Brian Laundrie's sister breaks silence about Gabby Petito's death following new Netflix series
Brian Laundrie's sister has made an important admission about Gabby Petito's death.
American Murder: Gabby Petito is Netflix's latest true-crime doc that's proving to be a difficult watch for people at home.
On 12 August 2021, a reported domestic violence incident took place between aspiring vlogger Gabby Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie in Utah.
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Police arranged for the couple to separate for one night, and two weeks later, Petito disappeared.
After an extensive search mission, her body was found at the Spread Creek camping area in Wyoming.
A month later, Laundrie's remains were found and the FBI said he confessed to committing the murder in a note and died by suicide.
His older sister Cassie has broke her silence following the release of the Netflix documentary, stating that she knew nothing about Petito's disappearance until police called.
"No one from any family contacted me until detective Barry called me," she wrote on Instagram.
"Det. Barry gravely miscommunicated what I told her in the phone."
She has denied telling law enforcement about her brother talking about leaving Petito at a Wyoming hotel before he flew home to Florida without her.
"If you’re new here. And just starting to attack me today. I’ve been non contact with my parents for almost two years. Have fun," she added.
This comes after her parents Christopher and Roberta refused to speak to police when Petito's family were on the look out for her.
In 2022, a settlement was provided to the Petito family following a wrongful death lawsuit.
Petito's stepfather Jim Schmidt told Netflix's Tudum: "We reluctantly settled, but we got as much information as we were hoping for.
"When that day was over, a tremendous weight was lifted off of our shoulders. After that day, we all took a deep breath.
"It really allowed us to start working on what we want to do for the [Gabby Petito Foundation], to focus on that and truly start making a difference. It was a big pivot point for us."
Tara Petito, her stepmother, said: Going through that was so emotionally triggering and exhausting. Once we were able to settle, that weight just came right off, and we were able to focus more on the foundation and getting those resources. That’s the most important part.
"Gabby touched so many people. She touched the world, and by getting her story out there to more viewers, maybe it’ll save one more life.
"We’ve already received so many messages saying, 'Because of Gabby’s story, I got out of that relationship.' That’s why we started the foundation as well, to help others and get resources in their hands. That is so important, because Gabby was not able to get those tools."
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.
Topics: Gabby Petito, Netflix, Documentaries, True Crime
Anish Vij