FOLLOW US

Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito, the mother and father, of Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old woman whose tragic death gained national attention in 2021, have filed a request for financial information from Brian Laundrie’s parents. This is part of the lawsuit the Petito's filed in March 2022.

"Please produce all copies of bank statements or other documents evidencing withdrawals or transfers of funds made by you in excess of $10,000 from August 26, 2021, to September 14, 2021," attorney Pat Reilly wrote in two court filings addressed to Chris and Roberta Laundrie.

Despite the court delay which moves the next hearing into 2024 the ongoing civil lawsuit continues to play out in a Sarasota County Circuit Court. The Laundries have 30 days to reply to the request.

 The lawsuit claims that Brian Laundrie told his parents he had murdered Gabby “on or around August 28th.” And that the Laundries hired an attorney on September 2nd.

Brian Laundrie's parents are accused of withholding information about Petito's whereabouts after her ex-fiancé, Brian Laundrie, allegedly strangled her to death at a campsite in Wyoming.

Lawsuit details

The timeline covered by the request is significant. It begins two days before the estimated time of Petito's death. And five days before her remains were recovered in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming as part of an FBI-led search.

 The lawsuit is currently centered around a statement released by the Laundries' attorney, Steven Bertolino, on September 14, 2021, which was misleading to Petito's family. And they now believe the Laundries knew their daughter was dead when they issued the statement.

The statement:

"This is understandably an extremely difficult time for both the Petito family and the Laundrie family.”

“It is our understanding that a search has been organized for Miss Petito in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family.”

On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment."

 The lawsuit argues that it was "insensitive, cold-hearted, and outrageous" and caused emotional distress to Petito's family. And worst of all it led them to believe that Gabby could still be alive when the Laundries allegedly knew she was already dead.

Petito last spoke with her family in late August while in Wyoming, and Laundrie arrived at his parents' house in her van on September 1.

He never told the police anything about her whereabouts. And his parents hired an attorney, and the family did not cooperate with the search to find the missing woman.

Her mother reported her missing on September 11, and her remains were found at a Wyoming campground on September 18 during an FBI-led search.

Days before Gabby’s body was found Laundrie disappeared. 

He was later found dead in a swampy area near his parents' house on October 20. His body was found with a handwritten confession in a notebook.

The civil lawsuit is ongoing, and neither Reilly nor attorneys for the Laundries have immediately responded to requests for comment. As the legal process continues, Petito's parents seek answers and justice for their daughter's untimely death.