Gabby Petito Update: Parents Suing Brian Laundrie's Dad, Mom for Helping Son Get Away
Gabby Petito's parents filed a lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's parents, claiming that the two had known about Petito's death and still tried to help their son evade capture.
Petito's parents, Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito, argued in a lawsuit that Chris and Roberta Laundrie were aware that their son had killed Gabby, even assisting him in several tries to escape authorities, according to a Daily Mail report.
Laundrie fled his parents' home with his remains later found in a Florida nature preserve.
The lawsuit stated that Petito suffered blunt force injuries to the head and neck, with a previous report by the coroner's office determining that she died by strangulation.
The coroner did not mention other injuries that Petito's parents were claiming.
The lawsuit described Laundrie's parents' response to their son's actions as "shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable."
The civil action was filed in Sarasota County, Florida. It did not name a specific amount for potential damages, but that it would exceed $30,000, according to an NBC News report.
The lawsuit also claimed that Laundrie, on August 28 last year, had advised his parents, Christopher and Roberta, that he had murdered Petito.
Laundrie's parents were also accused of making arrangements for him to leave the country.
Lawyer for Laundries, Steve Bertolino, denied the allegations in the lawsuit.
READ NEXT: Brian Laundrie Update: Full Autopsy Report Released With New Details Surrounding His Death
Gabby Petito Killng
Laundrie and Petito started their cross-country tour of national parks in July 2021. They documented their trips on YouTube and Instagram under the online alias Nomadic Statik.
On August 12, Moab police responded to a report of a "domestic problem" between Petito and Laundrie.
Police reported that days after the Moab incident, Petito's communications with her family stopped, according to another NBC News report.
Schmidt said that she had received texts sent from her daughter's phone until August 30. However, she was not sure where her daughter sent them.
Laundrie then returned to Florida on September 1, which was 10 days before Petito's family reported her missing.
Laundrie was reportedly missing on September 13. Petito's body was found on September 19 in a Wyoming nature park. The coroner noted that she had been dead for at least three weeks.
Brian Laundrie's Disappaearance
Officials announced on October 20 that they had found partial human remains in Carlton Reserve in Florida.
The remains were found along with some personal items, such as a notebook and a backpack belonging to Laundrie, according to a Rolling Stone report.
A day later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said that a comparison of dental records confirmed that the remains were Laundrie's.
An autopsy revealed that Laundrie killed himself after being initially reported inconclusive, according to The Guardian report.
Laundrie was never charged on the case but he was considered as a person of interest for the disappearance of Petito.
The two were childhood sweethearts on Long Island in New York, then moved to Florida in 2019 to live with Laundrie's parents.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
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