Brian Laundrie told parents Gabby Petito was 'gone' weeks before she was reported missing: Attorney
Gabby Petito, left, and Brian Laundrie are seen in bodycam footage released by the Moab City Police Department in Utah. (Moab City Police Department)
NORTH PORT, Fla. - A recent court document filed in Sarasota County revealed Brian Laundrie called his parents to tell them Gabby Petito was ‘gone’ two weeks before she was reported missing.
Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie in August 2021, and her body was later found in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest.
READ: 'Gabby Petito Act' filed in Florida Senate to protect domestic violence victims
Details of the phone call and the following events were revealed in the latest amended complaint filed on November 30 in the Petito family lawsuit against Laundrie's parents and their attorney.
In the document, attorney Patrick J. Reilly claims that Laundrie told his parents on Aug. 21, 2021, that Gabby was gone and he needed a lawyer. Several days later, on Sept. 2, 2021, his parents contacted their attorney Steve Bertolino and sent him a retainer.
Pictured: court document filed, revealing exchange between Brian Laundrie and his parents
"That just supported what we believed all along, that they may interpret ‘gone’ differently, but I think we all know what ‘gone’ means in the context of this case," Reilly said in an interview with FOX 13 on Monday. "We learned that through his deposition. We learned that Roberta Laundrie knew it as well. And we learned that they told attorney Steve Bertolino the very same thing."
He reached out to other attorneys in Wyoming to represent Brian, including a Public Defender's Office in the same county where Gabby's body was eventually found on Sept. 19, 2021, according to the complaint.
Through the lawsuit, Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt, allege that Laundrie's parents knew Petito was dead and issued statements expressing hope at her safe discovery, lying to the public and the Petitos.
Last week, Bertolino confirmed to Fox News Digital that he collected a $25,000 retainer from the Laundries and used it to pay Fleener Peterson, a criminal defense firm in Laramie, Wyoming, about a six-hour drive from where Gabby's remains were found.