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Brian Laundrie admitted to killing Gabby Petito in notebook entry: FBI

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Brian Laundrie admitted he killed girlfriend Gabby Petito in a notebook entry he wrote shortly before he took his own life, the FBI revealed Friday in its final report on the case.

Laundrie also sent text messages between his and Petito’s cellphone in the days after Petito was strangled to death last summer in an attempt “to deceive law enforcement by giving the impression Ms. Petito was still alive,” the FBI Denver said in its final investigative update on the case.

All “logical investigative steps have been concluded in the case,” FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement.

“The investigation did not identify any other individuals other than Brian Laundrie directly involved in the tragic death of Gabby Petito.

“The FBI’s primary focus throughout the investigation was to bring justice to Gabby and her family,” Scheider said. “The public’s role in helping us in this endeavor was invaluable as the investigation was covered in the media around the world. 

“On behalf of the FBI, I want to express my deepest appreciation to the public for the thousands of tips that were provided during the investigation, and to our local, state and federal law enforcement partners for their work throughout the investigation.”

Brian Laundrie confessed to killing Gabby Petito in a notebook found near his body, according to the FBI.
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The FBI confirmed that only Brian Landrie was involved in the murder of Gabby Petito.
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Richard Stafford, an attorney for the Petito family, thanked the FBI and its victim services.

“We truly appreciate the FBI’s diligent and painstaking efforts in this extremely complicated case,” Stafford said in a statement. “The quality and quantity of the facts and information collected by the FBI leave no doubt the Brian Laundrie murdered Gabby.”

Brian Laundrie is seen writing in a notebook.
Gabby Petito/Instagram
Officials searched the woods for Brian Laundrie.
WFLA-TV

Steven Bertolino, the lawyer for the Laundrie family, issued a statement after the release of the FBI report.

“Gabby and Brian are no longer with their families and this tragedy has caused enormous emotional pain and suffering to all who loved either or both of them,” Bertolino wrote. “We can only hope that with today’s closure of the case each family can begin to heal and move forward and find peace in and with the memories of their children.

“May Gabby and Brian both rest in peace.”

Gabrielle Petito speaks with police as they responded to an altercation between her and boyfriend Brian Laundrie on Aug. 12, 2021.
Moab City Police Department/AFP
Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie seen at Canyonland National Park in Utah on July 10, 2021.
Instagram

Long Island native Petito, 22, vanished last summer during an ill-fated cross-country trip with Laundrie. She was reported missing Sept. 11, and her body was found Sept. 19 at a Wyoming camp ground, with an autopsy determining she’d been strangled.

When Laundrie, 23, returned to his parents’ North Port, Fla., home without her, he quickly became the sole person of interest in the case before he disappeared, too. A massive manhunt for him followed, until his remains were found at a nearby nature preserve Oct. 20.

A revolver, backpack and the notebook were found near his body, the FBI stated. Authorities determined he’d shot himself. Police had determined that between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 Laundrie had used Petito’s debit card on his drive from Wyoming to Florida, the report said.

Brian Laundrie attempted to “deceive law enforcement” into believing Gabby Petito was still alive during her disappearance.
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Chris and Roberta Laundrie’s home in North Port, Florida, where their son Brian returned following the disappearance of Gabby Petito.
Daniel William McKnight

It isn’t clear what the notebook entry said, but the FBI’s review stated that it “revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death.”

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Brian Laundrie died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, attorney says

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Brian Laundrie died from a gunshot wound to the head and his manner of death was suicide, according to his family’s attorney and a local medical examiner. His remains were found last month at a Florida reserve after a weeks-long manhunt following the disappearance and death of his fiancée, Gabby Petito. 

“Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide,” attorney Steven Bertolino said in a statement Tuesday. “Chris and Roberta are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families.”

The District Twelve Medical Examiner’s Office in Sarasota, Florida, later confirmed the statement. The office said its investigation included the examination of skeletal remains and consultations with forensic experts, including skeletal reconstruction and dental comparison for identification.   

Petito, 22, was reported missing by her family on September 11 after her fiancée Laundrie returned from a cross-country trip at the beginning of September without her. Petito’s body was later found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19.

Last month, a coroner determined that Petito was strangled to death and that the manner of her death was a homicide. The coroner said he believed her body had been outdoors for three to four weeks.

Laundrie’s parents said their son on September 13 went for a hike and never returned home. He was reported missing days later on September 17. Laundrie’s skeletal remains were found on October 20 at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Sarasota County. The FBI identified the remains through a comparison of dental records on October 21.

Victoria Albert and Sophie Reardon contributed to this report.

Tori B. Powell

Tori B. Powell is a breaking news reporter at CBS News. Reach her at tori.powell@viacomcbs.com

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Brian Laundrie’s dad emerges to rip down protest sign from front yard

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Brian Laundrie’s father emerged from his Florida home Saturday to remove a sign protestors left on his lawn next to a large photo of slain Long Island native Gabby Petito, pictures showed.

Chris Laundrie, 62, was seen ripping down a yellow sign reading “What if this happened to Cassie?,” a reference to his daughter and Brian’s sister.

Cassie Laundrie has said she does not know if her parents are involved in the disappearance of Brian, 23, who has been on the lam for more than a month.

“I would tell my brother to just come forward and get us out of this horrible mess,” she said on “Good Morning America” last week.

Chris said he would leave his North Port house and join the manhunt for his son 10 days earlier, although it’s unclear what his contribution to the search has been.

Protesters left the sign on the lawn of the Florida home.
Kevin C. Downs

He declined to answer questions from a reporter Wednesday as he mowed the lawn around a makeshift memorial set up for the 22-year-old, who once lived with the family in the one-story, three-bedroom home.

Chris and his wife Roberta, Brian’s mom, have largely been holed up in the home, which has had a constant presence of protestors and reporters since Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11.

Brian vanished shortly after Petito was reported missing, two weeks after he returned to Florida alone in his girlfriend’s van following an aborted cross-country road trip.

Chris Laundrie has previously said he would help authorities in the manhunt to find his son.
Kevin C. Downs
Cassie Laundrie said she does not know if her parents are involved in the disappearance of her brother.
ABC

Petito’s body was found in Grand Teton National Park on Sept. 19. She had been strangled to death, the medical examiner determined this week.

Brian Laundrie hasn’t been accused of being involved in Petito’s death, but remains the sole person of interest and faces an arrest warrant for debit card fraud.

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K9 cadaver dog joins Brian Laundrie search in Florida

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Dog the Bounty Hunter has some competition from a real canine in the search for Brian Laundrie – as a police K9 named Diesel has joined the massive manhunt.

The K9 unit at Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that it is assisting North Port police, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and FBI in the search for Gabby Petito’s fugitive boyfriend in the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve, Fox 13 reported.

Diesel, who is handled by a forensic investigator, is trained to detect human remains, officials told the news outlet.

“It’s important to note that the K9 trainer drives a vehicle that says ‘Arson Investigation’ on it, but they have not requested our arson K9 or investigators,” the sheriff’s office told Fox 13.

“This trainer simply helps train our HRD K9s,” the statement added, referring to High Risk Deployment.

The K9 unit will be assisting North Port police, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and FBI in the search for Brian Laundrie.
Andrea Melendez/Naples Daily News via AP

Laundrie, 23, has not been named a suspect in Petito’s homicide, but is wanted on a federal warrant for unauthorized use of her bank card, which was used between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.

Petito’s family traveled to Wyoming on Wednesday to reclaim the slain Long Island native’s remains.

The 22-year-old’s body has been in Wyoming since she was found at the Bridger-Teton National Forest on Sept. 19 after her ill-fated cross-country trip with Laundrie.

Brian Laundrie is wanted on a federal warrant for unauthorized use of Gabby Petito’s bank card.
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Her remains were released this week following the completion of an autopsy, which determined she was manually strangled.

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Campers vow to help police track him down

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Campers are keen to help authorities search for Brian Laundrie — even though they fear for their own safety during a country-wide manhunt for him.

Authorities have been looking for Laundrie for weeks. He is considered a person of interest in the disappearance of his Long Island fiancee, Gabby Petito, who was found murdered at a campsite in Wyoming.

Hannah Lane, who is on a cross-country trip in a tour bus with her husband Cody, said she will do what she can to help police, who have been searching a nature reserve in Florida where they believe Laundrie could be hiding.

“We need to focus on his specific identifiers and markers. Not just him being a bald guy with a beard,” Hannah Lane told UK’s The Sun newspaper. “He has a folded ear that’s triangular and a tattoo on his finger.”

But Lane is scared, too.

Brian Laundrie is a person of interest after his fiancé Gabby Petito went missing last month.
momandpaparazzi.com / SplashNews

“I have talked so much openly about Brian Laundrie and the things that he has done that now I’m paranoid that he’s going to come to my bus,” she told the outlet. “It is just so scary because you never know who you are near. You could be parked next to someone and the next thing you know you are on the news.”

Cody said she believed that Laundrie is somewhere on the Appalachian Trail where he has lived “off the grid” for months in the past.

“He’s hiding, he thinks he’s gotten away with it and his lawyer thinks the longer he’s out there, the more the media will die down but there are millions of us ready to be Gabby’s voice and won’t allow that to happen,” Lane told the newspaper.

Campers said they will help authorities search for Brian Laundrie.
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Gabby Petito’s mom demands Brian Laundrie turn himself in

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In her first-ever tweet, Gabby Petito’s mother demanded that Brian Laundrie do the right thing.

“Mama bear is getting angry!” Nichole Schmidt wrote. “Turn yourself in!”

She gave a shout out to her ex-husband and Gabby’s father in the post, adding “@josephpetito agrees” along with the hashtags #justiceforgabby and #americasdaughter.

Laundrie apparently vanished Sept. 14, three days after Gabby was reported missing. Her body was found Sept. 20 in a Wyoming campsite, but despite a massive manhunt focused mainly in Florida parks, Laundrie has not been found.

Joseph Petito earlier Saturday broke a week of social media silence by sharing the developing website for the Gabby Petito Foundation, along with the comment, “She’s already saving lives,” referencing stories the family has received about people leaving abusive relationships and missing people being found.

Petito’s father Joseph Petito (right) also posted on social media this week to share a foundation created in his daughter’s name.
AP Photo/John Minchillo

Schmidt’s second post on the newly created account was a retweet of a post by Tara Petito, Joseph’s wife, with a picture of her and Gabby, who was sticking her tongue out. “Gabby I will love you to the moon and back always and forever,” Tara Petito wrote.

Schmidt’s third post was a retweet of her husband’s account. Jim Schmidt had posted a photo of Gabby as a child in a life jacket, with the comment, “It still seems surreal. Miss you Gabs.”

Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in the disappearance and death of girlfriend Gabby Petito.
The Moab Police Department via AP, File
Petito’s body was found in Wyoming on Sept. 20, 2021.
Instagram

Nicole Schmidt’s profile photo shows her with her daughter. Though just created and following only seven accounts, including the three family members she retweeted, she has already attracted more than 11,400 followers. She described herself as “A mom on a mission, the fight for change and prevention will never end! My Gabby will never be forgotten!”



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Brian Laundrie’s mom called cops on Dog the Bounty Hunter, audio reveals

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Brian Laundrie’s mother called the cops on Dog the Bounty Hunter — even though the fugitive chaser is helping in the search to find her missing son, new audio reveals.

Dispatch audio has emerged of Roberta Laundrie siccing the cops on TV personality Duane Lee Chapman, who was seen Saturday banging on the door of the North Port, Florida, home where Brian and his girlfriend Gabby Petito lived, Fox News reported.

“The female, Roberta… called in on 911,” a dispatcher is heard saying, adding that the caller “referenced a situation with the male,” according to the network.

Chapman told Fox News that he had spoken with police before he arrived at the Laundrie home.

“It’s a shame they wouldn’t speak with us. The police said we were welcome to knock on the door so we did. I wanted to tell the Laundries that our goal is to find Brian and bring him in alive,” he told the outlet Monday.

Police spokesman Josh Taylor told Fox News that they handled the 911 call like the agency would have all others.

Duane Lee Chapman, better known as ‘Dog The Bounty Hunter,’ said Brian Laundrie’s mom called the police on him when he knocked on her door.momandpaparazzi.com / SplashNews
Christopher and Roberta Laundrie return to their North Port, Florida home.
William Farrington

“We’ve been called to the house numerous times for all sorts of issues: media, protesters, celebrity searchers,” he said. “It’s not something normal. If the family calls and is concerned, we will respond like we would for anyone.”

Chapman, 68, told The Post that he’s received hundreds of tips on his 833-TELLDOG hotline – many of which point to Laundrie being somewhere along the Appalachian trail where he was known to camp for months at a time.

Laundrie, 23, vanished Sept. 14, three days after Petito’s family reported her missing. Her body was found Sept. 19 at a campground in Wyoming’s Bridger Teton National Forest, not far from Grand Teton National Park.

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie are seen in an Instagram post.
Instagram
Dog the Bounty Hunter has reportedly received hundreds of tips about Brian Laundrie’s location.
William Farrington

The FBI has issued an arrest warrant for Laundrie, based on his suspected use of Petito’s debit card on Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, presumably as he drove back to Florida in Petito’s van.

He is the only person of interest in the death of Petito that the FBI has named.

Laundrie’s parents have denied any knowledge of or involvement in his disappearance.

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Brian Laundrie hit Gabby Petito, cops told in new police recording

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New dispatch audio shows that the Utah police who pulled Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie over in August were told that the now-missing boyfriend was the alleged aggressor.

“RP (reporting party) states seeing a male hit a female, domestic,” the dispatcher is heard saying on the day of the incident, according to Fox News, which cited police audio obtained by Fox 13 Utah.

“He got into a white Ford Transit van, has a black ladder on the back, Florida plate,” the dispatcher adds.

Police questioned the couple following a report of a domestic incident at the Moonflower Community Cooperative and pulled the pair over outside of Arches National Park on Aug. 12. A 911 caller told dispatchers he saw a man slapping a woman outside the co-op.

But the officers considered charges against Petito after seeing scratches on Laundrie’s face.

The Moab City Police Department is now under investigation for its handling of the “domestic dispute” between the couple as a “breach of police department policy.”

The agency has come under fire after stopping the pair on reports of a possible domestic assault — separating them for the night but allowing them to continue on their cross-country trip.

Petito, 22, disappeared about two weeks later and her remains were found in Wyoming on Sept. 19.

Laundrie, who returned to Florida without his girlfriend in their van on Sept. 1, is now the subject of a massive manhunt.

The audio obtained by Fox 13 also shows that when one cop asks for the witness’ phone number, the dispatcher again indicates that Laundrie had hit the Long Island native, who was seen hysterical and in tears in the bodycam footage.

The Moab City PD has come under investigation for its handling of the domestic violence call between Laundrie and Petito.
Moab City Police Department

“Phone number is [redacted], name’s [redacted],” the dispatcher says. “I’m not sure [inaudible], but the female who got hit, they both, the male and the female, both got into the van and headed north.”

Under Utah law, police must make an arrest or issue a citation when they have “probable cause to believe that an act of domestic violence has been committed,” Fox News reported.

Brett Tolman, a former US attorney in Utah, told Fox News on Sunday that the officers will probably face disciplinary action.

“I think they will find that they sort of manipulated the situation to not take someone into custody,” he told the network. “I think the fact that they had another eyewitness that is not involved in it, and is objective, and said ‘he hit her’ … you’re going to have a majority of officers take him into custody.”

Moab police did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News.

According to phone records, the police dispatcher told the officers that Brian Laundrie hit Gabby Petito.
Moab City Police Department

Meanwhile, the search for Laundrie in Florida’s 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve will be scaled back, according to Fox News.

“I don’t think you’re going to see those large-scale types of efforts this week,” Josh Taylor, a spokesman for the North Port Police Department, told the news outlet late Sunday.

“The FBI is now leading the search. I’m told it will be scaled back and targeted based on intelligence. Hopefully, water will lower in areas hard to currently access,” he added.

Last week, Laundrie was indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly using Petito’s debit card in Wyoming in the days after she vanished.

On Sunday, two FBI agents arrived at his parents’ North Port home to gather Laundrie’s personal belongings for DNA testing, the family’s lawyer confirmed to The Post.

 

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FBI, police resume search for Brian Laundrie in Florida wildlife refuge

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NORTH PORT, Fla. — The FBI and police on Tuesday will resume the search for Brian Laundrie in a 25,000-acre Florida reserve — just one day after calling it off.

Authorities will return to the Carlton Reserve where Laundrie, 23, is believed to have vanished on a hike a week ago after being named a person of interest in his girlfriend Gabby Petito’s disappearance.

The FBI is now leading the criminal investigation, North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor said in a statement.

“A weekend ground search and aerial search Monday of the 25,000-acre [39-square-mile] preserve has yet to yield any answers, but we must press on,” Taylor said.

“Please be aware, the Carlton Reserve is a vast and unforgiving location at times. It is currently waist-deep in water in many areas.

“This is dangerous work for the search crews as they are wading through gator- and snake-infested swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails.”

The FBI plans to continue to search the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie.
Dennis A. Clark
Police abruptly ended the search of Carlton Reserve, where Laundrie was last known to be, on September 20, 2021.
Dennis A. Clark
Florida police and the FBI swarmed Laundrie’s parents’ house, seizing evidence.
Dennis A. Clark

Authorities suddenly called off the search for Laundrie in Carlton Reserve first thing Monday. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the renewed search efforts in the area.

FBI agents swarmed Laundrie’s home Monday and declared it a “crime scene” before hauling out his parents.

Laundrie was reported missing by his family on Friday after setting off on the hike three days earlier.

According to Laundrie’s parents, Brian has not been seen since he went on a hike on September 14, 2021, after he was named a person of interest in the disappearance of Gabby Petito.
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Laundrie’s parents reported him missing on September 17, 2021, after he didn’t return from his hike.
Instagram

A body believed to belong to his 22-year-old girlfriend was discovered in Bridger-Teton National Park in Wyoming near where her van was spotted late last month.

Petito was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11 after Laundrie returned to his Florida home without her 10 days earlier.

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Utah park ranger warned her relationship with Brian Laundrie seemed ‘toxic’

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A National Parks Service law enforcement ranger who responded to a domestic incident between Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito in Utah last month warned the woman that her relationship with Laundrie seemed “toxic.”

“I was probably more candid with her than I should’ve been,” Melissa Hulls, the visitor and resource protection supervisor at Arches National Park, told the Deseret News in an interview about her conversation with Petito on Aug. 12.

By the time Hulls responded that day, Petito, 22, was sobbing in the back of a police cruiser and the ranger approached her knowing the Long Island native may have been more comfortable speaking with a woman during the emotional ordeal.

“I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship,” Hull told the newspaper, “asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life.”

Police responded to the scene after a 911 caller reported seeing a man “slapping” a woman in the face, according to new audio obtained from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.

Brian Laundrie speaks with police as they responded to an altercation between him and Gabby Petito.
Moab City Police Department/AFP

The audio contradicts a police report that portrayed Petito as the aggressor, stating at one point she “began slapping” him after he told her to take a walk to calm down.

An officer wrote “it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female,” but later determined that “no one reported that the male struck the female.”

No charges were filed that day and the incident was classified by police as a “mental/emotional health break.”

The couple then reportedly agreed to spend the night separately.

“This wasn’t a good day for anybody. We thought we were making the right decision when we left them,” Hulls said in the interview.

Moab City Police respond to a domestic violence call with Brian Laundrie.
Moab City Police Department/AFP

“I wouldn’t have called (the relationship) unsafe. If we had any reason to think any one of them was in danger, we would’ve separated them,” she said.

Police bodycam footage of the incident has been released by the Moab City Police Department.

Hulls was also wearing a body camera, but said she has not looked over the footage.

“It’s hard not to second-guess myself, and wish I said more, or wish I had found the right words to make her believe that she deserved more,” Hulls said.

Petito was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11 after Laundrie, 23, returned to his Florida home without her 10 days earlier.

The FBI said Sunday that remains “consistent with the description” of Petito had been uncovered in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.

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