkness inside your soul. You don’t deserve forgiveness. You should be forgotten and dehumanized. You epitomize pure evil.”
Roberta — and Christopher — have made no public comments during or after the case. Additionally they haven’t participated in any documentaries in regards to the case after receiving widespread backlash from the general public.
From Sherri Papini‘s kidnapping hoax to the 2 separate documentaries about Scott Peterson‘s murder conviction, it’s secure to say that almost all streaming services are investing in true crime in 2024. Netflix and Hulu often corner the genre by specializing in probably the most recent — and most surprising — cases. It was Investigation Discovery, nonetheless, that […]
Christopher Laundrie
Footage from American Murder showed Christopher refusing to debate Brian’s whereabouts with the authorities when he initially returned home from his trip in 2021 with the van — but not with Petito.
Christopher and Roberta spoke under oath for the primary time about Petito’s 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, “Gabby’s gone.” Brian’s father said in his deposition that he had “no idea” what Brian meant by that statement.
“It was — it was all mumbled and I still don’t remember all the pieces that happened. Be said he needed help and to get an attorney,” Christopher recalled, in response to WPTV and WFLA. “And I told him, ‘Yeah, I’ll make it easier to. I’ll call Steven Bertolino, and just stay put.’ After which I asked him again, and he just said, ‘Just help me.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to, so stay calm. Stay put.’ And he hung up.”
Cassie Laundrie
Brian Laundrie and Cassie Laundrie. Courtesy of Netflix
Brian’s sister was the just one from the Laundrie family to interrupt their silence through the widespread seek for Petito.
“Obviously me and my family want Gabby to be found secure,” Cassie told Good Morning America in September 2021. “She’s like a sister and my children love her, and all I need is for her to return home secure and sound and this to be just an enormous misunderstanding.”
Cassie has also remained out of the general public eye since her brother’s stays were present in October 2021. She urged Brian to “come forward” when the authorities were still looking for him, saying on GMA, “Get us out of this horrible mess. I actually wish he had come to me first that day with the van, because I don’t think we’d be here.”
