Gabby Petito's Parents Sued Brian Laundrie's Folks and Got a Nice Settlement out of It

In August 2021, Gabby Petito stopped communicating with her family. The 22-year-old travel vlogger was on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. The couple was living in a specially outfitted van while documenting their journey. Nearly a month after Petito seemingly disappeared, her body was found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. She had been murdered.

Before Petito's family knew that she had been killed, they tried reaching out to Laundrie's parents who ignored every text. The Petitos lived in Long Island, N.Y. while the Laundries were in Florida, so driving over wasn't an option. They sent local police but they were stonewalled by the Laundries, who said their son was home but Petito was not. Because of their lack of cooperation, the Petito family sued the Laundries twice. Both times, settlements were reached. Here's what we know.

A little over a year after Petito was murdered, a judge ordered Christopher and Roberta Laundrie to pay the Petito family $3 million. According to NBC News, the travel vlogger's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in May 2022 against Laundrie's estate. Two months prior, the Petitos filed a lawsuit accusing Christopher and Roberta of "hindering the search" for their daughter. They were looking for $30,000 in damages which "resulted from the intentional acts of Brian Laundrie."

The Petito family had little hope of seeing any money from the March 2022 civil lawsuit but in February 2024, NBC News reported a settlement had been reached for an undisclosed amount. Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt said in a statement, "All parties reluctantly agreed in order to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict." They continued, "Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives to allow us to move on and continue to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter Gabby."

The last text from Petito was to her mother, around 7:15 p.m. the day she was killed. The 22-year-old was joking about making more money as a solo female van lifer and when asked if she and Laundrie were breaking up, Petito didn't say. About an hour later, Petito was moving things around on her laptop, which is the last digital footprint she left. Laundrie killed her soon after.

Afterward, Laundrie went on a hike and texted Petito in order to establish an alibi. Forensic analysis of Laundrie's phone, as well as his parents' phones, showed that on Aug. 29, 2021, he spoke with them in the morning for at least an hour. Christopher then reached out to his lawyer. The phone calls continued until around 3:30 p.m.

When Laundrie returned to their campsite where Petito's cell phone was left, he began using it to respond to his texts as Petito. He left Wyoming on Aug. 30 and at one point sent himself $700 from Petito's bank account via Zelle. A memo attached to the transaction made it sound as if the couple was breaking up. Upon arriving at his parents' house, Laundrie was immediately under their protection. They wouldn't speak to police without their lawyer.

The most damning piece of evidence that suggests the Laundries knew their son killed Petito was a letter written by Roberta. It was labeled "burn after reading," and was addressed to Laundrie. In it, Roberta assured her son she would love him no matter what. "If you’re in jail, I will bake a cake with a file in it," she wrote. "If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags."