Brian Laundrie’s Family: Where Are They After Gabby Petito’s Murder?

Netflix’s docuseries about the murder of Gabby Petito mentioned Brian Laundrie‘s family — but where are his loved ones after his death?

American Murder: Gabby Petito, which was released in February 2025, explored Petito and Laundrie’s tumultuous relationship leading up to their infamous cross country trip. The engaged couple documented their 2021 getaway for Petito’s YouTube channel but she ultimately didn’t return home.

Laundrie was discovered at his parents’ home in September 2021 amid Petito’s disappearance. He was reported missing more than a week later after Petito was found dead. A high-profile search for Laundrie ended in October 2021 when his remains were found in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.

The FBI determined in January 2022 that Laundrie was responsible for Petito’smurder due to a confession written in his notebook before his death by suicide. Two months after the FBI investigation, Petito’s parents filed a civil lawsuit against Brian’s mother Roberta Laundrie and father Christopher Laundrie for allegedly knowing about Petito’s murder and the location of her deceased body.

A judge ruled in favor of Petito’s family in the wrongful death lawsuit in late 2022, awarding $3 million to Petito’s mother as the administrator of her daughter’s estate. Brian’s loved ones, meanwhile, remained out of the public eye and chose not to take part in Netflix’s three-part docuseries about the case.

Filmmakers Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro exclusively spoke to Us Weekly about trying to get in contact with Roberta and Christopher.

“We did reach out to his family. It’s hard to open up about this [topic] for that side of the family. So we made best efforts to reach out to them,” Nason noted while Gasparro added, “We reached out to the family, to their lawyer and to Brian’s sister. But we respected the fact that they didn’t want to participate and that’s it.”

Keep scrolling to see where Brian’s family members are now:

Brian Laundrie

After meeting in high school, Brian started dating Petito in 2019 and they got engaged in 2020. American Murder highlighted the issues that the couple started to face — specifically after moving to Florida to live with his family.

Brian and Petito saved up some money before heading on their cross-country trip in 2021, which they documented. In August 2021, cops in Moab, Utah, pulled Brian and Petito over after a 911 call reported a man striking a woman. In body camera footage released after Petito’s disappearance, Petito admitted to striking Brian while he admitted to pushing her.

The incident was classified as disorderly conduct and the duo were separated for the night. They reunited, however, and continued their trip until Petito stopped responding to her parents’ messages later that month. Petito’s disappearance was the subject of intense nationwide attention after Brian returned home in September 2021 without her.

Petito was found dead at age 22 in September 2021 near Grand Teton National Park more than a week after she was reported missing. Brian was named a person of interest before going missing as well. He was found dead by suicide in Florida in October 2021. He had a backpack that the FBI confirmed had a notebook where he admitted responsibility for Petito’s death.

Roberta Laundrie

Netflix’s American Murder special included excerpts from Brian’s correspondences with his mother where she stated that she would help him “dispose of a body” if needed. The amount of knowledge Brian’s parents had about Petito’s death was questioned when Petito’s parents filed a civil lawsuit accusing Roberta and Christopher of failing to disclose that Brian admitted to killing his fiancée.

Lawyers for the Laundries argued over the admissibility of the letter claiming it was written before Petito’s death. The case was settled in November 2022 and the families agreed to a confidential resolution.

“Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and I participated in mediation with the Petito family and the civil lawsuit has now been resolved. The terms of the resolution are confidential, and we look forward to putting this matter behind us,” read a statement read from the Laundrie family’s attorney.

The Petito family released their own statement where they expressed that “all parties reluctantly agreed in order to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict. 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.”

Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, said at CrimeCon in May 2024 that she forgave Brian for her daughter’s death — but not Roberta.

“I speak for myself here when I say Brian, I forgive you,” Schmidt said at the Nashville convention. “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.”

Schmidt alleged that Brian’s parents were “complicit in his cowardly flight from justice” and said their actions “have added salt” to her wounds.

“As for you, Roberta — and I call you out individually because you are evidently the mastermind that shattered your family and mind with your evil ways — I see no empathy in your eyes, no remorse in your heart and no willingness to take responsibility for your actions,” Schmidt continued. “You are the dark. You are the sociopath that everyone fears. The one who appears so innocent and kind, but harbors darkness within your soul. You do not deserve forgiveness. You deserve to be forgotten and dehumanized. You epitomize pure evil.”

Roberta — and Christopher — have made no public comments during or after the case. They also haven’t participated in any documentaries about the case after receiving widespread backlash from the public.

Christopher Laundrie

Footage from American Murder showed Christopher refusing to discuss Brian’s whereabouts with the authorities when he initially returned home from his trip in 2021 with the van — but not with Petito.

Christopher and Roberta spoke under oath for the first time about Petito’s murder ahead of the trial for the civil lawsuit, which was ultimately settled. Christopher acknowledged that his son called him in August 2021 and frantically said, “Gabby’s gone.” Brian’s father said in his deposition that he had “no idea” what Brian meant by that statement.

“It was — it was all mumbled and I still don’t remember everything that happened. Be said he needed help and to get an attorney,” Christopher recalled, according to WPTV and WFLA. “And I told him, ‘Yeah, I’ll help you. I’ll call Steven Bertolino, and just stay put.’ And then I asked him again, and he just said, ‘Just help me.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to, so stay calm. Stay put.’ And he hung up.”

Cassie Laundrie

Brian’s sister was the only one from the Laundrie family to break their silence during the widespread search for Petito.

“Obviously me and my family want Gabby to be found safe,” Cassie told Good Morning America in September 2021. “She’s like a sister and my children love her, and all I want is for her to come home safe and sound and this to be just a big misunderstanding.”

Cassie has also remained out of the public eye since her brother’s remains were found in October 2021. She urged Brian to “come forward” when the authorities were still searching for him, saying on GMA, “Get us out of this horrible mess. I really wish he had come to me first that day with the van, because I don’t think we’d be here.”