Current:Home > NewsGabby Petito Pleads With Brian Laundrie in Gut-Wrenching Letter Released by FBI -FinanceCore
Gabby Petito Pleads With Brian Laundrie in Gut-Wrenching Letter Released by FBI
View
Date:2025-04-16 11:47:09
Another heartbreaking detail of the Gabby Petito case has been revealed.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released more than 350 new documents related to the 2021 murder of the 22-year-old June 11 including a letter she wrote to her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, who later confessed to killing her in a note before taking his own life.
In the undated handwritten letter, viewed by E! News, Petito apologizes to Laundrie for getting "upset over a dumb piece of paper" and pleads with him.
"Just please stop crying and stop calling me names because we're a team and I'm here with you," Petito wrote. "Yes, I can be a child sometimes I know, but it's ‘cause you give me this energy and I just love you too much. Like so much it hurts."
And the late influencer continues to implore her boyfriend over the course of the page-long letter.
"So you in pain is killing me," she continued. "I'm not trying to be negative, but I'm frustrated there's not more I can do."
Among other journal entries, the newly-released FBI evidence includes photos of Petito and Laundrie's possessions, as well as other federal documents concerning the case and evidence.
Petito's case garnered national media attention after Laundrie, 23, returned to their Florida residence from a cross-country road trip alone in early September 2021 and her parents subsequently reported her as missing.
The aspiring lifestyle vlogger, who had documented the couple's van trip on YouTube and Instagram, was found dead in a remote area in a Wyoming national park 18 days later. Her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation.
Amid the search for Petito, Laundrie, who was named person of interest in the case, disappeared. The 23-year-old's remains were found weeks later in a Florida park alongside a notebook nearby that confessed to Petito's murder.
In the years since Petito's death, her mom Nichole Schmidt, has shared insight into her grief journey, including expressing forgiveness to her daughter's killer.
"I speak for myself here when I say Brian, I forgive you," Schmidt said at CrimeCon 2024 May 31. "I needed to release myself from the chains of anger and bitterness, and I refuse to let your despicable act define the rest of my life."
However, the New York native also offered a scathing rebuke toward his mother, Roberta Laundrie. Following Petito's death, her family had accused the Laundrie family of trying to help their son cover up Petito's murder in a since-settled civil lawsuit. Roberta, and her husband Christopher Laundrie denied this claim.
"As for you, Roberta, and I call you out individually because you are evidently the mastermind that shattered your family and mine with your evil ways," Schmidt added. "I see no empathy in your eyes."
For more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself or someone you love, visit the website for The National Domestic Violence Hotline (http://www.thehotline.org/) or call 1-800-799-7233.veryGood! (7963)
Related
- NCAA hands former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh a 4-year show cause order for recruiting violations
- Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles airport due to turbulence
- Woman arrested in killing, dismemberment of model Abby Choi in Hong Kong — the 7th person linked to the crime
- Celebrate Christina Applegate's SAG Awards Nomination With an Ode to Her Unforgettable Roles
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- 18 Amazon Problem-Solving Products That Keep Selling Out
- In honor of 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 2, a tour of the physics
- The Goldbergs Is Ending After a Decade of '80s Nostalgia
- 'Most Whopper
- Bethenny Frankel Details Struggle With POTS Syndrome After Receiving Comments About Her Appearance
Ranking
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Dog rescued from Turkey earthquake rubble 3 weeks later as human death toll soars over 50,000
- How Grown-ish's Amelie Zilber Is Making Her Own Rules On TikTok
- Every superhero has an origin story. So does every superhero's superfan. Here's mine.
- Boy who wandered away from his 5th birthday party found dead in canal, police say
- Where to watch Broadway's Tony Awards on Sunday night
- We grapple with 'The Flash'
- 1 complaint led a Florida school to restrict access to Amanda Gorman's famous poem
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Video shows moment of deadly Greece train crash as a station master reportedly admits responsibility
'The Red Hotel': Trying to cover World War II from a 'gilded cage' in Moscow
Katy Perry Gives Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie a Mullet Makeover on American Idol
Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
The Stanley Cup Final is here. Here's why hockey fans are the real MVPs
Dwyane Wade's Daughter Zaya Granted Legal Name and Gender Change
In 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' the open world is wide open