The Petito family finally has their answer.
After Gabby Petito went missing while on a cross-country trip in her camper van with fiancé Brian Laundrie, all eyes immediately turned to Laundrie as the prime suspect in her disappearance.
And the suspicion only grew after Petito’s body was found in the Grand Teton National Forest and it was announced that her death had been a homicide caused by strangulation.
Laundrie of course fled after going back home to Florida, setting off a month long manhunt that included Dog the Bounty Hunter, along with both federal and state law enforcement.
The search finally came to an end after Laundrie’s body was found in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida. Authorities ruled his death a suicide, and determined that Laundrie was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
But when his body was found, authorities announced that they had found several of his possessions as well, including a backpack and a notebook, and all eyes immediately turned to the notebook and whether it contained any answers to the many questions surrounding Petito’s murder.
Well today we finally got some of those answers – and according to the FBI, the notebook contained “written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death.”
In a statement announcing that they were closing their portion of the investigation, the FBI office in Denver released a timeline detailing the search for Gabby – and ultimately, for her killer.
According to the press release:
“The investigation did not identify any other individuals other than Brian Laundrie directly involved in the tragic death of Gabby Petito.”
The statement then goes on to say:
“On October 20, 2021, after water had receded from the area and the park was reopened, [Laundrie family attorney] Mr. Bertolino notified law enforcement that Mr. Laundrie’s parents intended to return to the park to search for Mr. Laundrie. Law enforcement officers were present when Mr. Laundrie’s parents located an item in the park later determined to belong to Mr. Laundrie.
Upon further search of the area, investigators found human remains later confirmed to be Mr. Laundrie, along with a backpack, notebook, and a revolver. A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death.”
No further information was given revealing exactly what was said in those statements, or whether any motive or reasoning was given for Gabby’s murder.
Obviously everybody already suspected that Laundrie was responsible for Gabby’s tragic murder. The only question after he was found dead was whether or not he had left behind any statements or confessions that would confirm it – and now we know that he did.
We may never know exactly what was in the notebook, or why he took Gabby’s life, but hopefully today’s announcement at least brings a little closure to the Petito family in such a terrible tragedy.
Gabby’s case was also documented in the recent Peacock documentary, The Murder of Gabby Petito: Truth, Lies, and Social Media.
