Gabby Petito Pleaded With Brian Laundrie To Stop Calling Her Names In Newly Released Letter
Gabby Petito pleaded with her abusive fiancé and killer Brian Laundrie to “stop calling [her] names,” according to an undated letter included in a trove of documents released by the FBI on Tuesday.
Among more than 360 documents from the case posted online by the Federal Bureau of Investigation are images of the handwritten letter; a list of evidence collected in a search of the house Laundrie, 23, shared with his parents; witness statements; and stills of surveillance footage showing the couple traveling together — and then, showing Laundrie alone.
Petito vanished in August 2021 while the couple were on a cross-country road trip in her van, which they’d been documenting on social media. The case drew massive attention from people around the world. Laundrie returned to his parents’ Florida home alone on Sept. 1, and Petito’s remains were found more than two weeks later near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. A medical examiner determined that Petito had been strangled.
The investigation then turned to finding Laundrie, who disappeared from his parents’ home into a nearby nature preserve on Sept. 14. His remains were found in October 2021 along with a journal in which he admitted that he killed her. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Petito’s letter provides an inside look at her relationship with the man who ended her life. In the wake of her death, Petito’s family created a foundation in her name to aid in efforts to help survivors of domestic violence by raising awareness about the issue.
“You know how much I love you (and I’m writing this with love),” Petito writes. “Just please stop crying and stop calling me names because we’re a team and I’m here with you. I’m always going to have your back.”
Petito also apologizes for upsetting Laundrie “over a dumb piece of paper,” though what she means by that is unclear, as is the broader context of the letter.
The couple fought repeatedly shortly before Petito’s disappearance. She and Laundrie were stopped by police in Moab, Utah, after witnesses to their fights called 911.
Petito’s family has sued the Moab Police Department for disregarding the “classic hallmarks of an abused partner” when Petito blamed herself for the couple’s fight, despite having visible injuries on her face. The lawsuit is ongoing. The Petito family settled a separate lawsuit against Laundrie’s parents for emotional distress in February.
The newly released FBI documents also provide more information about other evidence connected to the case. In Laundrie’s bedroom, investigators found handgun ammunition and what they described as “incriminating statements in a journal.”
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
