From Shadows to Spotlight: The Untold Story of Brian Laundrie’s Parents

In the summer of 2021, Brian and Gabby Petito, were documenting their cross-country roadtrip and van-life journey on social media. While he (and their van) returned home to his parents’ house in September, Gabby was reported missing.

Later that month, Gabby’s body was found in Wyoming, and a medical examiner ultimately determined she died by homicidal strangulation. Now, her story is being told in Netflix’s docuseries, American Murder: Gabby Petito, which begins streaming on Feb. 17 and gives a closer look into her final days.

When the search for Gabby began, Brian and his parents claimed to have no knowledge of her whereabouts and refused to cooperate, which would later lead to a lawsuit. But shortly after, Brian went missing himself amid nationwide calls for his arrest, leading his parents to join the search themselves.

That October, Brian was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Florida wilderness.

Alongside his remains, police uncovered an undated letter from his mother, marked, “burn after reading,” per CNN. The letter — which she later claimed was not related to Gabby and instead from months earlier in an effort to fix her relationship with her son during a strained period — suggested that she would get a shovel and bury a body if Brian needed her to, and alluded to helping him get out of prison if needed.

“I just want you to remember I will always Love you and I know you will always Love me. You are my boy. Nothing can make me stop loving you, nothing will or could ever divide us. No matter what we do, or where we go or what we say- we will always Love each other,” the letter reads, per the outlet.

So where are Brian Laundrie’s parents now? Here’s everything to know about the killer’s mom and dad — and what they’ve said about Gabby Petito’s case.

Who are Brian Laundrie’s parents?

Brian’s parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, have been living in Florida for years. A few months into Brian and Gabby’s relationship, the young couple moved to Florida together, settling in with Christopher and Roberta. (The Laundries’ daughter, Cassie, was also living in Florida.)

Eventually the young couple moved out to embark on their van-life journey, and only Brian returned home that September. Then, when he went missing shortly after, their family attorney Steve Bertolino told PEOPLE that Brian’s parents did not know where he was.

“They are concerned about Brian and hope the FBI can locate him. The speculation by the public and some in the press that the parents assisted Brian in leaving the family home or in avoiding arrest on a warrant that was issued after Brian had already been missing for several days is just wrong,” the lawyer said.

It was their cooperation that helped police locate Brian’s body, which had become skeletal remains by that point. In a statement at the time, Bertolino said that the discovery came after Brian’s parents directed FBI agents and local police to an area where “some articles belonging to Brian were found,” per NBC News.

When Brian’s death was later ruled a suicide, Bertolino gave PEOPLE a statement on the family’s behalf, saying, “Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families.”

Why were Brian Laundrie’s parents sued by Gabby Petito’s parents?

In March 2022, Gabby’s parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole, filed a lawsuit claiming that Christopher and Roberta assisted their son in covering up Gabby’s murder and were planning to help him flee the country. They sought at least $100,000 in damages for the mental anguish they endured due to the Laundries’ alleged deception.

The lawsuit also claimed that Christopher and Roberta went on vacation with Brian and disregarded desperate requests for help from Gabby’s family rather than assisting Joseph and Nichole in finding their daughter. It further alleged that Roberta blocked Nichole’s phone number and Facebook profile to dodge contact while Gabby’s mom searched for answers about her daughter’s fate that September.

“Christopher and Roberta Laundrie exhibited extreme and outrageous conduct which constitutes behavior, under the circumstances, which goes beyond all possible bounds of decency and is regarded as shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community,” the lawsuit read, per WFLA.

That May, Joseph and Nichole amended the lawsuit, seeking at least $30,000 in damages and alleging that Brian’s parents weren’t just aware of Gabby’s murder — but also knew the whereabouts of her body during the missing persons investigation.

What have Brian Laundrie’s parents said about Gabby Petito’s case?

During depositions for the civil trial between the two families in February 2024, Chris and Roberta spoke under oath for the first time about Gabby’s murder — including a phone call their son made to them shortly after he killed his fiancée.

Christopher acknowledged that Brian called him multiple times in late August, and frantically said, “Gabby’s gone,” according to court transcripts obtained by Fox13. But, Christopher said he didn’t know what his son meant by that.

“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 said in his deposition, per 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 continued. “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.’ “

He added, “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.”

Where are Brian Laundrie’s parents now?

Roberta and Christopher have been very private since the beginning of the case, and that remains true today.

As for the emotional distress lawsuit filed by Gabby’s parents, the families reached a settlement in February 2024, a few months before the case would have gone to trial.

Bertolino shared a statement to Fox News and other outlets at the time, saying, “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.”