FBI says Brian Laundrie claimed responsibility for Gabby Petito’s death in notebook

Petito went missing on a cross-country trip with Laundrie last year.

The young couple had stopped at various national parks along the way and posted about their “van life” adventures on social media. They started their summer tour in New York on July 22 and made stops in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.

On Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his home in Florida without Petito. Petito’s mother reported her missing on Sept. 11, and the FBI opened its case on Sept. 12. One week later, a search team found the 22-year-old blonde travel blogger’s remains at a Wyoming national park.

The Teton County Coroner’s Office concluded Petito died of “blunt-force injuries to the head and neck, with manual strangulation.”

(Courtesy of FBI Denver via AP)

Laundrie, 23, was named a person of interest early in the investigation and later went missing.

Laundrie used Petito’s debit card while driving back home from Wyoming, and a federal arrest warrant was later issued for him in connection with the use of her card.

The FBI said Friday that investigators found several text messages sent between Laundrie and Petito after her death that suggested Laundrie was trying to “deceive law enforcement by giving the impression that Ms. Petito was still alive.”

After weeks on the run, Laundrie’s remains were found in a Sarasota County, Florida, nature reserve along with several personal items — including a notebook. The FBI said Laundrie had written statements in the notebook claiming responsibility for Petito’s death. A medical examiner in Florida concluded Laundrie died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Petito’s disappearance drew worldwide attention and sparked online sleuths and armchair detectives to comb through clues, debate theories, and call in thousands of tips.

(The Moab Police Department via AP, File)

Amateur video vigilantes watched and commented on the case in real-time on social media, dissecting every micro-development. True crime podcasts popped up and covered almost every angle that at times gave media outlets a run for their money. 

Intense public scrutiny also put pressure on local, state, and federal law enforcement working the case.

Last week, an independent investigation found that Utah police made “several unintentional mistakes” when they stopped Petito and Laundrie in the tourist town of Moab on Aug. 12.

Officers investigated a fight between the couple but allowed them to leave after spending one night apart.

Police body camera footage of a visibly upset Petito was widely viewed as the investigation unfolded and raised questions about whether a different police response could have prevented her death.

The report found fault with the officers for not issuing a domestic violence citation to Petito after she admitted to hitting Laundrie or making an arrest under the domestic violence statutes of Utah. It also took issue with investigators failing to take a statement from a 911 caller who reported seeing the pair outside their van and a man slapping a girl.

“Would Gabby be alive today if this case was handled differently? That is an impossible question to answer despite it being the answer many people want to know. Nobody knows and nobody will ever know the answer to that question,” wrote Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe, of the Price City Police Department in Utah, who prepared the report.

As the case of Petito and Laundrie draws to an end, the family members are left to pick up the pieces.

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On Thursday, both sides agreed to split the former couple’s personal belongings when they are released by the FBI.

“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. 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,” Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino said in a statement Friday.