Brian Laundrie told parents Gabby Petito was ‘gone’ three weeks before remains found
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
New allegations FILE PHOTO: A makeshift memorial dedicated to Gabby Petito is located near City Hall on September 20, 2021 in North Port, Florida. New allegations have been made by Petito's parents against the parents of her fiance, Brian Laundrie. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images) (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
New details are coming to light in legal papers that may adjust the timeline surrounding Gabby Petito’s disappearance.
CNN reported that an amended civil complaint filed by Petito’s parents late last month alleges that Brian Laundrie told his parents that Petito was “gone.” The call was described as “frantic” and was made three weeks before Petito’s remains were discovered in Wyoming.
Petito and her fiance Laundrie were on a cross-country trip when she disappeared, NBC News reported. She was reported missing by her parents on Sept. 11, 2021. Her remains were found on Sept. 19, 2021. A coroner determined she was strangled.
Laundrie had returned to his parents’ home in Florida on Sept. 1, driving Petito’s van, NBC News reported. Eventually, he disappeared into a nature reserve. A search took weeks, but his remains were eventually found. A medical examiner said Laundrie had committed suicide. Investigators said they had found writings near where he was found confessing that he was responsible for his fiancee’s death.
Petito’s family sued Laundrie’s family, alleging that his parents knew their son killed Petito.
In a recent court filing, Petito’s parents said that Laundrie called his parents on Aug. 29, 2021, saying that Petito was “gone” and that he needed a lawyer.
The filing says that Laundrie’s mother and father contacted an attorney the same day as the call with them, sending a retainer to the lawyer, Steven Bertolino, on Sept. 2, 2021. Bertolino then retained legal representation for Laundrie in Wyoming, the complaint said, according to CNN.
NBC News reported that the information about the call came from depositions of Laundrie’s parents that happened in October.
Bertolino told NBC that he will be filing the couple’s answers to the allegations “in the next few days.”
The lawsuit filed by Petito’s family alleges that the statements made by the Laundries and their attorney were “intentional or reckless” and caused the Petito family emotional distress, NBC News reported.
It also alleges that the Laundrie family did nothing while a nationwide search was conducted to find Petito, KUTV reported.
A trial is set for May 13, 2024, Court TV reported.
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Gabby Petito investigation This police camera video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021. The couple was pulled over while they were having an emotional fight. Petito was reported missing by her family a month later and is now the subject of a nationwide search. (The Moab Police Department via AP) (AP)
Gabby Petito investigation Law enforcement officials investigate home of a young man wanted for questioning in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021 in North Port, Fla. The officers served a search warrant at the home of the parents of her 23-year-old boyfriend Brian Laundrie, who is wanted for questioning. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson) (Curt Anderson/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation A U.S. Park Ranger vehicle drives in the Spread Creek area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, just east of Grand Teton National Park off U.S. Highway 89, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Wyoming. Authorities say they have found a body believed to be Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, who went missing on a trip with her boyfriend. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) (Amber Baesler/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation U.S. Park Ranger officials block vehicle access in the Spread Creek area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, just east of Grand Teton National Park off U.S. Highway 89, in Wyoming. Authorities say a body discovered is believed to be Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito. The FBI said the body was found by law enforcement agents who had spent the past two days searching campgrounds. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) (Amber Baesler/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation This photo provided by North Port Police Department, law enforcement officials conduct a search of the vast Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Fla., area for Brian Laundrie on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Laundrie is a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito. (North Port Police Department via AP) (AP)
Gabby Petito investigation A coroner's vehicle drives away in the Spread Creek area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, just east of Grand Teton National Park off U.S. Highway 89 in Wyoming. Authorities say a body discovered is believed to be Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito. The FBI said the body was found by law enforcement agents who had spent the past two days searching campgrounds. The cause of death has not yet been determined, said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Charles Jones. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) (Amber Baesler/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation A Teton County Search & Rescue vehicle leaves a road that is blocked by U.S. Park Ranger vehicles in the Spread Creek area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, just east of Grand Teton National Park off U.S. Highway 89, in Wyoming, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Authorities say a body discovered is believed to be Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito. The FBI said the body was found by law enforcement agents who had spent the past two days searching campgrounds. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) (Amber Baesler/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation This police camera video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Brian Laundrie talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van he was traveling in with his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021. The couple was pulled over while they were having an emotional fight. Petito was reported missing by her family a month later and is now the subject of a nationwide search. (The Moab Police Department via AP) (AP)
Gabby Petito investigation A sign for Spread Creek Road is seen in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Authorities say a body discovered is believed to be Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito. The FBI said the body was found by law enforcement agents who had spent the past two days searching campgrounds. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) (Amber Baesler/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation This photo provided by North Port Police Department, law enforcement officials conduct a search of the vast Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Fla., area for Brian Laundrie on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Laundrie is a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito. (North Port Police Department via AP) (AP)
Gabby Petito investigation A vehicle drives in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, just east of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Authorities say a body discovered in the area is believed to be Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito. The FBI said the body was found by law enforcement agents who had spent the past two days searching campgrounds. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) (Amber Baesler/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation Police tape blocks off the home of Brian Laundrie’s parents in North Port, Fla., Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. Laundrie, 23, was traveling on a cross-country road trip with Gabby Petito, 22, who went missing in August. Petito’s body was apparently discovered over the weekend at Grand Teton National Park. Laundrie is wanted for questioning, but has not been seen for several days. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson) (Curt Anderson/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation This police camera video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021. The couple was pulled over while they were having an emotional fight. Petito was reported missing by her family a month later and is now the subject of a nationwide search. (The Moab Police Department via AP) (AP)
Gabby Petito investigation This Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, photo, shows a Suffolk County Police Department missing person poster for Gabby Petito posted in Jakson, Wyo. Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country trip in a converted camper van with her boyfriend. Authorities say a body discovered Sunday, Sept. 19 in Wyoming, is believed to be Petito. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) (Amber Baesler/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation In this photo provided by North Port Police Department, law enforcement officials conduct a search of the vast Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Fla., area for Brian Laundrie on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Laundrie is a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito. (North Port Police Department via AP) (AP)
Gabby Petito investigation Members of the media, left, stand by the side of the road as U.S. Park Ranger vehicles block the access in the Spread Creek area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, just east of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Authorities say a body discovered in the area is believed to be Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito. The FBI said the body was found by law enforcement agents who had spent the past two days searching campgrounds of Grand Teton. (AP Photo/Amber Baesler) (Amber Baesler/AP)
Gabby Petito investigation In this photo provided by North Port Police Department, law enforcement officials conduct a search of the vast Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Fla., area for Brian Laundrie on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Laundrie is a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito. (North Port Police Department via AP) (AP)
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Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson (left) of the FBI Tampa office announces that personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie have been found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20, 2021, in North Port, Florida. (Mark Taylor/Getty Images)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve Michael McPherson, chief of the Tampa FBI office, makes a statement to the media during a briefing Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in North Port, Fla. Items believed to belong to Brian Laundrie and potential human remains were found in a Florida wilderness park during a search for clues in the slaying of Gabby Petito. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve Michael McPherson, chief of the Tampa FBI office, makes a statement to the media during a news conference Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson (center) of the FBI Tampa office announces that personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie have been found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20, 2021, in North Port, Florida. (Mark Taylor/Getty Images)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson from the FBI Tampa office announces that personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie have been found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20, 2021, in North Port, Florida. (Mark Taylor/Getty Images)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve Supporters of Gabby Petito hold up photos of Gabby after a news conference Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve North Port, Fla., police officers block the entrance to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve North Port police officers block the entrance to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve Supporters of Gabby Petito gather outside the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Photos: Brian Laundrie's backpack, notebook found in Florida nature reserve North Port, Fla., police officer block the entrance to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
