Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Roberta and Chris Laundrie - the parents of deceased killer Brian Laundrie, who murdered his 22-year-old fiancée Gabby Petito in 2021 - have this week addressed the release of a harrowing Netflix documentary about their son's crime.
The three-part true-crime series American Murder: Gabby Petito exposes many details about the case, including footage of the Laundrie family being questioned, and a damning note Roberta wrote to Brian while he faced murder charges.
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Since the show's release on Monday (17 Feb), the Laundrie family have been subjected to global criticism, with viewers questioning how they were never charged with any involvement in the case, despite arguably stunting the initial investigation into Gabby's whereabouts.
What happened to Gabby Petito?
In August 2021, Brian Laundrie murdered his long-term partner Gabby Petito during a road trip through the US, before abandoning her body in the Wyoming wilderness.
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The crime was brought to light following a police investigation first started by Gabby's mother Nichole Schmidt, who reported her missing when a handful of her texts went unanswered after the couple had been on the road for several weeks.
Officers quickly discovered that Brian had returned home to Florida in the van without his fiancée.
The couple had endured a run-in with police during their road trip, with a witness claiming to have seen him 'slapping' her - though no arrests were made.
On 17 September, amid a nationwide search for Gabby, Chris and Roberta Laundrie also reported their son missing, claiming Brian had failed to return home after a hike in a nearby woods in Florida four days earlier.
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On 19 September 2021, however, the FBI tragically discovered human remains in an area of Spread Creek Dispersed Camp, which were later confirmed to be Gabby.
An autopsy later determined that the aspiring YouTuber had died via 'blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation' three to four weeks prior.
A month later, a police search found Brian's remains in an area of Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park that had previously been underwater due to flooding.
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A subsequent autopsy reported that Brian had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
A waterproof notebook was discovered beside his body, containing a nine-word claim that was interpreted as his confession to her murder.
In the text, Brian claimed that Gabby had become injured after getting caught up in some ice-cold water, leading him to 'end her life'. He wrote: "I ended her life, I thought it was merciful."
FBI Denver Division later stated: "The investigation did not identify any other individuals other than Brian Laundrie directly involved in the tragic death of Gabby Petito. The FBI's primary focus throughout the investigation was to bring justice to Gabby and her family."
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Following the release of the documentary, however, thousands of viewers were left blown away by the fact that Roberta and Chris Laundrie were never charged for any aspect of the case.
What did Brian Laundrie's parents say about the documentary?
Now, following the fresh criticism, the Laundries' attorney has released a statement to the press.
Steven Bertolino reportedly told The Sun US this week that, although the documentary was what the Laundrie family had expected it to be, they've been left disgruntled by several aspects of their portrayal.
"One perspective depicted as the 'truth' as seen through their lens," Bertolino told the publication.
"Similar to Republicans and Democrats fighting it out lately."
The lawyer added: "Each side believes their perspective is correct. Hard to see through the lens of the other with all the noise and distrust.
"To be clear though, there were no contradictions by my clients Chris and Roberta Laundrie."
Bertolino added that the docu-series 'contained many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact', suggesting that this could have been 'deliberate to capture their "truth", or 'due to simple error'.
"We all know Brian took Gabby's life and Brian then took his own as well," he continued.
"Let the parents of both Gabby and Brian mourn them in peace."
Brian's parents' 'involvement' in the case
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As the show highlights, on 10 September, when Gabby's mother first became worried about her whereabouts, she texted Roberta Laundrie to say she hadn't heard from the couple in around 10 days — a follow-up message possibly indicating that she'd been blocked.
Gabby's father Joe also attempted to contact the Laundries, to no avail, which prompted the family to contact the police.
And after learning of Brian's return to Florida, when police were dispatched to the property, body-cam footage included in the doc shows Chris declaring firstly that they wouldn't be speaking to officers, and secondly that they'd hired an attorney.
Later, the day Brian was reported missing, authorities searched his home for potential evidence, stumbling across a note Roberta had written to her son titled 'Burn After Reading', in which she pledged to help him if he ever need to 'dispose of a body', as per CNN.
During questioning, she insisted that the letter had been penned to Brian prior to his road-trip with Gabby and her disappearance.
In the documentary, however, FBI Special Agent, Loretta Bush admits: "We still don't know the extent of Brian's parents' involvement, but what we do know, is that, on August 29th, Brian made a flurry of calls to his parents."
Brian's parents were never charged with any crime, though in 2022, Gabby's parents filed a lawsuit against the Laundries for at least $100,000 in damages, claiming they'd assisted their son in the cover-up of her murder and knew she was dead - which they denied.
According to the BBC, the case was settled out of court in 2024 as the Petitos said that after 'long day of mediation', all parties had 'reluctantly agreed' to the deal to 'avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict'.
Tyla has contacted Netflix for comment on the Laundrie family's recent comments.
Topics: Documentaries, Gabby Petito, Netflix, News, TV And Film, US News, True Crime
Rhianna Benson