After Gabby Petito's murder, police found a chilling letter in Brian Laundrie's home.

Gabby Petito was murdered by her fiancé Brian Laundrie in August 2021, during their cross-country van trip.

The 22-year-old was an aspiring travel vlogger, whose disappearance captured the world.

Her body was found in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest on September 19, 2021, with an autopsy detailing how she died from blunt-force injuries and strangulation.

Laundrie later took his own life, leaving a confession in his notebook claiming responsibility for her death.

The tragic case has now been revisited in Netflix's three-part documentary series American Murder: Gabby Petito, which features interviews with her family and friends, along with footage from their documented journey.

Watch the trailer. Post continues after video.

One of the most disturbing revelations in the new docuseries was the involvement of Brian's parents in the case.

From refusing to speak to police or help with locating Gabby, the family's actions during this time caused a lot of friction between the two families.

But where are Christopher and Roberta Laundrie now?

What did Brian Laundrie's parents do?

As Gabby stopped replying to messages, her loved ones suspected something was wrong. They messaged Roberta Laundrie to ask if she had "heard from the kids". Roberta ignored the messages.

Gabby's father also reached out to Brian's mother, father and sister, and "no one responded." When the police visited Brian's parents, they refused to talk to them.

The parents later provided detailed accounts of their involvement through court depositions and legal proceedings.

Listen to The Quicky discuss Gabby Petito's disappearance. Post continues below.

'Gabby's gone.'

On August 29, 2021, Brian Laundrie's parents received frantic calls from Brian, who told them "Gabby's gone" and requested legal help. Christopher Laundrie immediately sent a $25,000 check to retain a Wyoming lawyer for Brian.

Roberta Laundrie admitted that while she had developed a close relationship with Gabby, she followed her attorney's advice not to contact anyone after Brian's call and that's why she ignored the Petito family.

Roberta acknowledged the thought Brian might have killed Gabby, stating that it "probably went through my mind," but claimed she was "just concerned about my son at the time".

A chilling letter uncovered by police.

In one particularly shocking moment of the documentary, it was revealed that Roberta had sent a letter addressed to Brian titled 'burn after reading'.

In the letter, she wrote "If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags." She claimed it was a joke letter, written before they embarked on the trip.

Gabby Petito was filmed in distress during an earlier incident. Image: Netflix.

An attorney for the Petito family said the FBI found the letter in a box in a closet in the Laundrie's house that contained items from the van Brian and Gabby were travelling in.

A lawyer for Brian's parents claimed his mother wrote it months before Gabby's death, at a time when her relationship with him was "difficult".

Roberta said she had previously given her son a book entitled "Burn After Writing" that they often joked about and is where the reference came from, according to court documents.

"I truly loved my son, and simply wanted to convey to him how much he meant to me and how much I loved him. I am sure people use phrases all the time to express to their loved ones the depths of their love," Roberta said in a statement released by their attorney, per NBC.

"Although I chose words that I thought would be impactful with Brian given our relationship, the letter was in no way related to Gabby."

Roberta Laundrie wrote "burn after reading" in a letter to her son, Brian. Image: Attorney Patrick Reilly via NBC.

Roberta Laundrie wrote in the letter, "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.

"If you're in jail I will bake a cake with a file in it. If you need to dispose of a body I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags," it said. "If you fly to the moon, I will be watching the skies for your re-entry. If you say you hate my guts, I'll get new guts."

Roberta's letter. Image: CNN.

'Mum's the word.'

When Brian returned home to the family residence without Gabby, driving her van, his parents took him in. Police investigated the matter, calling on the family to try and speak to Brian as the search for Gabby continued.

"Brian is here and that's all I'm going to say," his father told officers, before offering their attorney's phone number.

One officer spoke to Brian's sister. "She called me back and said, 'Oh, Brian's home. He told me they got into a fight. He left her at a hotel and flew home,'" she said.

His sister, Cassie Laundrie, has since broken her silence following the release of the documentary, saying she knew nothing about Gabby's disappearance until she was contacted by police.

Last week, Cassie denied telling police about Brian leaving Gabby at a Wyoming hotel before he returned home to Florida without her.

"No one from any family contacted me until detective Barry called me," she wrote on Instagram.

"Det. Barry gravely miscommunicated what I told her on the phone."

Cassie has long denied having any knowledge about Gabby's murder.

"I've been non-contact with my parents for almost two years," she said.

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FBI agent Loretta Bush said that Brian's family did not help with the search for Gabby, instead his immediate family went on a camping trip together after he came back.

Brian missing, Gabby found dead.

Shortly after the camping trip, Brian went missing. One week after his disappearance in September, Gabby's body was found. Her cause of death was ruled as blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation.

The Laundrie family's attorney, Steve Bertolino, told People Magazine that they didn't know his whereabouts.

"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 told the outlet.

They joined the search for their son, who was found dead in Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County in October. His death was ruled a suicide.

He left behind a notebook, in which he claimed to have killed Gabby after she was injured.

"I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn't go on without her," he wrote.

In the new documentary, Gabby's parents denied his written claims.

"The sole cause of her death was strangulation," Gabby's step-dad Jim said. "[It was] nothing remotely or even close to what he said."

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. Image: Netflix.

What happened to Brian Laundrie's parents?

In 2022, Gabby's parents launched a civil suit against the Laundrie's, alleging the couple knew their son had murdered Gabby and intentionally withheld that information.

They claimed this gave them false hope their daughter was still alive.

During the case, Roberta and Christopher said they were not aware their son had murdered Gabby when she disappeared. They said they did not contact the Petito's as their lawyer advised them not to speak.

In early 2024, the Laundrie's reached a confidential settlement with Gabby Petito's family regarding an emotional distress lawsuit. The settlement came just months before the case was scheduled to go to trial, effectively ending the legal proceedings between the two families.

Gabby's father and stepmother say there has never been an apology over the couple's handling of their daughter's death.

"And we're never going to get one," Joe Petito told NewsNation in February 2025.

"At this point, I don't want one. I would love for them to be charged with something. I really, really would love that. Do I think that's happening now? Unfortunately, no," his wife, Tara added. "I want to erase that name out of my memory. I want to not think about them."

Gabby's mum, Nicolle Schmidt, said she decided to let her anger go.

"I don't think we'll ever know why. The only two people who know why and how are the two people that were there when this happened. I think we have the answers we needed," she said in her own interview.

"We know that things are known. I don't like to talk about them or say their names."

Brian's parents have never faced criminal charges in connection with Gabby's death or their son's actions.

Despite intense public scrutiny and speculation about their potential involvement, particularly regarding their early contact with an attorney and initial silence during the investigation, they have maintained their innocence.

Brian Laundrie with his parents. Image: Netflix.

Where are Brian Laundrie's parents now?

Christopher and Roberta Laundrie continue to live a private life in Newport, Florida, where they were last photographed outside their home in June 2024.

Their son's Mustang remains visible on their driveway, a reminder of the tragic events that unfolded.

The Laundrie's have largely stayed out of the public eye since their son's death. Their family attorney, Steve Bertolino, has stated that they are looking forward to putting these matters behind them.

Feature image: Netflix.