Topics: Gabby Petito, US News, News, Crime, Netflix, Documentaries, TV And Film
Brian Laundrie’s sister has issued a statement after revealing she no longer talks to her parents amid the Gabby Petito doc backlash.
Last week (17 February), true crime documentary American Murder: Gabby Petito was released on Netflix which followed the tragic story of an aspiring vlogger who was found dead in 2021. Authorities later discovered she was murdered by her fiancé Brian Laundrie, and the Laundrie family has been scrutinised ever since, as they remained notably tight-lipped throughout the entire case.
On the 12th August 2021, a reported domestic violence incident took place between Petito and her fiancé, Laundrie, in Utah, prompting police to arrange for the couple to separate for one night.
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Just two weeks later, however, Petito disappeared.
After an extensive search mission, the 22-year-old's body was found at the Spread Creek camping area in Wyoming and, just a month after that, Laundrie's remains were found, with the FBI saying he confessed to committing the murder in a note and died by suicide.
Laundrie's older sister Cassie has since broken her silence following the release of the Netflix documentary, claiming that she didn't know anything about Petito's disappearance until police called.
"No one from any family contacted me until Detective Barry called me," she wrote on Instagram, hitting back at claims made by Suffolk County detective Tracey Barry. "Det. Barry gravely miscommunicated what I told her on the phone."
The same profile - which belongs to a 'Cassie Laundrie' and has the username @voe.qt - has also denied telling law enforcement about her brother talking about leaving Petito at a Wyoming hotel before he flew home to Florida without her.
The account, which appears to be Cassie, also made sure to share that she is estranged from her and Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie.
"If you’re new here. And just starting to attack me today. I’ve been non contact with my parents for almost two years. Have fun," she added.
Cassie and Brian's parents were heavily criticised and there has been widespread speculation over how much they knew of Brian's crime, as they hired an attorney for their son quickly after the killing supposedly took place.
"We still don't know the extent of Brian's parents' involvement," FBI Special Agent, Loretta Bush admits in the doc. "But what we do know, is that, on August 29, Brian made a flurry of calls to his parents."
On 17 September, as police were still searching for Gabby's body, Brian's parents reported him missing when he failed to return home after a hike in a nearby woods in Florida, claiming not to have seen him since the 13th.
With a warrant, the FBI investigated the Laundrie home that day in a bid to collect potential evidence.
While doing so, police came across a note that Roberta had written to Brian titled 'Burn After Reading', in which she pledged to help him if he ever need to 'dispose of a body'.
The documentary only displays extracts of the letter, but a full version obtained by CNN reads: "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."
Roberta continued to promise: "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 bring show up with a shovel and garbage bags. 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.
"Remember that love is a verb, not a noun. It's not a thing, it's not words, it is actions. Watch people's actions to know if they love you -- not their words."
She then quoted a verse from the Bible (Romans 8:38), before concluding: "(Nothing can separate us: not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not threats, not even sin, not the thinkable or unthinkable can get between us.) ~Not time. Not miles and miles and miles."
During questioning, Roberta insisted that the undated note had been written to Brian prior to his road-trip with Gabby, and that it had nothing to do with her disappearance.
"I don't think the amount of money they paid an attorney would be for anything less than to represent somebody for murder," Gabby's step-father Jim admitted in the documentary when prompted about the Laundries hiring a lawyer for their son.
In 2022, Gabby's parents filed a lawsuit against Roberta and Chris Laundrie for at least $100,000 in damages, claiming they assisted their son in the cover-up of Gabby's murder.
Though this was later dropped down to at least $30,000 in damages, the families reached a settlement in 2024 before the case went to trial.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.
