Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Gabby Petito, Netflix, TV And Film, US News, Crime
Lucy Devine
Gabby Petito's parents have explained what they did with her white van after her tragic death.
Gabby went missing in August 2021 while travelling across America in a campervan with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.
This week, the story of her murder has garnered fresh attention after a new documentary, The American Murder of Gabby Petito was released on Netflix.
The doc details the events that led up to Gabby's death, at the hands of Laundrie, who murdered the YouTuber before taking his own life.
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When Gabby went missing, police turned up at the home of Laundrie's parents - Chris and Roberta Laundrie - to see if they could find any information on her whereabouts.
They were shocked when they discovered that not only had Laundrie returned to the address without Gabby, but her van was also sitting on the drive.
The police recovered the vehicle as part of the investigation into her whereabouts, and Gabby's family have since explained what they did with the van once it was returned to them.
“We crushed the van,” Gabby’s father, Joe, told NewsNation.
“We didn’t want the van to be out there and someone owning the van and then saying, ‘Here’s the van that Gabby was …’ So, we had it crushed.”
Viewers watching the new documentary were left heartbroken at the details that emerged.
As the three-part doc highlights, after Laundrie had returned home without his fianceé, he remained at his parents' home for a number of days before he managed to slip out of the house to go on a hike.
Upon Brian failing to return, his parents reported him missing, and joined the search themselves to locate their son.
Brian's remains were found in an area of Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park that had previously been underwater due to flooding.
A subsequent autopsy reported that Brian had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
A waterproof notebook was discovered beside his body. In it, Brian claimed that Gabby had become injured after getting caught up in some ice-cold water, leading him to 'end her life'. He wrote: "I ended her life, I thought it was merciful."
FBI Denver Division later stated: "The investigation did not identify any other individuals other than Brian Laundrie directly involved in the tragic death of Gabby Petito. The FBI's primary focus throughout the investigation was to bring justice to Gabby and her family."
The Laundrie family have been heavily criticised for their behaviour during the search for Gabby.
A note, found in Laundrie's possessions and written by his mother, was titled 'Burn After Reading'.
In it, she pledged to help him if he ever need to 'dispose of a body'.
While the documentary only displays extracts of the letter, 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."