Gabby Petito’s mother has shared details about her final interaction with Brian Laundrie’s parents and speculated on the circumstances surrounding his death.
The tragic narrative of Petito’s death is one that echoes many similar tragedies. A vibrant young person, deeply in love and looking forward to the future, was tragically taken by the person she trusted most.
What struck many about Petito’s case was her vivacious personality. She was actively sharing her life through vlogs and seemed to have a perfect relationship with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.
When she disappeared during their cross-country road trip in July 2021, many were left wondering what had happened.
The pair traveled in her converted Ford Transit van, documenting their journey and relationship on Instagram. Despite outward appearances suggesting a loving relationship, the situation would soon unravel into a criminal investigation.
As the investigation unfolded, it became apparent that Petito’s fiancé likely killed her before reportedly taking his own life during the search for her body.
An autopsy concluded that Petito died from ‘blunt-force injuries’ to her head and neck and ‘manual strangulation’ on either August 27 or 28, 2021. Laundrie passed away on September 21, and his body was found a month later, with the cause of death determined to be a gunshot wound to the head.
Nichole Schmidt, Petito’s mother, has been a dedicated advocate for her daughter’s memory, as has the rest of her family.
Recently, she discussed her last encounter with Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, amid her suspicion that one of them might have been involved in their son’s death.
During an appearance on The Squeeze podcast with Twilight actor Taylor Lautner and his wife, Taylor Dome, Schmidt was asked about her last communication with Laundrie’s family.
She recalled that her final interaction with them was when they visited her New York home to collect Gabby’s belongings to take to Florida. She mentioned they also exchanged a few texts and were Facebook friends.
Schmidt said: “I thought they were just quiet people and I’m okay with that – you don’t have to be my best friend – but, yeah, I never actually spoke to them after that until we saw them when they did the depositions for our lawsuit.”
When the hosts expressed disbelief over the Laundrie family’s lack of cooperation during the investigation to locate Petito, Schmidt shared her confusion and labeled Laundrie’s mother as ‘a sociopath’.
She further explained that when she could not contact her daughter or Laundrie during their trip, she texted his mother inquiring if she had ‘heard from the kids’, but received no response.
Schmidt believes his parents ‘knew what he had done’ and reportedly secured a $25,000 retainer for a ‘high-profile defense lawyer’ for their son.
Schmidt also speculated on what transpired leading to Laundrie’s death, questioning the claim that he took his own life after writing a note explaining his version of events regarding her daughter’s death.
She stated: “I will say straightforward, I don’t think he killed himself. I think either his father or [his mother] did. That’s just my opinion, it’s not a fact, it’s an opinion.”