Brian Laundrie’s Parents Knew Gabby Petito Was ‘Gone’ & Didn’t Report It—Here’s Where They Are Now
It’s been over three years since Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie embarked on a long trip together, intending to document their “van life.” The trip would end in tragedy, with Petito first reported missing, and then confirmed to be dead, Laundrie the top suspect in her murder. Laundrie would go on to take his life, leaving a note that accepted responsibility for the murder. The entire story of their relationship and what happened is now being explored in Netflix’s American Murder: Gabby Petito, a three-part documentary.
The documentary, which features real text messages, video footage, and personal journals from Petito, as well as never-seen-before interviews with members of her family, also examines the role Brian Laundrie’s parents played—particularly after Laundrie returned home without Petito.
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In March 2022, Gabby’s parents filed a lawsuit against Brian Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, accusing them of assisting their son in covering up Gabby’s murder and trying to help him flee the country. That lawsuit has since been settled.
But where are Brian Laundrie’s parents Christopher and Roberta now? Here’s what we know about their life.
Where Are Brian Laundrie’s Parents Now?
Brian Laundrie’s parents still live in Florida, but they have mostly stayed out of the spotlight in the last few years, and it’s easy to see why. The two originally refused to cooperate with police and claimed to have had no knowledge of Gabby Petito’s whereabouts. Brian Laundrie, however, quickly became the main suspect in Gabby Petito’s death, and after he went missing himself, his parents started cooperating to help police find their son. However, police never found Laundrie alive, instead, they found his remains, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound confirmed as the cause of death.
Alongside his remains, there was a notebook that contained a confession letter, in which Laundrie claimed the killing was “merciful,” and the result of Gabby suffering a head injury in a fall. “Please do not make life harder for my family,” Brian Laundrie wrote. “They lost a son and a daughter. The most wonderful girl in the world. Gabby I’m sorry.”
However, according to CNN, police also found a letter from his mother marked “burn after reading.” Roberta Laundrie later claimed the letter was not related to Gabby, but the letter suggested she would bury a body if he needed her to and would do her best to help him out of prison too.
According to court transcripts obtained by Fox13, Laundrie’s parents were aware something had happened to Gabby, though they claimed they had no details, with Christopher Laundrie admitting his son called him multiple times in late August, and specifically said “Gabby’s gone.”
“I asked him, you know, how is he doing, and he — you know, he was not calm and he got very excited and told me things had — you know, ‘Gabby’s gone’ and he got very frantic,” Chris Laundrie said in his deposition, according to WFLA. “Everything was frantic and quick. So, you know, Gabby’s gone.”
“He said, you know, ‘Can you help me,’ you know, and he might need a lawyer, you know,” Christopher added. “And I would—I asked him why he wouldn’t tell me. He was very frantic. Everything was frantic and I started to not really comprehend, and then he said just, you know, ‘Can you help me?’ And I said, ‘Okay. I’ll help you.’ And I calmed him down and I said—I don’t know. It was—it was all mumbled and I still don’t remember everything that happened.”
The two families reached a settlement in February 2024, with the Laundrie’s lawyer saying in a statement at the time, “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.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) for confidential support.
