Were Brian Laundrie’s parents ever charged with a crime after Gabby Petito’s death?

There’s a new Netflix documentary about the tragic death of Gabby Petito on Netflix. Her fiancé Brian Laundrie sadly killed her on a road trip, then killed himself. People are wondering whether Brian Laundrie’s parents were ever charged with a crime.

The new Netflix documentary suggests the Laundries communicated with a lawyer before the FBI began searching for Gabby, and didn’t always co-operate with the police.

Christopher and Roberta Laundrie’s lawyer released a statement saying, “The documentary contained many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact.”

Despite lots of speculation on social media, Brain Laundrie’s parents were never charged with a crime. A spokesperson for the police in North Port (where the Laundrie family live) told USA Today he didn’t know what criminal charges would be applicable to the Brain’s parents. He said: “To this day, there has never been a crime in this case which took place in the City of North Port.”

However, Gabby Petito’s parents – Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt – did start a lawsuit against Brain Laundrie’s parents. They claimed Christopher, Roberta and their lawyer Steven Bertolino knew Gabby was dead, but lied about it. Gabby’s family sued Brian’s for causing them emotional distress. They filed a complaint in November 2023.

The document said: “On August 29, 2021, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie spoke with Steven Bertolino, advising him that Gabrielle Petito was ‘gone,’ that Brian Laundrie needed a lawyer, and sent him a retainer on September 2, 2021.” That’s 13 days before Nichole reported Gabby as missing.

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The lawsuit also said the Laundries misled the public by issuing statements about the search for Gabby which indicated they believed she was alive. It read: “For the Laundries and Steven Bertolino to express their ‘hope’ that Gabrielle Petito was located and reunited with her family, at a time when they knew she had been murdered by Brian Laundrie was beyond outrageous.” The document called the Laundries’ behaviour “odious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community”.

The Laundries and their lawyer did not directly address these claims in interviews. The two families reached a settlement privately in February 2024. We don’t know any details about the outcome.

Steven Bertolino told WFLA: “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.”

The Petito family did win the wrongful death lawsuit in 2022. Brian Laundrie’s estate was ordered to pay Gabby Petito’s estate $3 million (£2.4 million).

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Featured image of Christopher and Roberta Laundrie via Netflix. Featured image of Gabby and Brian via her Instagram.